Government

Following the passage of House Bill 5 out of the Senate Committee on Education, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, the chairman of the committee, chided the businesses and media outlets who have alleged that lowering the number of state-mandated end-of-course exams would dumb-down public school curriculum.

Patrick said nothing could be further from the truth.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett testified Tuesday before a committee on Capital Hill to expand the boundary of the San Antonio Missions National Park.

Doggett expressed his desire to expand the boundary of the San Antonio Missions National Park by 137 acres to the Committee on Natural Resources.

The area includes Missions San Jose, San Juan and Espada.

The Texas Department of Transportation is reviving its Fiesta Safe voucher program this year to offer free cab rides to intoxicated individuals.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus echoed the words of other law enforcement agencies on catching drunk drivers.

"If you drink and drive, you’re going to get caught," McManus said. "It’s just a matter of when. When you do, it’s going to cost you a lot of money and a lot of heartache that you don’t need."

The House Appropriations Committee was packed - some witnesses having to sit in the aisles of the auditorium - as Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, laid out his plan to accept Medicaid expansion with a few adjustments to satisfy Republicans.

The 2013 land grab is underway between the cities of San Antonio and Helotes. Helotes city leaders are taking on San Antonio with legislation for a few square miles that San Antonio doesn’t want to let go of.

Helotes and residents of the San Antonio Ranch subdivision want the town to scoop up a swath of land that’s in San Antonio’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).

The City of Helotes is asking for San Antonio to release a 6.7 square mile parcel of land that is outside of San Antonio’s city limits.