By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – The Texas Senate's Education Committee has approved a plan to expand charter schools in Texas.
The measure would allow the State Board of Education to authorize 10 new open-enrollment charter schools a year. The new law would also allow existing charter schools to add new campuses without requesting approval.
The bill was authored by state Sen. Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican. Current law limits the number of charter schools to 215. The Texas Legislature authorized charter schools in 1995 to operate with fewer legal restrictions than regular public schools to allow for innovation.
The new measure would also allow the State Board of Education to authorize an unlimited number of charter schools focused on educating children with disabilities.
The bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote.
Bill aims to circumvent US Justice Department
Some Texas Republicans want to get around the US Department of Justice during the redistricting process.
A House committee on Monday heard a bill that would send any redistricting or Voter ID bills straight to a three-judge panel in Washington, D.C. for "pre-clearance" under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The law requires Texas and other states, mostly in the south, to get federal approval before making major election law changes.
The bill by GOP Rep. Phil King would require the state to get approval for redistricting and Voter ID changes from a federal court - not President Barack Obama's Justice Department. King said the department is too liberal and can't be trusted to give a fair ruling in the redrawing of political boundaries. Democrats called the bill misguided and unfair.
Commercial space travel gets boost
Commercial space travel has gotten a boost from the Texas Legislature.
Lawmakers approved a bill Monday that would limit the liability that private space travel companies face. Under the legislation, people who sign up for rides on a private space flight would assume the risk of death or injury by signing a waiver. The companies would still be liable for gross negligence or damage to non-participants, officials said.
The bill faces a final procedural hurdle and is expected to be sent to Gov. Rick Perry this week.
Rep. Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa, said the legislation would help spark a "new and exciting age of space travel."
Mexico asks US, Canada for help with border fires
The Mexican government is asking for help from the United States and Canada to put out two large fires in an area close to the border with Texas.
Mexican Environment Secretary Juan Elvira Quesada tells The Associated Press that the fires are about 60 mile from the border and are spreading aggressively to the southeast, away from the border.
Elvira said Monday that he sent a letter to the U.S. Embassy asking for heavy tanker airplanes that can unload fire retardants. Mexico also requested aid from Quebec.
Mexican Environment Department spokesman Ruben Romero said that fires had spread over nearly 245,000 acres (99,000 hectares) of pasture-land and desert vegetation in several townships of the northern state of Coahuila by Monday afternoon.