(Talk1370.com) -- A marathon day - and night - in the Texas House ended up with two marquee pieces of education legislation passing the lower chamber. That and more in your Morning Headlines.
House Passes HB 2 School Funding Package: Two marquee pieces of education legislation have gained initial approval in the Texas House. House Bill 2, which would funnel nearly $8 billion dollars into the state's public schools, passed Wednesday afternoon after about three hours of debate - the bill, which passed with a 144 to 4 bipartisan vote, would increase the basic allotment school districts receive for each student by nearly 400 dollars and automatically increase it every two years based on property value growth across the state.
School Choice Passes House: Then, after about 10 hours of debate that stretched into this morning, the House approved its modified version of Senate Bill 2 - that would create a $1 billion dollar private school voucher program. Democrats, unable to stop the bill outright, aimed to put the measure before voters this November; that amendment failed to pass. The final vote on SB 2 was 85-63 - every Democrat and two Republicans voted against it.
Abbott Responds: The two votes are a win for Gov. Greg Abbott, who made school vouchers and education funding key legislative priorities earlier this year. "This is an extraordinary victory for the thousands of parents who have advocated for more choices when it comes to the education of their children," Abbott said in a statement. The bills will now head to a conference committee to iron out differences between the House and Senate; if the two chambers can agree, they'll go to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.
Explosive Device In Southside Home: South One person was detained Wednesday evening after an explosive device was discovered at a home in South Austin. That home was off of Vintage Stave Road near Brodie Lane; authorities evacuated nearby homes before choosing to detonate that device, which was first discovered Tuesday afternoon. Austin Police say that detonation, which the bomb squad determined was the best way to dispose of the device, caused major damage to the home; the house next door also suffered minor damage, officials said. It's still not clear what the device was; that investigation is ongoing.
Two Dead In Pflugerville Home: Police in Pflugerville are investigating after two bodies were found inside a residence Wednesday afternoon. Pflugerville PD tells us it happened at a residence off of Noatak Trail; that's just southeast of State Highway 45 and Heatherwilde. Investigators haven't released too many details, but they do believe it was an isolated family event with no ongoing threat to the public.
24/7 Weather Center Forecast: Mostly cloudy for your Thursday... we'll aim for a high of 89. Upper 60s tonight. Rain chances begin increasing late Friday; severe weather risk for the far western Hill Country late tomorrow, shifting into the I-35 corridor late Saturday into Sunday morning.
