Friday, May 1, 2009

Colin Guy

Attempts to pass a statewide ban on the use of cell phones by drivers have fizzled in the past, but a proposal to limit the ban to school zones might have a better shot at passing.

A bill filed by Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, that would allow communities to fine drivers up to $200 for using a cell phone in a school zone has made it through the Texas House of Representative's Transportation Committee, where broader bills have stalled, and is waiting to be considered by the legislature.

Gennero Kirkman, a 53-year-old teacher at Our Mother of Mercy Catholic School whose grandchildren attend Blanchette Elementary, said she sees people chatting on cell phones all the time as they pass through school zones and supports putting a stop to the practice.

Proposal enjoys strong support among state lawmakers; specific plans to get there under debate.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Ralph K.M. Haurwitz

Legislation intended to increase the number of top-tier research universities in Texas enjoys wide support among state lawmakers and appears likely to pass this session. Whether it will achieve the goal is another question.

To hear some lawmakers discuss the matter, the increases in funding currently envisioned should propel some of the state's public universities onto the national stage in five or 10 years. Higher education leaders say the reality is more sobering.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Ralph K.M. Haurwitz

Amid all the brainstorming on how best to educate Texas students, legislators have hoisted the accountability system in preparation for an overhaul, kicked the tires on charter schools and jiggled the wires on school financing. State Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and a host of other notables are even considering legislation to give local school boards the flexibility to use textbook money on technology.

Branch's idea is not a fancy or complicated concept but certainly one that deserves legislative support. The bill would allow school boards to use money allotted for bound, paper textbooks for "electronic textbooks and instructional material that conveys information to the student or otherwise contributes to the learning process."

Translation: Today's students might be more comfortable consuming information from a computer screen than a traditional textbook.

May 2009 Edition

Posted by Kristie Ramirez

Since 2003, 51-year-old House member Dan Branch has packed his bags every other January and headed to Austin to hunker down for the 140-day legislative session. The fourth-term representative for District 108 calls Dallas home, and the bookcase in his Capitol office illustrates his life here and there. With pictures of his wife of 24 years, Stacey, and their five children, along with budgets and history books, it is a blend of paternal and practical. "The things in there go way back," says Branch. "Whether it's family, Austin, or working weekends at the ranch, it all reminds me of my roots." The bookcase sits within inches of Branch's desk, where he takes meetings, composes legislation, and eats lunch.