Texas Lunch Links: Tornadoes, Charter Schools and the Economist on Julian Castro

by: Nick Hudson

Thu May 16, 2013 at 00:00 PM CDT

TORNADOES: An estimated 10 tornadoes ripped through north Texas on Wednesday, devastating entire neighborhoods, injuring dozens and killing at least six people.

JULIAN CASTRO: The Economist has a political profile of Julian Castro and speculates that by 2018, he might have a real shot at Governor.

TERM LIMITS: The Texas House of Representatives rejected, by a vote of 80-61, a resolution that would have limited statewide officeholders to two consecutive terms.

WEST, TEXAS: The folks at the Texas Tribune have produced a great interactive map of the known 110 facilities that work with ammonium nitrate in Texas, along with esimates of those facilities' proximity to schools and hospitals.

Education Needs Relevance Without Sacrificing Rigor: House Bill 5

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Wed May 15, 2013 at 00:32 PM CDT

Unfortunately, much of this debate has focused on one shortsighted question: Do all students really need Algebra II? Many students will not attend a four-year university, this argument goes, so why should they be forced to spend time taking it?

The real questions need to be: At what point will students decide they are not on a university path? What can we do to prepare them for success in their chosen postsecondary path? And to be prepared for the jobs of the future, can any path afford not to require rigor?

I hope to reframe the debate in conference committee, and come out with a much stronger bill that helps every student realize his or her potential.

Read more below the jump.

Texas Lunch Links: Water Scarcity, Wiretapping, and Fracking Pollution

by: Nick Hudson

Wed May 08, 2013 at 00:00 PM CDT

WATER: Groundwater in Texas' major aquifers dropped significantly between 2010 and 2011 as a result of drought conditions, and groundwater levels are expected to continue declining.

WIRETAPPING: Scott Henson, the author of the criminal justice blog Grits for Breakfast, calls on lawmakers to reject wiretapping authority for local police in a Houston Chronicle Op-Ed today.

FRACKING: Texas counties are seeking more authority to regulate the location of fracking water disposal wells and searching for ways to mitigate environmental damage that might be caused by the disposal of frack water.

Read more Texas Lunch Links below the fold!

83rd Legislative Update - My bills move to the House

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Mon Apr 22, 2013 at 09:18 AM CDT

As you probably know, bills face a two-step process in the Capitol - they must pass one chamber, then the other - before they can go to the Governor for his signature and become law.

So far, 26 bills that I've authored have cleared that first hurdle - making it out of the Senate and over to the House. Additionally, four other bills on which I served as a secondary author have also moved over.

There isn't room to mention them all here, but here are some of the most notable:

Veterans/Military: As Chair of the Senate Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee, taking care of those who serve or have served - including their families - is at the forefront of my work in Austin.

Senate Bill 10 is the Veterans' Employment and Business Opportunity Act, and tackles veteran unemployment on three fronts: It allows direct hiring of veterans by state agencies through the Texas Workforce Commission's automated system, and requires at least 25% of the interview pool to be veterans; increases the ability of disabled veteran-owned business to compete for state contracts by making them  eligible for contracting with the Texas Council on Purchasing From People With Disabilities; and makes the College Credit for Heroes program permanent, letting certain military training translate into college credits.

SB 162 will also help the veteran unemployment problem by requiring state agencies that issue occupational licenses to provide an expedited licensure for service members, their spouses, and veterans within one year of separation from the military, if the license they obtained in the military is substantially similar to what Texas requires. (A year after the expedite license is issued, individuals would be expected to fully meet Texas requirements for that license.)

SBs 846 and 898 address veterans' mental health concerns. SB 846 requires the Texas Veterans Commission to coordinate with the Department of State Health Services to incorporate a suicide prevention component into its training of veteran county service officers. SB 898 enables a greater number of veterans and family members  to be eligible for Peer-to-Peer services under the Mental Health Program for Veterans.

