Latest news with #Zaffirini
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas senator extends record after casting 75,000 consecutive votes
AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Thursday, Dean Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, cast her 75,000th consecutive vote in the Texas Senate—extending her record. Zaffirini previously broke the state and national record of most consecutive votes cast by a legislator in 2023 when she cast her 70,000th consecutive vote. Senator breaks records after casting 70,000th consecutive vote in Texas Senate 'Her votes span nearly four decades of policymaking and reflect decisions about major issues affecting every Texan, including education, health care, infrastructure and access to justice,' the Texas Senate press office said. Zaffirini has helped pass 1,401 bills—more than any legislator in the history of the State of Texas, according to the Texas Senate. Senator becomes first woman Dean of Texas Senate Zaffirini also made history in 2023 as the first woman Dean of the Senate, which is an informal title given to the senator with the longest continuous service. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
This bill would have Texans vote on the future of daylight saving time
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Sunday morning will be the 58th year in a row Americans (except Arizonians and Hawaiians) will skip an hour, entering daylight saving time. If a proposed constitutional amendment floating through the Texas legislature passes, it could also be the last time. We asked viewers on Facebook what their thoughts were on the time change, and over 90% showed preference for staying on one time year-round. The problem was figuring out which time Texas should switch to. 'DST is crazy – we'd be no worse of(f) without it,' one viewer commented. 'Please keep daylight savings (sic) time. Earlier sunrise is much better than dark at 4:30,' another wrote. President Donald Trump, who advocated for a permanent change to daylight saving time in December, told reporters on Thursday he ran into a similar problem. 'It's a 50/50 issue,' Trump said. 'I assumed people would like to have more light later. But some people want to have more light earlier.' 'People don't like to have to change the clock,' State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D – Austin, said. Goodwin authored the proposed amendment which would eliminate the time change and give Texas voters the choice: permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time. 'Whenever I bring it up it's amazing how much conversation it generates. People want to have a say.' Efforts to eliminate the twice-a-year time change have grown in recent years, but none have gotten past the finish line. 'In 2023 Daylight Saving Time legislation received bipartisan support in the Texas House, where members overwhelmingly approved a bill to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time,' State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D – Laredo, said. Zaffirini authored identical legislation in the Texas Senate. 'Although that effort stalled in the Senate, the broad interest in addressing this issue suggests growing momentum.' Friday afternoon, advocates for eliminating the time change got one more supporter in their corner, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston. He filed a different, but nearly identical bill to Zaffirini and Goodwin. 'For years, Texans and Americans have debated clock changes, questioning their impact on health, safety, and the economy,' Bettencourt said in a press release. 'I for one, would like to have one time a year, regardless what time is chosen.' If approved by two-thirds of both the Texas Senate and House, voters would get to decide which time to stay on this November. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
New Texas bill could unlock ‘mystery' of what happens to students in truancy court
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Newly filed legislation by a state senator could shore up the state's collection of truancy court information and provide lawmakers and education leaders with a clearer picture of how the civil penalty system is affecting students. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, filed Senate Bill 1850 Tuesday. The bill would add numerous data related to truancy cases to be collected by the Office of Court Administration from justice of the peace and municipal courts where the cases are handled. Zaffirini's district stretches from Laredo to South Austin. Her legislation follows a KXAN investigation that found over 86,000 students were sent to court for truancy since 2016. Meanwhile, no state agency has been watching what ultimately happens to them in the process. State lawmakers reformed the truancy system in 2015 by shifting the repercussions from criminal to civil court. Back then, lawmakers and policy experts were concerned about the severity of using criminal charges on students who missed too much class. 