By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – The Texas House resolved not to compromise on cutting spending for family planning programs or to avoid tapping the Rainy Day Fund.
Now that the House and Senate have passed different versions of the next state budget, a conference committee must work out a compromise.
Lawmakers in the House, though, wanted to draw lines in the sand on Friday. In party-line votes, Republicans instructed the House members of the committee not to restore any funding to family planning programs. They also said negotiators should not accept any proposal to spend additional money from the Rainy Day Fund. The House has already approved using $2.9 billion.
The Republican majority voted against Democratic proposals to restore funding for public education or pre-K classes.
None of the resolutions are binding.
2nd class-action suit filed against Combs
A second class-action suit has been filed in federal court in Houston against Comptroller Susan Combs on behalf of 3.5 million Texans whose personal information was accidentally exposed online.
Attorney Muhammad Aziz told the Houston Chronicle that the plaintiffs are seeking a $1,000 penalty "for each of these individuals whose privacy was violated by the comptroller."
Combs' office said April 11 that it discovered it mistakenly posted the data, including names and Social Security numbers, on a publicly accessible server for months.
Combs has publicly apologized, blaming human error for the data release, and has announced free credit monitoring for anyone who's been affected.
She said she cannot comment on litigation.
Texas Senate approves 23 percent TxDOT budget hike
The Texas Senate has approved a plan to boost the Texas Department of Transportation's budget by 23 percent at a time when most state agencies are bracing for deep cuts.
The Senate transportation budget passed Wednesday is for $19.5 billion. That's $3.3 billion more than the House version approved April 3.
Republican state Rep. Drew Darby of San Angelo who helped oversee the plan says the increase will address dire infrastructure needs.
Large bridge projects, road repair and decreasing urban traffic congestion are some of the areas where the money would be spent.
Taxes, fees and bonds would fund it. The Austin American-Statesman reports that the resulting debt for all that borrowing, about $257 million over two years, would mainly come from the state's already troubled general fund.
Dallas police: Tow truck rage leaves 2 dead
Dallas police say a gunman upset that his vehicle had been hauled away fatally shot a tow truck worker before the truck's driver returned fire and killed the assailant.
Police say the tow truck driver and his helper were looking for cars that weren't authorized to park in an apartment lot early Friday in northwest Dallas. Police spokesman Kevin Janse says the gunman emerged and began shooting, striking the truck's passenger.
The truck's driver then got out and fatally shot the gunman.
Janse says the gunman's car had been towed earlier and he "came out to seek revenge."
Authorities have not yet released any names.
Police arrested and questioned the truck driver but released him pending a grand jury referral.
Police are investigating.
Bill lets private schools in UIL with big limits
Texas senators have voted to allow private schools to play in the University Interscholastic League with two big exceptions - football and basketball.
The Senate removed football and basketball to eliminate worries that private schools would be recruiting athletes for those two high-profile sports. Private schools would still be allowed to participate in other sports such as baseball, volleyball and soccer and UIL academic competitions.
Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston has pushed for years to allow private schools to join the Texas public school league. The bill passed Friday would phase in private schools over five years, with the smallest schools joining first.
Two large private schools, Houston Strake Jesuit and Dallas Jesuit are already allowed to participate in the UIL.
The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
Governor declares tort reform emergency item
Gov. Rick Perry has declared a tort reform bill to be emergency legislation.
The declaration allows the House and Senate to push the bill to the top of the agenda. House Bill 274 calls on the Texas Supreme Court to institute rules that make it tougher to bring a civil lawsuit. The proposal would also allow the defendant to collect costs if they prevail. Right now only the claimant can collect lawyer's fees and costs if they win.
The bill's author, Republican state Rep. Brandon Creighton, says the bill will make civil courts more efficient and less expensive. Opponents say it will discourage people from bringing suits because of the fear of paying huge legal costs if they lose.
On Friday, the House placed the bill on the emergency calendar.
Police say counselor was killer's target
Police say a Texas university student who fatally shot his counselor's husband before turning the gun on himself intended to harm the woman who had tried to help him.
Arlington Police spokeswoman Tiara Ellis Richards says that's partially based on evidence found in Antonio Garcia's vehicle after he killed the counselor's husband, Steven McIntosh of Colleyville, last month.
Richards said Friday that because the gunman is dead authorities don't know if he meant "to kill or hurt" his counselor only that he wanted to harm her.
Police say the attack occurred the day after Garcia expressed an "inappropriate" romantic interest in his counselor who then arranged for him to see someone else.
Police say Garcia shot 42-year-old McIntosh several times outside an Arlington daycare before shooting himself in the head.