SB 981 will allow electric utilities in Texas to adopt a discount program similar to the one we now have in San Antonio for burned veterans who must keep their houses cooler than normal.

Healthcare: SB 294 extends the Bexar Cares program until 2023. Bexar Cares requires information sharing among state agencies to more efficiently help at-risk children with behavioral health problems.

Human Trafficking: Combating this form of modern-day slavery is another of my major legislative campaigns. SB 92 will create a juvenile diversion court for human trafficking survivors, so that minors who have been prostituted may be treated as crime victims needing treatment and services rather than as criminals.

SB 532 would enact the recommendations of the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force created by the 81st Legislature four years ago. It is actually still in the Senate, but that's okay - its companion bill, House Bill 8 authored by my dear friend Rep. Senfronia Thompson of Houston, has moved swiftly through the House and has been sent to the Senate. I am confident this will become law.

Not directly concerning human trafficking but closely related is SB 1356, requiring training at juvenile correctional facilities to help staff recognize when misbehavior by youth may be due to a past trauma rather than simple disobedience. Such trauma-induced behavior requires treatment, not punishment.

Education: I am particularly proud of and hopeful for SB 1538. There are public and charter schools that specialize in helping high school dropouts get back into the education system and achieve a diploma, but school rating systems fail to recognize the special challenges such schools face. SB 1538 would require these circumstances to be considered, so that such schools don't get punished for doing exactly what they're supposed to do.

Coordinated school health programs currently address a range of physical health concerns for students. SB 1352 would require that mental health be addressed as well.

The education code currently outlines conditions under which a teacher may remove a student from the classroom for disciplinary reasons. SB 1541 would similarly specify conditions under which bus drivers could similarly remove students from a bus and refer the student to the principal.

Economic development: Craft brewing and distilling are rapidly expanding industries nationwide, but Texas companies in the beverage industry are hamstrung by inconsistencies in the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code. Several bills that I have authored or coauthored will level the playing field for these entrepreneurs, such as SB 828 which would allow them to more effectively market their products, or SB 905, which would allow them to sell a small amount directly to consumers visiting a distillery.

The final day of session, known as sine die, will be May 27.

Helping Traumatized Kids in Texas' Juvenile Justice System

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Fri Apr 12, 2013 at 10:04 AM CDT

When young people end up in our state's juvenile justice system, that statement is, unfortunately, the easy assumption to make. Real life, of course, is usually more complex than that. Bad behavior usually has a cause.

Too often, children who head the wrong direction in life got started down that path by the bad hand they were dealt early in their lives. So many of our kids have been abused, either emotionally, physically, sexually, or some combination thereof. Or they were neglected, or suffered deprivation.

Each year, roughly half of the youth referred to Texas' juvenile justice facilities have experienced some type of trauma. These traumas can't just be swept from their psyche - they leave scars. Those invisible scars often show up in their behavior - certain "triggers" can set them off, causing severe overreactions that can be mistaken for disobedience by untrained staff in juvenile facilities. This leads to harsh and counterproductive responses, including the use of long seclusions in secure facilities, or being held in restraints - responses which often makes a kid's trauma worse.

This negative cycle of  trauma-incarceration-trauma pushes youth deeper and deeper into the juvenile justice system, and farther and farther away from the behaviors that lead to the right path. In fact, research in Texas shows that a youth's past experience with trauma is the single largest predictor of how deeply involved that youth will become in the Texas juvenile justice system.

I want to help children avoid this cycle. That's why I introduced Senate Bill 1356 in the current legislative session. This bill, if it becomes law, will require the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and county juvenile departments to include "trauma-informed care" in their existing training programs for appropriate staff, including probation officers, detention officers, and court-supervised community-based program personnel. The training would provide specialized skill for working with juveniles who have experienced traumatic events.

This would allow staff to recognize when a child may be reacting to a trigger, and then deal with the crisis appropriately, rather than using punishments that may just send the youth crashing into a downward spiral. Rather than asking "what's wrong with you?" staff need to ask "what happened to you?" That's a crucial difference.

