Capital Highlights: What's happening in Texas this week

House OKs $302 billion budget

The Texas House approved a $302 billion budget last week that included an amendment prohibiting the use of state money on private school tuition — a major setback to Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to establish a school voucher system. The Austin American-Statesman reported that more than 20 Republicans joined nearly all House Democrats to pass the amendment, while 11 lawmakers voted present.

The amendment is seen as a rebuke to Abbott, who has traveled the state pushing what he calls “school choice.”

The amendment’s sponsor, state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, said his proposal to block using public money for private schools boiled down to “public money for public schools.”

The House’s budget now heads to the Senate, which has passed an education reform bill calling for $8,000 in state funding a year for a student who attends a private school. Since that funding is not included in the House budget, the issue could lead to tense conference committee negotiations between the two chambers. Some lawmakers have speculated the conflict could lead to a special called legislative session after the regular term ends on Memorial Day.

Among the highlights of the House budget are record funding increases for public schools and highway construction, as well as raises for state employees.

Court rules degrees can be revoked for misconduct

The Texas Supreme Court reversed previous lower-court rulings and ruled last week that Texas universities can revoke previously awarded degrees for academic misconduct, the Statesman reported. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University, in separate cases that were consolidated, argued they should be able to revoke doctorate degrees from students who committed academic misconduct to “protect their reputations and the value of degrees conferred upon their students.”

Both cases involved students accused of fabricating data that was discovered after the degrees had been conferred. Both students sued their respective universities after their degrees were revoked.

“The only difference between expelling a current student for academic misconduct and revoking the degree of a former student for the exact same academic misconduct is one of timing,” Justice Debra Lehrmann wrote.

Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches and Cedar Park. Email: [email protected].