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Opens Season with Win Over Thrall

In the final days of the 89th 2nd Called Special Session, the Texas House gave final passage to House Bill 8 (HB 8) with a key Senate amendment to restore the critical 8thgrade social studies test and US History end-ofcourse exam. HB 8, authored by House Public Education Chair Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado) and sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston) is a priority bill of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dustin Burrows, and now heads to Governor Abbott’s desk. The bill eliminates the STAAR test and replaces it with three shorter supportive assessments while restoring annual A–F public school accountability ratings and protecting taxpayers from lawfare against the state’s accountability system.

Two Rosebud parents have been arrested after three of their four children tested positive for exposure to illegal drugs, authorities said Wednesday.