In a recent survey of girls incarcerated in the state secure juvenile facility, fifty percent said their time in county juvenile probation did not help them deal with their past trauma. That's too many young people who aren't getting the treatment and help they need.

I know this trauma-informed care can work - my inspiration for this bill came from seeing it in action right here in Bexar County. In recent years, Bexar's juvenile probation department took advantage of a trauma-informed care training program provided by the Hogg Foundation beginning in 2007. Since joining that effort, Bexar has reduced seclusions, restraints, suicide attempts, and injuries in juvenile facilities much more than the state average.

The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition (TCJC), a nonprofit research organization devoted to creating a criminal justice system that is fair, efficient, and safe, endorses my bill.

"SB 1356 is an important step towards a stronger Texas juvenile justice system that heals traumatized youth," said Benet Magnuson, a policy attorney with TCJC. "Our current juvenile justice system sends the most traumatized youth deepest into the system. In the future, our juvenile justice system must give staff the skills they need to support traumatized youth, and our policies must stop practices, such as the use of long isolations to punish youth, that re-traumatize kids in trouble."

Ultimately, a justice system cannot simply be about punishment, it must also put people on the right course. And there's no better time to do that than when they're young. I believe this bill will aid that effort.

I'm grateful to my Senate colleagues who voted SB 1356 out of the Criminal Justice Committee. I look forward to it passing the entire Senate, the House, and eventually getting signed into law by Governor Perry. Our children deserve better treatment.

State Senator Leticia Van de Putte represents District 26 in Bexar County.

Workplace Protection for All Texans

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Mon Apr 08, 2013 at 05:47 PM CDT

The third category: Bills that we know most likely won't pass, but we introduce them anyway because we believe in our hearts that these policy changes are the right thing to do. We file these bills because we want to spark discussion, create momentum and make an important point.

Senate Bill 237 fits into this latter category. SB 237 would prohibit employment discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or gender expression. I authored it for a very simple reason: Because too many Texans live in fear of losing their jobs, not because they lack the skills for employment, but because of who they love. The time has come for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and people who are transgendered to stop living with this fear.

Texas already has protections against discrimination in employment based on race, color, disability, religion, sex, national origin, or age. It only makes sense to extend these protections to the LGBT community.

Of course, in Texas, I knew this would be an uphill battle. The Texas Legislature is a conservative body, and hasn't necessarily caught up to Americans' changing opinions on sexual orientation. And I realize that some people just aren't ready to support a change on certain issues, such as gay marriage.

But I want to be clear: This is not a gay marriage bill. This is a bill about fair employment laws. I am hopeful that my colleagues will realize this bill is rooted in deeply held Texas values of hard work and opportunity. In a country founded on the notion that all people are created equal, and a state that strives so hard to protect our personal freedoms, the bottom line is that all Texas workers must be free from the threat of workplace discrimination.

Every Texan deserves the opportunity to earn a fair wage and succeed in the workplace, and I find it unacceptable that qualified, hardworking Texans can be denied job opportunities, fired or otherwise discriminated against just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Every day, they work hard to make an honest living to support themselves and their families, and help our economy grow along the way - but far too many go to work with the fear that they will lose their job based on factors that have nothing to do with their job performance or ability.

What's especially infuriating is that brave warriors who fought for our freedoms can then be denied those freedoms. Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva testified in support of the bill on April 3 before the Senate Economic Development Committee. Staff Sgt. Alva was the first American seriously injured in the Iraq War. He lost his right leg as a result of stepping on a land mine on March 21, 2003.

"I eventually retired from the United States Marine Corps after 13 years of honorable service to my country," Staff Sgt. Alva told the committee. "But the reality of today as I sit here is that as a veteran, I could be fired from a job or be denied from applying from employment in this great state, that I was born in, all because it doesn't matter that I am a decorated Veteran, disabled or Latino, I would be denied employment because I am also a gay individual."

The bill was left pending in committee, and probably does not have the votes to get to the Senate floor.

