A sweeping change in the law ushered in the start of the new school year in Texas. Truancy is finally no longer a crime in Texas. Students who have previously been charged with truancy can breathe a sigh of relief. The provisions of the new law erase any unpaid truancy fines. The law also reinstates all drivers’ licenses that had been suspended as the result of truancy convictions and recalls all active truancy warrants, giving students who had previously been convicted of truancy a clean slate.

Truancy charges were very, very common prior to its recent decriminalization. This is not surprising, because students could be charged with truancy after only ten unexcused absences. In Dallas alone, the recent changes in school attendance law will affect twenty seven thousand students who had been previously charged with truancy.

The issue of children not attending school is going to be handled differently in Texas from now on. School districts must now make efforts to reach out to and work with any students who receive more than ten unexcused absences before they can take any legal action against them. If any legal action is to be taken after the school district tries to help a student address his or her attendance issues, it will be in the form of a civil case. Civil truancy cases are only allowed under certain circumstances. For example, students are immune from civil actions regarding truancy when they are the primary breadwinner for their family, or if they are homeless, pregnant, or in the state’s foster care system. In some counties, special needs students and students with mental health concerns are also exempt from civil truancy cases.

In situations where a civil action is pursued by a school district and the school district prevails, any student who does not comply with a court order can be held in contempt of court. The consequences of being held in contempt include fines of up to a hundred dollars, as well as license suspension. Parents should also note that the change in the law applies to students. Parents may still be charged with a Class C misdemeanor if they fail to send their kids to school.

Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Alex Tyra – Providing Strong Defense When Texans Need it Most

Although truancy is no longer a crime, there are still many ways in which teenagers and young adults can find themselves being accused of being on the wrong side of the law. If you are charged with any type of crime, it is important that you contact a Texas Criminal Defense Attorney right away. Criminal charges can have far-reaching impacts on many different areas of your life, so there is a lot at stake. Attorney Alex Tyra is a criminal defense attorney with experience in handling many different types of criminal matters. He may be able to help you with your criminal case, too. To learn more, call our office at (903) 753-7499 today. Alternatively, you may contact us online.

The oil industry is not the type of industry that promises steady work for steady pay. Working in the oil fields is dirty, demanding, and even dangerous, but it is not without its rewards. When oil prices are high, jobs are plentiful and the pay is good, if not excellent. This draws many workers, especially young workers who are not afraid of the physically demanding nature of oil field work, to remote locations to work in the oil fields. Unfortunately, when oil prices drop, companies lay off workers. Sometimes, these layoffs affect a substantial number of people. Since the oil fields are located in remote areas, there are not many other types of work available nearby. Some oil field workers are unable to afford to move away to find another job after they are laid off. In some cases, laid off oil workers have used their knowledge of oilfield equipment and the oil business to steal tools, materials, and oil.

The theft of oil and oilfield equipment costs the oil industry about one billion dollars each and every year. Oil and oilfield equipment theft is such a big problem in Texas that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has a dedicated team that works there full time to combat it. The team searches for stolen oilfield equipment in Texas and New Mexico, as well as south of the border in Mexico. Stolen tools, supplies, and equipment are relatively easy to pawn, but there is more money to be made from stealing oil. When thieves steal oil and trick customers into purchasing it from them by using falsified shipping documentation to make their shipments appear to be legitimate, they can obtain its full price and not just its black market value.

Until recently, oil theft was punishable by state law. Now, it is considered a federal crime because recent precedent illustrates a connection between stolen oil and interstate commerce. When someone fills a tanker with stolen oil and brings it to a depot to unload it, that oil is destined for a pipeline that crosses state lines. In other words, the person driving the tanker full of stolen oil need not ever leave Texas to commit a federal crime.

Oil and oilfield equipment thefts are on the rise elsewhere, too. Law enforcement officials in Arkansas and Oklahoma have asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to create a team like the one that is currently operating out of Texas to help them combat the rising incidence oilfield theft in those places.

If you have been charged with oil theft or any other crime, a Texas Criminal Defense Attorney can protect your rights and help you navigate the long road ahead of you. Texas Criminal Defense Attorney Alex Tyra understands how important a strong defense is in any type of criminal matter, and he is here to help you. Please call our office today, at (903) 753-7499, or visit our website to fill out our online contact form.