That Rocks/That

HAs of press time, the Texas legislative session was poised to wind down without passage of any significant cannabis reform legislation. The Texas House passed bills to expand the state’s medical marijuana program and decriminalize possession of small amounts of weed, but neither was allowed to be debated in Lt. Gov. Dan

Patrick’s Texas Senate

A bill to change the process for initiating Animal Care Services investigations and protect the identities of people who report dangerous dogs passed the Texas Legislature last week and is headed to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott The Ramon Najera Act, named for the 81-yearold veteran killed in a San Antonio dog attack earlier this year, will allow Animal Care Services to open investigations without an affidavit or sworn statement.

HA San Antonio teacher is under investigation for allegedly telling two students to “go back to Africa” after they declined to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The teacher, who works at Hobby Middle School, has been placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. The father of one of the students who declined to stand told KENS-TV that “only a racist mind would go to tell a Black person to ‘go back to Africa.’”

Bexar County last week moved to secure three new affordable housing projects ahead of looming changes to a development incentive program proposed in the Texas Lege. County commissioners sealed deals last week with developers under the current incentives, which offer full property tax exemptions for 75 years in exchange for renting half the units they build to people who make up to 80% of the area median income. — Abe Asher