Judges across the state, and particularly in Harris County, are sending youth offenders to adult prisons even when they have few prior offenses, according to a study by a University of Texas criminal justice expert.
Sylvester Turner
Posted in
State Government
3.2 Billion From Rainy Day
Texas House Appropriations committee approves use of 3.2 billion of rainy day fund for 2011 budget.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas Politics Recap: 3/7 to 3/11
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome.
Posted in
Economy
Texas Tribune Weekly Rundown
The Texas Tribune’s rundown of capitol politics for the week of March 7-11, 2011.
Posted in
State Government
Lights Out for Seniors, Poor
State Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, is concerned about budget cuts to a program that discounts utility bills for the elderly and those with low incomes.
Posted in
State Government
Budget Writers Spare Historical, Arts Agencies — For Now
Two agencies that Gov. Rick Perry has suggested suspending funding for — the Texas Historical Commission and the Texas Commission on the Arts — came before House Appropriations this morning. And lawmakers didn’t seem particularly apt to shutter them.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
The Big House Isn’t Big Enough
At today’s hearing of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, Sheriff Adrian Garcia will be grilled about efforts to control overcrowding at Harris County’s four jail facilities, which have seen a dramatic population spike. At the urging of Houston lawmakers, Garcia will be pressed to explain why he wants to keep housing more inmates than the facilities can accommodate, and why some recommendations by the county’s own consultant for ways to reduce its jail population have gone unheeded.
Posted in
State Government
A Fine Mess
Efforts to salvage the problem-plagued Driver Responsibility Program ultimately may not shield it from the wrath of its many detractors, including at least one lawmaker who believes we “shouldn’t hesitate in getting rid of it.”
Posted in
State Government
Driven to Repeal
The Driver Responsibility Act, which levies hefty surcharges on minor offenders, has cost 1.2 million Texans their licenses, and most of the fees that were supposed to be collected have not materialized. At the direction of state lawmakers, the DPS is trying to get people to pay up and square things with the law. But critics want the program ended altogether.