Senate Approves Bill Protecting Students Who Report Sexual Assault

Our daily roundup of Texas headlines.

By Becky FogelApril 27, 2017 10:34 am

The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.

The Texas Senate approved a bill Wednesday aimed at fighting sexual assault on college campuses.

Kirk Watson (D-Austin) says his bill, SB 966, removes a barrier that keeps students from reporting an assault.

The legislation would protect students from being punished for underage drinking, if it’s linked to an incident.

“That is a barrier to some people reporting sexual assaults,” he says. “Because there’s fear that if they report that, they will be prosecuted for a Class C misdemeanor of underage drinking.”

The bill passed the Senate with unanimous support and now it makes its way to the Texas House.

In a survey released last month by the University of Texas at Austin, 15 percent of undergraduate women on campus reported they had been raped.




Another North Texan could be joining the pros when this year’s NFL draft starts tonight. And the Cleveland Browns have the number one pick.

KERA’s Gus Contreras reports, Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett is considered the best defensive player in the draft.

In high school, Garrett was considered the number two ranked player in America. Then he only got better as a defensive end in college at Texas A&M. NFL experts and scouts say his ability to sack the quarterback is unmatched, Contreras says.

Kevin Sherrington is a columnist with the Dallas Morning News.

“For a defensive end as quick, fast and as powerful as he is, he doesn’t have any minuses physically,” Sherrington says. “When you throw in the fact that he’s such a hard worker, a great kid, very smart. He’s just a no-brainer to me.

Garrett joins a select club in North Texas.

Highland Park’s Matthew Stafford was a number one pick in 2009. Arlington High’s Luke Joeckel was drafted number two in 2013. They’ve both play in the NFL.

Garrett has some detractors though. Some say he doesn’t give his full effort on every play. Sherrington disagrees, he says it’s all up to Cleveland.

“Of course the Browns could always screw this up. Which they usually do,” Sherrington says.

Cleveland has had a losing record for years … and a reputation for picking the wrong player in the NFL Draft, Contreras says. But maybe Garrett’s the one who helps turnaround the lowly Browns.




The Houston Housing Authority is closing its voucher program to new families for the remainder of the year due to a federal funding shortfall.

The Houston Chronicle reports that more than 28,000 families who are currently on a voucher waiting list won’t get a subsidy for the next nine months at least.