Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht in his first State of the Judiciary address is asking state lawmakers to approve funding for legal assistance to military veterans and reform truancy laws.
Hecht said Wednesday during a joint session of the State and House that funding for the judiciary is roughly one-third of 1 percent of the state budget. At the top of Hecht's wish list is $4 million for legal aid for veterans, which would be supplemented with $1.5 million from the Texas Veterans Commission.
Legislators also were asked to address truancy and attendance laws. Hecht said each year there are about 100,000 criminal charges filed against Texas students who skip school.
Hecht told lawmakers, "Maybe it's not working. Playing hooky is bad, but is it criminal?"
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