By BJ Austin, KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Democrats are taking a new tack in the budget debate. Some are voting "present not voting" on efforts by the Republican majority to reshuffle money between various programs.
Rep. Sylvester Turner railed against an effort to take money from family planning services for the poor to give to mental health services for children.
"I will not be put in the position of choosing from one need to another when we are underfunding them both," Turner said. "If we were not willing to pull from the Rainy Day Fund to meet the needs of these children and elderly folks, I will not be caught trying to decide if I should fund child one or child two."
Dozens of Democrats, and some Republicans, voted "present not voting" on the amendments.
Debate over massive cuts in the next Texas state budget could drag into the weekend before there is a vote. Lawmakers are slogging through hundreds of amendments.
The proposal is $23 billion less than what was spent in the existing budget. It includes the first reduction in overall public education funding in decades.
House committee approves SBOE map
A new map for the 15-member Texas State Board of Education has won approval from the House Redistricting Committee.
The map was approved Friday on a 12-4 vote. Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, said she voted against the newly proposed boundaries because she thought lawmakers could craft an alternative that would give Hispanics a bigger voice on the board. Rep. Burt Solomons, the North Texas Republican who chairs the committee, said he thought it was a fair map. It now moves to the full House.
The committee is drawing new district boundaries for the education board, members of the Legislature and Texans who serve in the U.S. Congress.
FW High School Students Fatal Fist Fight
A student at Fort Worth's Southwest High School is dead after a fist-fight with a classmate.
Clint Bond, with Fort Worth I-S-D, says after second period, a 15 year old freshman and 17 year old junior left campus, went across the street - behind the community center -- and began to fight.
Bond: Sometime during that altercation it appears that one of the students suffered some sort of medical emergency. He was transported to a local hospital where unfortunately he was pronounced dead.
Bond says the Medical Examiner will determine what caused the junior's death.
Police are interviewing the freshman, and several student witnesses.
Counselors were on campus for students prior to dismissal at 3:30.
Dallas Closes High Crime Motels
Dallas Mayor Dwaine Caraway applauded the closing of two Southeast Dallas motels today. The Mayor says they've been magnets for prostitution and drug activity for years.
A city inspector delivered letters revoking occupancy permits for the Luxury Inn and the Sundial Motel, both on South Buckner.
Last year, the City Council changed the zoning for that neighborhood - banning motels of 60 rooms or less. City officials say the owners were warned they needed to stop renting to customers but did not.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown says shutting the doors of these motels should improve the quality of life in the community.
Charity Scam Suspect Arrested
Parker County Sheriff's investigators are sorting out a string of "charity" scams they believe are the work of one man. Lt. Mike Camp says 50 year old John Mark Moyers was arrested last week, and admitted scamming Weatherford-area businesses out of thousands of dollars for a fake golf tournament.
According to investigators, Moyers admitted used such scams to support himself over the past two years. He would solicit fees, donations, gift cards, cash and door prizes from businesses. But, he would skip town before the date of the bogus charity event.
Lt. Camp says Moyers is also being investigated for scams in Hillsboro, Arlington, Austin, and Mesquite, among others.
Moyers, charged with theft, remains jailed in Parker County.