12,000+ Texas kids sent to court for missing class, no one tracks what happens next Ten years later, it isn't clear how students are faring under the civil truancy regime, since nobody is monitoring outcomes across the state. But that could change with Zaffirini's bill, which followed a KXAN investigation of Texas truancy. KXAN filed over 200 requests to local courts and school districts to get an understanding of the scope of truancy cases and the variety of remedial orders judges issued – which range from tutorial hours to requiring a student to get a G.E.D. With no uniform standard for tracking that information, court responses left more questions than answers. Some courts keep track, some don't, some refused to say. KXAN also found school districts are sending special education students to court. Furthermore, since the pandemic the number of truancy cases has risen steadily, with 2025 on pace to have the highest number of cases filed since 2015. KXAN spoke with judges handling truancy conduct cases in Central Texas. We gained access to truancy court proceedings and watched numerous parents and their kids navigate the system. We also spoke with families affected by the truancy, including Rosa Yharte and her son Nathaniel Karle. Rosa explained how her family struggled with attendance after Nathaniel's dad was charged with a sex crime – but not yet jailed – and Nathaniel feared he might encounter him at school. Nathaniel's absences mounted and, in April 2024, a constable arrived on the family's doorstep to serve Nathaniel papers referring him to court for truancy. The entire ordeal put extreme stress on the family. Nathaniel was ultimately disenrolled from his Georgetown ISD high school and enrolled in a homeschool program. 'What about sending somebody out to the home to make sure the family is OK, to see what's going on in their situation? Instead of just OK – here's a paper, go to court,' Yharte said. The Office of Court Administration currently tracks basic information on truancy cases, showing the number of cases filed each year in counties and cities. Zaffirini's bill would add layers of data to give lawmakers, and the public, a clearer picture of how and where truancy cases occur. The bill would break down data by the district referring the student. KXAN found the number of students referred to courts varies widely from one district to the next and from year to year. For example, one Williamson County school district had nearly a thousand percent increase in truancy referrals in one year – from 38 in 2022 to 408 in 2023. KXAN had to request that data from a local court to find the increase. 'JPs don't drive the docket. The docket gets driven by the schools, and then it has to go through the county attorney before we actually get it on our desk,' said Williamson County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Judge Rhonda Redden previously said to KXAN. Zaffirini's bill would require OCA to publish the information online for the public. The data would break down truancy information demographically to show numbers by age, sex, race, eligibility for special education services, homelessness status and more. In addition, the bill would show how truancy case dismissal rates, reasons for dismissals, and how often different types of remedial orders are used. Texas Appleseed Senior Staff Attorney Renuka Rege said collecting more information will help the state better understand the risk factors facing students who are referred to truancy court. 'We know that kids are being referred to truancy court and then, unfortunately, oftentimes being ordered by the court to drop out of school and get their GED,' Rege said. 'I'm very curious to see what those numbers look like, and you know, which parts of the state might be doing it more, which groups of students might be more affected by this.' Paige Duggins-Clay, an attorney and legal analyst with the Intercultural Development Research Association, says there is no monitoring without statewide data on truancy court, which could lead to students and families ending up in court when they should not be. 'It makes sense to me that things are slipping through the cracks, and it makes sense to me that schools feel overwhelmed and frustrated with the challenge of getting young people to school,' Duggins-Clay said. 'We [have] got to support the staffing at schools to help do those interventions so they don't feel compelled to push the student into the court system and sort of pass the buck.' State records show the truancy system has been misused. Last February, several advocacy organizations, including Disability Rights Texas and Texas Appleseed, filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency against Corpus Christi ISD, alleging the district violated students' civil rights. The groups found CCISD used truancy referrals far more often than neighboring districts, and 13% of the kids sent to court were in special education programs, according to a news release. A TEA investigation later confirmed the allegations, according to Disability Rights. In response, CCISD said it made a number of revisions to its truancy policy. 'It's kind of a mystery that once these students are referred to court, what is the court actually doing, what action is the court taking, and whether this is helping students,' Rege said. 'I think that it could get bipartisan support because it's simply collecting more information. We're just trying to see the data around what's happening, to find out if what we're doing is effective or not.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
When does daylight saving time start? See 2025 dates, why Texas lawmakers want it to end
After several unusually cold periods in Texas this winter and the first "fake spring," temperatures are back on the rise — for now, anyway. Punxsutawney Phil and Bee Cave Bob both saw their shadows on Groundhog Day, indicating lingering winter weather. The Farmer's Almanac also predicts a chilly start to spring, though above-average temperatures are expected later in the season. Regardless of the temperatures, the official start of spring is less than a month away. But even before that, Texans will see another sign of the changing seasons: daylight saving time. Daylight saving time is set to begin on Sunday, March 9, 2025. In the early hours, time will jump forward by one hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. This marks the shift to local Daylight Saving Time (DST). Many devices, such as phones and computers, will automatically change to DST, but non-smart devices, such as microwaves and some car radios, as well as any clock with hands, will likely need to be changed manually. Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. At 2 a.m. clocks will fall back an hour to 1 a.m., granting an extra hour of sleep. The start of daylight saving time means dawn and sunset will be an hour later on Sunday, March 9 than they were on Saturday, March 8. For most Americans, except those in Arizona, Hawaii, and a handful of other places, the start of daylight saving time means losing an hour of sleep on March 9. While standard time allows for more daylight in the mornings during winter months, daylight saving time adjusts for longer days. Winter officially ends with the first day of spring on Thursday, March 20, 2025. The longest day of 2025, also known as the summer solstice, is Friday, June 20. Central Texas will get around 14 hours of daylight. On the flip side, 2025's winter solstice — the shortest day of the year — is Sunday, Dec. 21. Austin will see just over 10 hours of daylight. The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis, and each solstice is dictated by the amount of solar declination, or "the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon," according to National Geographic. The practice of daylight saving time has made its way back to debates among Texas lawmakers. After failing in the 2023 legislative session, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has proposed a bill that would allow the state to remain in standard time all year as allowed by the Uniform Time Act of 1966. This differs from previous attempts, which have generally suggested states remain in daylight saving time — an act barred by federal law. "The twice-a-year clock change is disruptive and unnecessary," Zaffirini said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. "Studies have linked these shifts to increased traffic accidents, negative health effects, and decreased productivity." In 2022, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida, made such a proposal with the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023. Although the Senate passed it, the bill stalled in the House. "It's time to lock the clock and stop enduring the ridiculous and antiquated practice of switching our clocks back and forth," Rubio said toward the end of last year. The opposite happened in the 2023 Texas legislative session, in which Zaffirini and Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, proposed the state's permanent shift to daylight saving time. House Bill 1422 earned bipartisan support in the House but stalled in the Senate. Metcalf has filed a similar bill this year. "Texas doesn't need to wait for Washington," Metcalf said in a news release. "By passing HB 1393, we'll demonstrate leadership and send a strong message that Texans are ready to move forward." If Zaffirini's Senate Bill 64 is passed and Congress reverses previous rulings against the permanent adoption of daylight saving time, Texas voters could decide which time zone they would prefer to implement year-round. All but two U.S. states observe daylight saving time. Some states want to make it permanent, while others have moved to make standard time permanent. Experts say that time changes are detrimental to health and safety, but they agree that the answer isn't permanent DST. "The medical and scientific communities are unified... that permanent standard time is better for human health," said Erik Herzog, a professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and the former president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms. Most Americans would prefer to do away with time changes. About 43% want year-round standard time, 32% want permanent daylight saving time and 25% want to stick with the status quo, an October 2021 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found. For now and in the near future, most Americans will keep going through the jarring time changes that come around twice a year. Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) remain in standard time and never experience time changes. More: Could daylight saving time ever be permanent? Where it stands in the states In recent years, Congress has faced the opportunity to stop changing clocks. In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, however the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it and President Joe Biden did not sign it. In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump said he aims to put an end to daylight saving time and make standard time year-round. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump wrote on social media site Truth Social. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." — USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Daylight saving time 2025: Why Trump, Texas lawmakers want it to end
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
When does the time change? Texas lawmakers hope to get rid of daylight saving time in 2025
The practice of daylight saving time has made its way back to debates among Texas lawmakers. After failing in the 2023 legislative session, Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has proposed a bill that would allow the state to remain in standard time all year as allowed by the Uniform Time Act of 1966. This differs from previous attempts, which have generally suggested states remain in daylight saving time — an act barred by federal law. "The twice-a-year clock change is disruptive and unnecessary," Zaffirini said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. "Studies have linked these shifts to increased traffic accidents, negative health effects, and decreased productivity." In 2022, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, R-Florida, made such a proposal with the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023. Although the Senate passed