KPRC 2 Investigates has found that truancy data reported to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is not proactively monitored, despite a state law requiring school districts to engage in and report truancy prevention efforts.

The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 8, a bill that will make several changes to education in public schools across the state, namely replacing the STARR exam and restoring A-F public school accountability ratings.

A bill filed in the aftermath of the devastating July 4 Texas Hill Country floods which aims to install outdoor warning sirens in areas with a history of flash flooding has passed the Texas Senate.

Citing federal studies, Bettencourt worries alerts on cell phones can be ignored. A study of the effectiveness of the 2023 Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) national test alert showed, 17.5 percent of adults opted out of one or more WEA alerts.

Lawmakers tried to tackle the problem of truancy and chronic absenteeism in Texas during the last legislative session, but many proposed laws failed to pass. However, one bill is now on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk waiting to be signed.

The Texas Senate has passed House Bill 4 with a 23-8 vote, citing Houston ISD's academic improvements under Superintendent Mike Miles as an example of effective accountability.

A bill, Senate Bill 2722, aims to reform the distribution of toll road revenues in Harris County, potentially providing Houston up to $80 million over five years.

The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2010, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, to prevent local governments from using public funds for universal basic income programs like Harris County's "Uplift Harris."

This new legislation aims to restore property rights by streamlining the eviction process, ensuring that rightful owners can reclaim their properties swiftly and efficiently.

The Texas Senate has passed a bill that will crack down on organized fuel theft rings across the state.

Several bills have been filed in the Texas House and Senate this legislative session aimed at addressing the problem of truancy in Texas.

The Texas senate has passed a bill that would expand death penalty eligibility for individuals convicted of murdering children.

The mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old murder victim, is advocating in Austin for Senate Bill 990, which seeks to expand death penalty eligibility to include all child victims between the ages of 10 and 15 in Texas.

A new bill and joint resolution introduced in the Texas Senate by a Houston-area senator would give Texans the opportunity to vote on whether the state continues to observe Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time.

State lawmakers are looking at bringing more nuclear power to the Texas grid system using new technology.

“We’ve got to get back to where there’s a way to handle truant kids, and part of that is the school districts have to be able to go knock on doors again," Sen. Bettencourt said in a statement.

Sen. Paul Bettencourt is asking a judge to look into a whistleblower's complaints after learning only one out of four water tanks are being used because the other three have rusted over.

The county plans to ID eligible voters and send them registration forms. GOP officials say it’s an end-run around state law.

Spring Branch ISD Board President Chris Earnest sharpened criticism against his State Senator, Paul Bettencourt. Tuesday night (Feb. 27, 2024) Bettencourt posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) sharing a recent opinion piece from the district’s former superintendent questioning the district’s recent funding shortfall.

Voters in Texas’ 50 largest counties will now elect new three members of their respective property appraisal district boards.

Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to soon sign an immigration enforcement bill into law. Senate Bill 4 was passed by the state House and Senate during the legislature’s 4th special session.

Whitbeck admits the offer is no longer being offered but remained upbeat about it.

Proposition 4 could usher in a bevy of property tax changes. That includes using $12.7 billion from a record state budget surplus to lower school district taxes.

A bill filed by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt would help bring consistency to how truancy is handled by school districts across the state. After passing the Senate 30-1, Senate Bill 1630 was recently voted out of a House committee and is now headed to a vote in the House.

A competitive match-up in Austin is heating up around mobile sports betting in Texas.The business of sports betting through a mobile device in the Lone Star State has been viewed as an underdog by many, but it is very much alive according to key players in Austin.

The proposals target the taxes homeowners pay and require school districts to lower their tax rates.

The Robb Elementary School shooter had hundreds of unexcused absences, and a House investigative report noted it was unclear whether any attempts were made by the school district to find out what was happening in the teen’s life before he was involuntarily withdrawn.

Allegations in an elections audit by the Secretary of States office were echoed to KPRC2 by Senator Paul Bettencourt ahead of the upcoming November election.

Harris County election officials won’t have primary election results by the statutory deadline due to damaged ballots, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.

If voters approve the measure next year, it will raise the state’s homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000 for school district property taxes, netting the average homeowner about $176 in savings.

Tax relief for property owners joins a packed to-do list for Texas lawmakers — which includes redistricting, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and a spending plan for $16 billion in federal stimulus dollars.

HOUSTON – After two days and two hearings, Texas state senators and representatives will begin deciding how to reform the embattled Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT, which manages the flow of electricity across our state. Magness testified ERCOT is asking each of the 185 power plants that went down during the storm to provide specific reasons for the outages. Nye testified his list did include natural gas facilities, but he learned during the storm his list was not the most current. Garland Power and Light COO Tom Hancock told state senators the company invested in a robust winterization effort following the 2011 winter storm that caused similar problems in Texas. Hancock said as a result none of the natural gas facilities in their territory went offline.

Friday’s announcement of proposed Senate Bill 252 comes after Channel 2 Investigates first exposed secret massive art collection being warehoused on the taxpayers’ dime, “Legally what this bill means is that I don’t think that what Precinct One Commissioner is doing is legal. I don’t think you can take a private Art collection, house it, spend public money, do private tours, I don’t think that is the right thing under the Texas Code,” said Bettencourt. The state senator out of District 7 doesn’t believe the actions taken by Ellis and his office is legal. Bettencourt said this bill is to ensure accountability at the state level if the Ogg’s office does nothing. Bettencourt indicated he cannot speak to federal operations, but he can speak to the state and its laws.

Students in the Houston Independent School District -- the state’s largest school system -- are struggling academically and struggling far more than normal. It’s survival mode.”In a statement to KPRC 2, HISD confirmed that 42% of their students failed one or more classes in the first grading period of the fall, which was six weeks long. That grading period was nine weeks long and all in-person instruction. “Additionally, to support students who are facing academic challenges, interventions are in place during the school day. Also, high school students can attend virtual online classes for credit recovery.”Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a known critic of the school board, believes any solution needs to be hyper-focused on the students.

Schools across the state now have access to a list of teachers who have crossed the line with students in the past. The Texas Education Agency rolled out the ‘Do Not Hire Registry’ this week which serves as a database for employers. Also, it created a registry of individuals who are not eligible for hire in a Texas public school based on misconduct or criminal history. In 2017 the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 7 which addressed inappropriate teacher student relationships and added more penalties. This piece of legislation, Senate Bill 1256 was amended to Senate Bill 3 and cost about $1.7 million.