State lawmakers have begun working on a raft of bills overhauling special education in Texas.
The House Public Education Committee on Tuesday is discussing proposals prohibiting the state from capping the number of students eligible for special education instruction.
Other measures would increase funding for educating autistic and dyslexic children and tweak high school graduate requirements for special education students.
The bills come after a series of stories in the Houston Chronicle revealed that, in 2004, Texas quietly instituted an arbitrary, 8.5-percent enrollment cap on the number of students eligible to get special education instruction.
The U.S. Department of Education is now investigating.
Many key reforms should clear committee and both chambers with bipartisan support. Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, "Texas will fix flaws in special education beginning this week."
