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AUSTIN
As members of the Texas House deliberate about the budget this session, there are several things on their minds. First, is the fact that the Texas Legislature has 101.4 billion in general revenue for the 2014-2015 budget, which also includes an 8.8 billion surplus. In addition, the Rainy Day Fund has been projected to grow to 11.8 billion. Representative Poncho Nevárez would like to see the budget address major cuts that were made last biennium. "Public education and Medicaid are in dire need for funds due to the 5.4 billion cuts in public education and almost 5 billion left unpaid to Medicaid last session," stated Nevárez. "While funding public education to cover enrollment growth is essential, we also have to think about restoring those major cuts," expressed Nevárez.
(AUSTIN)
Sen. Carlos Uresti was reappointed on Friday as vice chairman of the Senate Administration Committee and the Agriculture, Rural Affairs and Homeland Security Committee, and appointed for the first time to the Transportation Committee. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst also reappointed Sen. Uresti to the Health and Human Services and Natural Resources committees. "I am pleased with these assignments," Uresti said. "They reflect my personal interests and those of Senate District 19, a unique combination of vast rural areas of West Texas and urban San Antonio. "Membership on these committees will allow me to aggressively pursue my legislative agenda, which is led by child protection and infrastructure policy on roadways and water," Uresti said. "They are a good fit for the issues most important to the people of my diverse district." Sen. Uresti represents Senate District 19, which covers more than 35,000 square miles and contains all or part of 17 counties, two international ports of entry, ten state parks, 51 school districts, almost 9,000 miles of highways and county roads, and more than 29,000 producing oil and gas wells. The district is larger than 11 states and 124 Nations, and contains almost 400 miles of the Texas-Mexico border.
AUSTIN
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will begin handling AMBER Alert functions in Texas previously performed by BeyondMissing.com. The system has two components, the flyer creation system and the e-mail notification system. Law enforcement, media and the public will need to set up new accounts on the DPS website to continue using this system. The flyers that subscribers have been receiving will have a different look since they will be distributed by DPS instead of BeyondMissing.com. The flyer creation component allows local law enforcement to create their own flyers for abducted children in their area, which are then distributed through the e-mail notification portion of the system. This is especially helpful in areas that do not have regional AMBER Alert plans. Subscribers to the e-mail notification system receive AMBER Alerts issued by Texas law enforcement agencies and DPS at no cost by registering with a valid e-mail address and zip code. Alert flyers will contain victim, suspect and vehicle information that is made available by law enforcement. Registration for the new DPS Public E-mail Notification System can be accessed through the following links: • Public Registration: http://www.dps.texas.gov/DEM/AMBERALERT/AMBERREGISTER.ASPX • Law Enforcement Account Requests: https://AMBER.DPS.TEXAS.GOV This notification system is just one of the ways DPS informs the media and the public about state-issued alerts. The other methods DPS uses for notification on state-issued alerts will remain the same, such as e-mails to the media and electronic road signs. For a list of state AMBER Alert Network partners, see: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/Operations/Alerts/AmberOverview.htm. AMBER stands for “America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response,” and was named for 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and murdered in Arlington, Texas, in 1996. Shortly after Amber Hagerman’s death, law enforcement and media representatives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area created the first AMBER Alert program, serving as a model plan nationwide for alerting the public regarding abducted children. The Texas AMBER Alert Program was established by Gov. Rick Perry in August of 2002, complementing existing local AMBER Alert programs. DPS manages the statewide program and provides law enforcement a mechanism for rapid notification of the media and the public in these serious child abduction cases. For more information on the Texas AMBER Alert Program, please visit: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/Operations/Alerts/index.htm.