Discrimination has no place in our society or in our workplaces; Texas can and should do better for all our workers.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte: Helping Dropouts Drop Back In

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Mon Apr 01, 2013 at 07:09 PM CDT

But there is no debate on another point: A high school diploma is something to which all students should aspire and achieve. And it's crucially important that Texas not erect unnecessary obstacles to obtaining that diploma.

That's why I filed Senate Bill 1538, which will help both traditional and charter high schools that reach out to dropouts, getting them back into school and into that cap and gown.

Getting dropouts back into school isn't just a noble goal - it's an economic necessity.

I've said that education is the fuel for our economic engine, and there are accurate statistics to prove it: A 2009 study by Texas A&M found that, of Texans with a high school diploma (but not a college degree), the average yearly salary is $21,361. For those who drop out of high school, the average is only about two-thirds that: $14,592. That's lost income for individuals and families, as well as lost revenue for the state.

That can literally be the difference between being in poverty or not - the federal government's official threshold for poverty for a two-person household, under age 65, without children is $15,374.

It can also be the difference between incarceration or not: Two-thirds of inmates in Texas prison system are high school dropouts.

Read more below the jump.

A Toast … to Texas Business!

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Thu Mar 14, 2013 at 11:33 AM CDT

Perhaps you might expect something more weighty, such as education or the budget. Well, rest assured, I'm hard at work on those most important issues.

But actually, I consider beer and distilled spirits to be pretty serious subjects, too, because if a package of bills related to the beverages industry makes its way through the Legislature and into law, it will bring good jobs and business opportunities to Texas.

In recent years, I heard complaints that certain regulations put in place shortly after Prohibition ended no longer made sense in our modern times. While these laws may have been necessary in the 1930s to prohibit monopolies and mob influence, today they are seen as inhibiting business expansion and putting Texas companies at a competitive disadvantage with out-of-state brewers and distillers. However, several attempts to change these laws in previous legislative sessions failed because of disagreements between different segments of the industry.

So, about a year ago, I began a series of stakeholder meetings that brought these different factions together. Producers, distributors, and retailers did exactly what we should do in a democracy: They identified their differences, figured out what they could agree on, and looked for solutions.

The end result has been a series of bills that I helped author.

With regards to beer, Senate Bills 515, 516, 517 and 518 (coauthored principally with Sen. Kevin Eltife) would:

* help production brewers (such as Ranger Creek or Alamo Beer Company in my hometown of San Antonio) to sell a small amount of their product on the premises of their brewery

* allow brewpubs (retailers that brew their own, often restaurants, such as San Antonio's Blue Star Brewing or Freetail Brewing) to sell their products off-premises

* allow brewers under a certain size to self-distribute.

These bills still keep our "three-tier" system in place (which requires separation between producers, distributors, and retailers) while acknowledging that the beer industry has changed in recent years and that we must allow these small brewers to expand. Maybe some small Texas brewer will become the next craft beer success story, like Boston's Samuel Adams Brewing did!

This package of bills just passed the Senate Business & Commerce Committee. Hopefully, it will eventually make its way through the Senate, House, and to the Governor's desk.

I'm also trying to help other artisans that have recently sprung up in Texas: makers of quality distilled spirits (Ranger Creek again, which also makes whiskey, and Rebecca Creek Distillery - I know you'll understand if I keep plugging San Antonio).

Much like the beer bills, my SB 905, which I coauthored with Senators John Carona and Kevin Eltife, would allow distillers to get their product directly into the hands of consumers. If passed, distillers could sell a limited amount of their product to be consumed at the distillery, and they could sell a bottle or two of their product for visitors to take home, much like wineries may do now.

Two of my other bills, SBs 642 and 652, would more easily allow bulk sales of distillers' products.

