Senate passes bill that will track abortions
BY PHARA CHARMCHI
.....A pregnant minor not wishing to notify a parent of her decision to seek an abortion has one other option under Texas law - she can find a judge to release her from the requirement, a process known in legalistic terms as "judicial bypass." Yesterday, the state Senate passed SB 331, which will allow for that previously confidential process to be tracked.
.....Currently, there is no record of how many such cases reach court, nor the rate at which judges deny or approve girls' requests. Supporters of the bill maintain that citizens have a right to know how the arrangement of judicial bypass works in practice. The ability to track data would allow them to find out not only how many such cases go to court, but also the rate of judges' compliance with requests. Under the bill, the Texas Supreme Court would set policy for collection and public release of information gathered, while promising the confidentiality of all parties involved. More.
Lubbock shields privacy, not 'right to know
BY CHARLES SNIDER
.....Over the past 2 months, many Texans have received informational letters from their insurance companies that described new federal privacy laws. The new privacy laws apply to entities in possession of medical records, like doctors and hospitals, but according to the Lubbock City Attorney, the law also applies to the Lubbock Police Department.
.....In a decision described as a misinterpretation of the law by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, who drafted the new privacy laws, Lubbock City Attorney Anita Burgess ordered police to cease disclosing publicly the medical information about crime or accident victims, even a victim's death. City Attorney Burgess believed that city officials, and the police, would be breaking the new federal privacy laws if they continued to release murder or traffic fatality information to newspapers or other media.
.....Lubbock is the only Texas city that interpreted the new privacy laws as applying to the police department. More.
Local media's tendency to omit
Media Criticism
BY LEN HART
.....When the mainstream media doesn't miss a story, it spins it...Reporter Len Hart compares the Houston Chronicle front page today with the Associated Press, Reuters and the Washington Post ...
.....Bush once asked: Is our children learning?
.....Let's rephrase that: is we getting the whole news from the local media?
.....In a word: No!
.....However, the topic is a broad one.
.....Here's the big headlines that appeared on the front page in today's Houston Chronicle: "One-time Iraqi intelligence leader captured."
.....Never mind that the capture in Iraq is hardly the "big" headline from that region; admittedly others may not agree with my assessment that the bigger story -- buried inside the Chronicle story -- is the increasing heat put on the United States by the Shiite "pilgrims". The Chronicle spun that story but did not headline it. More.
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ACORN didn't forget No Child Left Behind program
BY TANYA AKPABIO
.....Yesterday, the Houston chapter of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, joined with chapters in 35 cities across the nation to call attention to the Bush administration's education spending allocations. Tanya Akpabio reports:
.....Over a dozen members of Houston ACORN paid a surprise visit to the Harris County Republican Headquarters demanding they send a letter of support to President Bush for reinstatement of full funding of the No Child Left Behind program.
.....ACORN spokesperson Giovanna Carroll Phillips issued a statement as to the purpose of the demonstration:
....."Six billion dollars has been cut from the Bush administration's budget for the No Child Left Behind Act. And we're here to get the money reinstated, we're here to deliver the letter and have it faxed to the national headquarters as well as let our local Republican leaders know that Bush made a promise to us, and our children, and that we want him to fulfill his promise."
.....In 2001 George W. Bush and members of both parities in Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act. The intent was to close the disparity gap between schools in lower income neighborhoods and those in more affluent areas. Over $18 billion was approved, but in 2002 only an estimated $11 billion was allocated.
.....Federal money for schools is tied to improving test scores. This means inadequate funding for the No Child Left Behind Act threatens the schools in greatest need of additional resources in order to live up to the act's new requirements for improving education. More.
Gays' foster parenting rights challenged in lege'
BY ERIC THOMPSON
.....On Tuesday, The House Committee of State Affairs advanced a bill that, if enacted into law, will mean new difficulties for the state's foster care system. House Bill 1911 was introduced by Pasedena Republican Robert Talton and would ban homosexual individuals from candidacy as foster parents.
.....Talton has gone on record with very strong anti-gay views and said in a house committee this week, "You have to decide what you think is right and what you think is not. I'd rather see children growing up in orphanages, quite frankly, and learning the right ways of regarding their sexuality, than grow up in a home teaching them that homosexuality is OK."
.....Executive Director of the Texas Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby, Randall Ellis describes the situation.
....."This bill would remove children from foster homes - loving, caring homes at this point - and put them back in group homes, and ... Many children have to stay in a group home, and these are what we used to call orphanages, we don't refer to them as orphanages anymore, but that what Mr. Talton said he wanted to do. He said he wants to take those kids out of those homes and send them back to orphanages."
.....In the past, sexual preference has never been a criteria in selecting foster parents. The Child Protective Services claim they have no statistics on how many foster parents are gay, lesbian or bisexual, but some social workers fear up to a thousand Texas children may be affected. More.
Rep. wants to turn over prison system to private hands
BY RENEE FELTZ
.....A state representative with ties to private prison lobby groups is pushing a bill this session that could lead to the privatization of the entire state jail and prison system.
.....Representative Ray Allen, chair of the House Committee on Corrections, introduced House Bill 1669.
.....Private Prison lobbyists in Austin include a total of seven from Wackenhut, six from Corrections Corporation of America and three from the Correctional Services Corporation. Bill Medialle, data analyst for lobby watchdog group Texans for Public Justice, explains what this means:
....."Actually, it's a fairly small number of lobbyists compared to some of the big issues in Texas. Like the telecom issues or energy issues have hundreds of lobbyists on both sides. This is definitely a small number, but they are very well chosen, and slip an issue through without a lot of sight."
.....Of these lobbyists, several donated to Allen's last election, even though he ran un-opposed for his seat.
.....Critics of the bill say it bucks a national trend away from private prisons. In the last six months private prison population has declined by over 6,000 prisoners as other states pull out from contracts. Attorney and expert prison consultant Michelle Deetch:
....."Ten years ago, states were all ready to embrace privatization, they were all trying it out. And over the last decade, the performance record has been so poor and states have come to realize that there's no cost-savings associated to it, and it's just been a lot of headache." More.
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