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Proposed Texas bill could lower interest rate for overdue child support payments

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Proposed Texas bill could lower interest rate for overdue child support payments


SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County state senator filed a bill that would lower the interest rate for overdue child support payments.

Senate Bill 629 would drop the interest rate from 6% to 3%. The bill was filed by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D – Bexar County).

In an analysis, she said, in part, “lowering interest rates would make repayments more achievable, encouraging consistent payment behavior, especially among low-income earners.”

“We’ll get more payments because the payments are more affordable,” Zaffirini said during a committee meeting this session.

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She’s gotten some support. Quentin Riser, an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison, spoke in favor of the bill.

“This is not about letting anyone off the hook,” Riser said. “It’s about making repayment possible.”

But this bill has had backlash. John Gabriel, a senior visiting judge, wrote a letter to Sen. Zaffirini’s office in opposition.

“I didn’t think it was good policy, so I wanted to let her know,” Gabriel said.

Gabriel said he did not get a response.

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Steven Sinkin, an attorney who specializes in the collection of past-due child support for all ages, said he was shocked to read the bill.

“It’s lowering the consequence, lowering the incentive, lowering and the protection for the women and children of the state,” Sinkin said. “Who are we helping? It is really incomprehensible.”

One of Sinkin’s clients is Veronica Posada. She’s working to collect child support from the father of her children and from her own dad, who didn’t pay her mother for years. She’s able to do this because there aren’t time limits for this kind of collection in Texas.

“I can’t understand their logic,” Posada said, talking about the bill. “You have families out there like mine. For 25 years, we didn’t collect child support because he thought it wasn’t necessary.”

She’s not the only San Antonio mom with concerns.

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Josie Schlather it’s “a burden to fight, and it’s a burden not to fight.”

“There’s no loan that you can get that‘s 3% and it’s principal first,” Schlather said. “I have a daughter, and I have sons who witness all of this behavior. When you have obligations, you meet them and you honor them and you don’t get away with something because you can.”

KSAT reached out to Zaffirini for an interview, but she was unable to accommodate before the deadline.

“The rationale for filing my Senate Bill 629 is twofold: Representatives of the Office of the Attorney General requested the change, and national data, particularly from Wisconsin, show it works,” Zaffirini said in a statement, in part. “By making repayment more realistic, my bill would help more Texas families receive the support they deserve.”

KSAT reached out to the AG‘s office. A spokesperson said, “the OAG provides assistance strictly as a resource to all legislators and at no time should this be viewed as supporting or opposing specific legislation on any matter.”

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The companion bill of SB 629 is HB 4213. It passed through to the Senate with an amendment. Instead of the proposed 3% interest rate, it says “the interest rate determined under Section 304.003, Finance Code.” KSAT is told that’s a higher rate than 6%.


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Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users

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Texas sues Netflix for allegedly spying on kids, addicting users


Netflix was sued Monday (May 11) by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused the streaming company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent, and designing its platform to be addictive. Ram Nabong reports.



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Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data

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Texas sues Netflix, alleges platform spied on kids and collected data


The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday, accusing the company of spying on children and other consumers by collecting their data without consent and designing the platform to be addictive.

Texas claims that Netflix has falsely represented to consumers that it didn’t collect or share user data while it actually tracked and sold viewers’ habits and preferences to commercial data brokers and advertising technology companies.

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The lawsuit, filed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claims that “Netflix’s endgame is simple and lucrative: get children and families glued to the screen, harvest their data while they are stuck there, and then monetize the data for a handsome profit.”

The state of Texas announced a lawsuit against streaming giant Netflix on Monday. (Nikos Pekiaridis/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watched you,” Texas added in the lawsuit.

NETFLIX CO-FOUNDER REED HASTINGS TO STEP DOWN, DEPARTURE IS ‘SPOOKING INVESTORS’

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The complaint quotes comments made by former CEO Reed Hastings who said in 2020, while he was still leading the streaming company, that “we don’t collect anything,” amid questions over Big Tech companies’ data collection practices.

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Netflix was also accused of quietly using “dark patterns” to keep users watching on its platform, such as an autoplay feature that starts a new show after a different show ends.

NETFLIX RAISES SUBSCRIPTION PRICES ACROSS ALL PLANS

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the lawsuit. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)

Paxton said in a press release that Netflix “has built a surveillance program designed to illegally collect and profit from Texans’ personal data without their consent, and my office will do everything in our power to stop it.”

The attorney general said he’s charging Netflix under the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act and seeks to require Netflix to stop the unlawful collection and disclosure of user data, require Netflix to disable autoplay by default on kid’s profiles, and to secure injunctive relief and civil penalties.

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FOX Business reached out to Netflix for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.



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6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN

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6 people found dead inside a boxcar in Texas, officials say | CNN


Six people were found dead inside a cargo train boxcar in a Texas city along the southern border on Sunday, officials said.

The bodies were found in a Union Pacific train at a rail yard in Laredo, around 160 miles south of San Antonio, just after 3:30 p.m. local time, said Jose Espinoza, a public information officer with the Laredo Police Department.

The circumstances of their deaths are unknown, said Laredo police spokesperson Joe Baeza, according to CNN affiliate KGNS, and an investigation is underway.

Union Pacific operates across the border and is the only railroad that services all access points into Mexico, according to the freight company’s website.

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Temperatures on Sunday afternoon in Laredo were in the low-mid 90s, though it’s unclear whether heat was a factor.

Union Pacific said it was saddened by the incident and is working closely with law enforcement to investigate.

Laredo police said they received a call around 3 p.m. from an employee at the Union Pacific rail yard, KGNS reported. The bodies were discovered during a routine rail car inspection, police said. No survivors were found.

CNN has reached out to Laredo police for more information.

“It’s a very early phase of the investigation. There’s not a lot to reveal right now,” Baeza said, KGNS reported.

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The immigration status and ages of the deceased are not yet known, Espinoza said.

US Customs and Border Protection referred CNN to the Laredo Police Department, saying “The incident remains under investigation by Laredo Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation and Texas Rangers.”

CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, HSI and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

“It’s a very unfortunate event,” Espinoza told CNN. “It was too many lives that were lost.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

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