SB 642 would allow food producers - such as, say, a barbecue sauce maker that wants to use whiskey in the sauce - to buy in bulk directly from an in-state distiller. Currently, they must buy from a retailer, an arrangement that is expensive to the food producer and has cost our in-state distillers some lucrative contracts. Hey, why shouldn't a Texas barbecue sauce contain all Texas ingredients, instead of being forced to use whiskey from Kentucky or Tennessee?

Similarly, SB 652 would allow Texas distillers to sell in bulk to one another instead of being forced to buy from out-of-state. The bill also allows a distiller to buy directly from a brewer - this would save money for Texas distillers, such as those who may want to buy Texas beer to use in the production of their whiskies.

Both SB 642 and SB 652 passed the Senate on Wednesday, and now head to the House.

When you look at it that way, you can see this is actually quite a serious topic. These bills are about more than a drinking a beverage - they're about growing Texas businesses, putting people to work, and buying Texan!

Defending Veterans' Education Benefits

by: Senator Leticia Van de Putte

Tue Mar 05, 2013 at 02:08 PM CST

One of the best ways we've done that, since shortly after the First World War, is the Hazlewood Act. This is a Texas law that provides veterans seeking a college education with 150 credit hours of tuition and fee exemptions. And in 2009, a bill I authored made this good law even better - the Hazlewood Legacy Act allowed veterans to pass on any unused Hazlewood benefits to their spouse or children.

I did this, and my colleagues at the Capitol supported me, for a simple reason: When a service member goes off to war, the family also sacrifices. There's no point in letting that benefit go unused - the veteran (and family) earned it.

Lately, however, there have been some disturbing rumblings around the Capitol and the state's institutions of higher education. Some university administrators have complained that Hazlewood, especially since the passage of Legacy, is putting a financial burden on their schools.

This kind of talk infuriates me. After service members put their lives on the line to defend our Constitution, after their family suffers sleepless nights worrying about their safety, and after their children endure months-long stretches without the presence of a parent (sometimes both parents), I don't want to hear about how they are a "burden" on the rest of us.

I take a different view - I don't believe the burden comes from Hazlewood or our veterans, it comes from a state Legislature that fails to properly fund higher education. It comes from cuts - made over my objections in the 2011 legislative session - to the money made available to our schools.

On Wednesday, the Senate Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee, which I chair, will hold a hearing on Hazlewood. We expect to hear from university chancellors - who, I want to make it clear, support our veterans and want to find a way to continue helping them. And we will hear from students who have received an education thanks to Hazlewood, letting them reach for their dreams and provide for their families.

I know the money to continue Hazlewood exists - the only real question is whether my fellow legislators will step up and deliver it.

I am happy to entertain a discussion of how we can send more money to our universities. I am not willing to discuss in any way diminishing benefits that our brave warriors and their families have earned.

The hearing will be held on the Senate floor at 1:30 p.m. (or upon adjournment of the Senate) on Wednesday, March 6. If you cannot make it to Austin, you can monitor the hearing online by watching streaming video HERE or by reading the testimony HERE.  

Tweets of the Week: Rep. Donna Howard and Sen. Van de Putte Discuss #TXWomensHealth

by: Shelby Alexander

Wed Feb 06, 2013 at 11:30 AM CST

The chat was an opportunity to discuss what we can do to better advocate for sane solutions in response to the lack of adequate preventative care services for the women in our state.

Unfortunately, it clearly became an opportunity for fundamental anti-choicers to flood the hashtag stream with crazy talk about embryos that wasn't related to what was being discussed. Think "your birth control will cause your womb to be laden with baby corpses" kind of crazy. However, it benefitted the advocates involved to be able to contrast rational conversation from the oh-so-definitely-not rational.

The legislators did an excellent job with addressing the real issues at hand, and getting information out about the need for family planning in Texas.

Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates are working hard to bring women's health issues at the forefront, so make sure you sign up and get involved in their Take Action Tuesdays in the coming weeks!

Yesterday's Tweet chat reinforced that the lack of education about reproductive health in Texas is clearer than ever, which means we need to work that much harder to make the real issues apparent.

You can follow some of the top tweets after the jump!