Texas budget goes to House floor, measles case emerges in Collin County: Your Monday evening roundup

Good Evening! Here are the top headlines of the day.  [Evening roundup]( 03/18/2019 By Wayne Carter and Todd Davis Good Evening! Here is a look at the top headlines of the day. 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here.]( Educators and supporters listen to speakers calling for school finance reform and pay raises during a rally on March 11 at the Texas Capitol in Austin.  (Ashley Landis/Staff Photographer) TEXAS LEGISLATURE [$9B more for schools, raises for state workers in two-year Texas budget approved by House panel]( The House's budget-writing panel on Monday [sent to the full chamber a two-year spending blueprint]( that increases state funding of schools and grants a 2.8-percent annual cost of living adjustment to state workers. The budget "responsibly funds items critical to all Texans, like public education and continuing investment in mental health, and is also responsive to more immediate needs like school safety and sexual assault prevention education and training," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman John Zerwas, R-Richmond. The bill would spend an additional $9 billion on public schools and reduction of school property taxes in the two-year cycle that begins Sept. 1. The panel also advanced, 24-0, a supplemental or emergency spending bill. It would patch holes in the current cycle's budget caused by Hurricane Harvey and a big Medicaid IOU from last session. Where there's smoke: One of Big Tobacco's biggest firms supports a push[to raise the legal age to use tobacco and other nicotine-delivery systems]( from 18 to 21 in Texas. Commentary: John Cornyn won't face a serious primary challenge [as Republicans mobilize to keep Texas red]( writes political columnist Gromer Jeffers Jr. ADVERTISEMENT CRIME & COURTS [Deadly conduct charges dismissed for Dallas cops in 2016 death of Tony Timpa]( Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot has dismissed charges against three Dallas police officers indicted almost two years ago on misdemeanor deadly conduct charges in the death of a handcuffed man. Tony Timpa had called 911 on the night of Aug. 10, 2016, from the parking lot of a Dallas porn store, saying he was afraid and needed help. The 32-year-old man was unarmed, handcuffed by two private security guards before police arrived, and dead within an hour. Court records show Timpa died after being restrained by officers, facedown in the grass with a knee in his back for 13 minutes. [Cruezot made the announcement on Monday]( after the case had sat idle under his predecessor Faith Johnson. Johnson, who was defeated by Creuzot late last year, decided to let him decide its fate. And: A trial date has been set for Amber Guyger in [the Botham Jean murder case](. Also: The owners of a Dallas lab have admitted to multimillion-dollar scheme [to fraudulently sell dietary supplements that contained]( synthetic stimulants]( made in Chinese chemical factories. COLLIN COUNTY [Second measles case confirmed in Collin County after contagious person visited Kroger in Prosper]( A second measles case has been reported in Collin County, where the contagious person visited a grocery store, health officials said Monday. The contagious person spent a "limited amount of time" between 9 and 10 a.m. Friday at a Kroger on North Preston Road in Prosper, Collin County Health Care Services said. [The person did not report going to any other public locations]( and the health department is working to contact people at private locations. It is unclear whether an effort was made to contact other Kroger customers. Editorial: [Frisco has to embrace big city reality]( A political operative can't be the mayor's chief of staff. Also: [This North Texas city]( was named the happiest in America. ADVERTISEMENT (Rose Baca/Staff Photographer) PHOTO OF THE DAY Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush recite the pledge of allegiance with new U.S. citizens, including Felix Odeh (top right) of Nigeria, during a naturalization ceremony Monday at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. EDITORS' PICKS - Major crash: Loop 12 in Irving was shut down for several hours early Monday [after a]( struck a guardrail and a bridge pillar]( near State Highway 114. - Police blotter: A teen [pulled a BB gun on families]( at a McKinney park, police say. - Bon temps: Revelers Hall, a New Orleans style bar, [jazzes up Dallas' Bishop Arts District.]( FINALLY ... [Beto O'Rourke's record $6.1 million Day 1 haul has Bernie Sanders pleading with donors for help]( Beto O'Rourke [raised a record $6.1 million in his first 24 hours as a presidential candidate]( his campaign announced Monday morning — sending shudders across the Democratic primary field. The sum edges out the $5.9 million raised by Sen. Bernie Sanders in his first full day as a 2020 candidate, and eclipses the $1.5 million collected by Sen. Kamala Harris of California in her first 24 hours. Within hours of O'Rourke's announcement, both were prodding their own supporters for more money, pointing to their Texas rival as a fund-raising juggernaut they'll have trouble keeping up with. The early haul puts to rest any questions about whether O'Rourke can transfer the sizzle of the Texas Senate race to the national stage. 👋 That's all for this afternoon! For up-to-the-minute news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com](. Share the love! 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