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Senate Joint Resolution 2, which was authored by Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, would continually transfer $1.8 billion to transportation once the Rainy Day Fund grew to $6 billion.

Some in the Senate, like Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, who has seen a decade of being told "no," say the use of the Rainy Day Fund is finally somewhat defined.

A bill that would’ve decided the fate of voting maps for members of the Texas House initially failed to pass because of several extended phone conversations.

After waiting for over 15 minutes for Republican members to return to the hearing for a vote, an order was given to find the missing representatives.  

After a vote was cast, Rep Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, who is the committee chairman, asked to be excused to check the back offices for the missing Republicans.

Some House Republicans feel that too much time is being spent debating abortion legislation during the special session and not enough time on roads.

The House first assigned a set of four abortion bills to a select committee on Monday, giving the bills a later start than their Senate companions, but despite that there are some who feel the bills have a fighting chance.

Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, who is the chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, has asked that the State Marshall’s Office and Department of Public Safety work together to compile a website where people can identify dangerous chemical sites.

Col. Steve McCraw, who is with the Department of Public Safety, said currently there are 129 chemical plants in Texas that house dangerous chemicals, two just like the one in West.

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Last week the special session of the Texas legislature passed a bill that would institute mandatory minimums for 17 year olds convicted of capital murder.

The state of Texas has mandatory minimums for several crimes including murder, but has avoided some of the most controversial mandatory minimums with nonviolent drug offenses. States like Florida and Massachusettes have seen their prison populations swell with these nonviolent offenders.

A poll sponsored by a bipartisan group of non-profits and industry shows that a majority of Texans support a current immigration reform bill.

The poll was sponsored by the Alliance for Citizenship, Partnership for a New American Economy and Republicans for Immigration Reform.

The Youth Orchestras of San Antonio are receiving the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming today in St. Louis at the League of American Orchestras Conference.

The award rewards programs that challenge the audience, build the repertoire, and increase interest in contemporary music.

Troy Peters is the music director of YOSA and said new music is a vital element in their effort to give students and audiences exciting musical experiences. Next month YOSA leads their annual summer camp.

The Alamo City is rolling out the red carpet for independent film makers this week during the annual San Antonio Film Festival. For nearly 20 years, fans of indie films have attended the San Antonio Film Festival for both short- and feature-length movies.

"It’s films that you’ll never see -- for the most part -- on Netflix or the movie theater," said Executive Director Adam Rocha.