WEEKLY REPORT

May 4, 2012

BP to begin restoration in Gulf, but Texas holding out

About $60 million worth of coastal restoration projects to be paid for by British petroleum giant BP PLC are about to begin in every Gulf Coast state except Texas.

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With $12 million in bank, Abbott waits for higher-office dominoes to fall

Like other top Republican politicians in Texas, Attorney General Greg Abbott is closely watching whether there might be openings soon for Lieutenant Governor or Governor.

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Education Commissioner Scott to resign

Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott will resign in July after five years on the front lines of the state’s public education battles, the agency announced Tuesday.

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Editorial: Next education chief should aim high

Planned Parenthood funding in limbo again, thanks to latest court ruling

In an abrupt shift in fortunes for Planned Parenthood, a late-night order from a federal appeals court judge allowed Texas to drop the organization from the Women’s Health Program on Tuesday.

Help foster care kids stay in school, achieve more

Many of our foster youths change schools so often that community and family relationships are lost, school records disappear, and course credits don’t transfer.

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Arlington to consider banning smoking at workplaces

A City Council committee will soon explore whether Arlington should join a growing list of Texas cities — including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio — that ban all smoking at workplaces.

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At UT, disgraced lobbyist Abramoff lectures on ethics

When an ethical case study concerns one of the most notorious lobbyists in U.S history, one might expect to hear about Jack Abramoff, not from him.

Texas Association of Business throws support behind group of charter school supporters in school finance litigation

The Texas Association of Business has joined the ongoing school finance litigation and thrown its political heft behind a group of charter school supporters involved in the case.

Hang up the phone and drive safely

The statistics on distracted driving are ominous. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2009 — the last year for which such statistics are available — 5,474 people were killed in crashes involving driver distraction, accounting for 16 percent of fatal crashes reported that year.

Summer will be hotter, drier than normal, forecast says

Though hotter-than-normal temperatures are forecast for most of Texas this summer, including Dallas-Fort Worth, the region probably won’t face the drought conditions confronting West Texas, the Panhandle and the Rio Grande Valley.

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Judge halts state rule requiring parents to go with kids to Medicaid appointments

State health officials must stop, at least temporarily, requiring that a parent or guardian accompany children on Medicaid appointments, a Travis County judge ruled Thursday. Health officials responded that the order could endanger children and hamper fraud-prevention efforts.

Editorial: Texas gets tough, and smart, on crime

You may not expect Texas to be scoring points for progressive reform on criminal justice issues, but when the national board of directors for the American Civil Liberties Union met in Houston last month, the organization’s executive director, Anthony Romero, came with words of praise.

Conservatives urge state to abolish property taxes

Conservative groups urged Texas lawmakers Thursday to do away with property taxes — a major source of funding for school districts and cities — and make up the loss through the sales tax and other means.

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Reports of Violence Spur Call for Change at Youth Jails

Five years after instituting a sweeping overhaul in the wake of sexual and physical abuse scandals at Texas youth lockups, a senior lawmaker is again calling the situation at the facilities a crisis that jeopardizes the safety of youths.

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Editorial: Juvenile justice reform pays off

Several years ago, Texas’ youth corrections system was in a state of disrepair, holding thousands of kids and entangled in a massive sex abuse scandal. Since then, Texas has implemented sweeping reform, shifting the burden of handling juvenile nonviolent offenders from the state to counties.

Studies show the number of young licensed drivers is on the decline

Late-night bike rides have become the norm for Anthony Phung, a University of Texas at Dallas freshman who is among a growing number of young people choosing not to get a driver’s license.

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