SUMMARY: Austin City Council faces a Thursday vote on funding design and initial construction of roadway elements for park decks (“caps and stitches”) over TxDOT’s I-35 expansion near downtown. The complete project could exceed $1.4 billion, but the current decision concerns early elements costing $49 million. The council is split: one group advocates exploring alternative funding to avoid cutting into the city’s $750 million bond capacity, pushing for more expansive caps; the other prefers a slimmer plan funding only construction support for two caps while preserving bond capacity for other priorities like housing. Mayor Kirk Watson leans toward the conservative recommendation. TxDOT extended the funding commitment deadline to November 2026, allowing more time to finalize funding paths.

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SUMMARY: The Austin Independent School District revealed a sharp drop in truancy court referrals this school year, from 364 to 69, after reforming its prevention process. Despite thousands of Texas students being sent to truancy court annually, no state agency tracks detailed referral or outcome data. KXAN’s investigation highlighted this lack, prompting stalled legislation to create a uniform statewide truancy tracking system. Other bills propose changes like modified prevention measures and mandatory school attendance policies with parent notifications and home visits. Advocates note that without comprehensive tracking, Texas remains “in the dark” about truancy outcomes and the effectiveness of interventions.

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The post 'In the dark': Bills tracking impact of Texas’ truancy courts on kids not likely to pass  appeared first on www.kxan.com

SUMMARY: The Texas House voted overwhelmingly to advance Gov. Greg Abbott’s bail reform priorities, passing amended Senate Bill 9 and Senate Joint Resolutions 5 and 1. SJR 5, a constitutional amendment requiring judges to deny bail for certain felonies if the defendant is a flight risk or community threat, was supported with modifications ensuring fair standards and legal counsel, earning some Democratic backing. Conversely, SJR 1, known as “Jocelyn’s Law,” mandates denying bail for undocumented immigrants charged with felonies, sparking Democratic opposition and debate over fairness and racial profiling. Both SJR 1 and SJR 5 require a two-thirds vote to pass and will go to voters in November if approved.

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