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Top Stories: Winding Down The Legislative Session; Changes In Prostate Screening

Martin do Nascimento/KUT News
Texas Governor Greg Abbott gives his annual State of the State address in the House of Representatives Chambers in the Texas State Capitol on Jan. 31, 2017.

The top local stories this morning from KERA News: This will be a busy week for state lawmakers. The legislative session concludes next Monday, and both chambers need to pass as many high-priority bills as possible.

Among them: property tax reform, school finance reform, and the state budget. But Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said he’ll push for a special session if bills on property tax reform and transgender bathroom use don’t pass. 

There was plenty of activity over the weekend. The House tentatively passed a compromise version of a bill on transgender bathroom use. The Senate also approved a school finance reform bill, but there’s a modest voucher plan attached to it. A texting-while-driving ban is headed to the Governor’s desk.

Other stories this morning:

  • Two high-ranking Fort Worth police officials have been demoted after they were accused of leaking an officer’s body camera footage from a controversial arrest. Bodycam footage and cell phone video showed the arrest in Fort Worth of Jacqueline Craig and her daughters late last year after she called police to deal with a neighbor who allegedly put his hands around the neck of Craig’s 7-year-old son.
  • Five years ago, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended against routine blood tests used to diagnose prostate cancer. Those recommendations have changed, which leads to another issue.

You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.

Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.