Standardized school start date sought Schools would not be allowed to start any sooner than the week of Aug. 21 under a bill tentatively approved by the Senate. The bill is designed to to stop schools from discriminating against migrant students who can't follow most school calendars because of their work schedules, says bill sponsor Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville. The legislation would allow school districts to start the academic year anytime during the week of Aug. 21 as long as the 21st fell between Monday and Saturday. If the 21st were on a Sunday, school districts could start their school year on the 22nd. The bill did not prompt any debate Monday, but Lucio withheld from bringing the bill up for final approval.
Critics say such legislation takes local control away from school districts.
Amendments slow DNA-testing bill Legislation designed to give convicts greater access to DNA testing that ultimately could free them from prison stalled Monday when the senator sponsoring the bill rejected amendments the House tacked onto the bill last week. The bill will go to a conference committee so members of the House and Senate can pull together a bill that is acceptable to both chambers. Gov. Rick Perry had declared the DNA-testing issue an emergency in early February, urging lawmakers to approve the bill quickly. Bill sponsor Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, said the committee would meet this week and hopefully have a bill ready for the Senate floor April 2. Duncan's original bill requires prosecutors to preserve biological evidence that can undergo genetic testing and allows certain prisoners to seek state-paid DNA testing if it was not available at trial.