it, the bill stalled in the House. "It's time to lock the clock and stop enduring the ridiculous and antiquated practice of switching our clocks back and forth," Rubio said toward the end of last year. The opposite happened in the 2023 Texas legislative session, in which Zaffirini and Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, proposed the state's permanent shift to daylight saving time. House Bill 1422 earned bipartisan support in the House but stalled in the Senate. Metcalf has filed a similar bill this year. "Texas doesn't need to wait for Washington," Metcalf said in a news release. "By passing HB 1393, we'll demonstrate leadership and send a strong message that Texans are ready to move forward." If Zaffirini's Senate Bill 64 is passed and Congress reverses previous rulings against the permanent adoption of daylight saving time, Texas voters could decide which time zone they would prefer to implement year-round. All but two U.S. states observe daylight saving time. Some states want to make it permanent, while others have moved to make standard time permanent. Experts say that time changes are detrimental to health and safety, but they agree that the answer isn't permanent DST. "The medical and scientific communities are unified... that permanent standard time is better for human health," said Erik Herzog, a professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and the former president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms. Most Americans would prefer to do away with time changes. About 43% want year-round standard time, 32% want permanent daylight saving time and 25% want to stick with the status quo, an October 2021 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found. For now and in the near future, most Americans will keep going through the jarring time changes that come around twice a year. Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) remain in standard time and never experience time changes. Read more: Could daylight saving time ever be permanent? Where it stands in the states Daylight saving time is set to begin on Sunday, March 9, 2025. In the early hours, time will jump forward by one hour from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. This marks the shift to local Daylight Saving Time (DST). Many devices, such as phones and computers, will automatically change to DST, but non-smart devices, such as microwaves and some car radios, as well as any clock with hands, will likely need to be changed manually. The end of daylight saving time means there will be more light in the morning and it will get dark earlier in the evening. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour earlier on Sunday, Nov. 3, than they were on Saturday, Nov. 2. For most Americans, except those in Arizona, Hawaii, and a handful of other places, the end of daylight saving time means an extra hour of sleep on Nov. 5. It also helps the country accommodate for more daylight in the mornings in preparation for winter. Daylight saving time (DST) claims a variety of other names: daylight savings time, daylight time, summer time (not to be confused with summertime). It refers to the practice of setting clocks forward by one hour during the warmer months of the year and then setting them back one hour in the fall. One way to remember the pattern: "spring forward, fall back." The idea dates back to World War I, although some credit Benjamin Franklin for daylight saving time due to a satirical letter he wrote in 1784 stating: "Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, let all the bells in every church be set ringing: and if that is not sufficient, let cannon be fired in every street to wake the sluggards effectually." To maximize resources for the war, Germany and Austria implemented the first daylight saving time in 1916. The U.S. did the same in 1918. An outdated idea, some argue. The general idea of daylight saving time is to maximize the use of natural daylight, according to the Almanac. This always occurs around the summer months. As the earth moves around the sun and is tilted on its axis, certain parts of the world experience longer days during certain months. For those in the northern hemisphere, like the U.S., these longer days run from March to November, with June to August seeing the longest days. For those in the southern hemisphere, such as Australia, the seasons are reversed: June through August mark winter months and are, therefore, the shortest of the year. Full moon calendar: When every full moon shines in 2025 in Texas In recent years, Congress has faced the opportunity to stop changing clocks. In 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, however the U.S. House of Representatives did not pass it and President Joe Biden did not sign it. In December, then-President-elect Donald Trump said he aims to put an end to daylight saving time and make standard time year-round. "The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn't!" Trump wrote on social media site Truth Social. "Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation." Winter officially ends with the first day of spring on Thursday, March 20, 2025. The longest day of 2025, also known as the summer solstice, is Friday, June 20. Central Texas will get around 14 hours of daylight. On the flip side, 2025's winter solstice — the shortest day of the year — is Sunday, Dec. 21. Austin will see just over 10 hours of daylight. The Earth is tilted approximately 23.5 degrees on its axis, and each solstice is dictated by the amount of solar declination, or "the latitude of Earth where the sun is directly overhead at noon," according to National Geographic. — USA TODAY reporter Jeanine Santucci contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Daylight saving time 2025 may be the last in Texas, lawmakers debate
