While everyone was getting ready for a long weekend last Friday, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced committee assignments for the 83rd Legislative Session.
Henderson County’s representative in the Senate, Robert Nichols, was named to the following committees:
Committee of the Whole Senate
Health & Human Services
Intergovernmental Relations (Vice Chair)
Natural Resources
State Affairs
Transportation (Chair)
The big plum is chairmanship of the Transportation Committee. Before the session began, Nichols said transportation was one of the “Big 3,” along with education and water.
In the photo above, State Rep. Jim Pitts, who now represents parts of Cedar Creek Lake, files House Bill 1, the base budget bill, Tuesday in Austin. (COURTESY PHOTO)
The Cardinal Sports Network will webcast tonight’s Region XIV Conference Doubleheader at Cardinal Gym between the Lady Cardinals, Cardinals and Kilgore College. Sports Information Officer Benny Rogers and President Dr. Glendon Forgey will handle the play by play and commentary. Watch all the action starting at 5:20 p.m.
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UPDATED (Wednesday, Jan. 30, 11 a.m.): State Rep. Lance Gooden has added to the list of resolutions he has filed honoring the people and organizations of Henderson County. The new bills include:
UDPATED (Friday, Jan. 18, 9:45 a.m.): State Rep. Lance Gooden has filed more resolutions celebrating the people and organizations of his district, which includes most of Henderson County, including:
Recognizing Clara Jo Davis on her retirement from writing a column for the Athens Daily Review. Although not mentioned in the resolution, she also wrote for The Malakoff News.
The first bills filed by State Rep. Lance Gooden this legislative session are a series of resolutions spotlighting people and organizations in House District 4, which includes Kaufman County and most of Henderson County.
“David Campbell’s dedication to the care and management of fish in Texas waters has earned him the respect and admiration of anglers and outdoor writers across the state and beyond, and it is indeed fitting to recognize his contributions to the freshwater sport-fishing industry …” reads the resolution.
The resolution reads, in part, “For more than five decades, the ETMC Athens Auxiliary has been a boon of immeasurable value for staff and patients alike, and the outstanding efforts of its members, both past and present, are indeed worthy of commendation …”
Former Athens State Rep. Fred Head and his wife, Henderson County Democratic Party Chairman Marsha Head, were in Austin for the start of the 83rd Legislative Session this week.
TOP PHOTO: Fred Head and his wife, Marsha, right, enjoyed a visit with current Texas House of Representatives Speaker Joe Straus and his wife, Julie, at the Texas Legislative Wife’s Club Dinner Dance held at the Omni Hotel Ballroom in Austin Monday, Jan. 7. (COURTESY PHOTO)
BOTTOM PHOTO: Shown below with Representative Gooden (center) are Marsha Head (left, her husband Fred (right) and their granddaughters Katie and Clara Love (center left and right), who work in Austin after finishing their University Educations there. (COURTESY PHOTO)
The STAAR replaced the TAKS two years ago. According to the Texas Education Agency: “The STAAR program at grades 3–8 will assess the same subjects and grades that are currently assessed on TAKS. At high school, however, grade-specific assessments will be replaced with 12 end-of-course assessments: Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, biology, chemistry, physics, English I, English II, English III, world geography, world history, and U.S. history.”
Continuing uncertainty about the STAAR test, however, has caused the 15-percent rule to be deferred the past two years.
Now Pitts would like to just end the rule permanently. In December, State Rep. Lance Gooden announced that he was going to file legislation that would do the same thing.
Area superintendents have reservations about the STAAR.
In December, Athens ISD Superintendent Blake Stiles said, “The plan for implementation of the end-of-course tests has been very disorganized. Schools did not know what the passing standards would be and there was very little directions from the state as to how we should apply the 15 percent rule to the courses (by semester, by year, retakes, GPA, etc.). The rules and procedures for the end-of-course tests and the 15 percent rule should be crystal clear before we hold our students accountable for their performance on the exams.”
