Senate panel rejects Perry plan for probation reform

Senate panel rejects Perry plan for probation reform: "Rejecting a last-minute rewrite by Gov. Rick Perry and potentially risking his veto, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Thursday approved the House-passed plan to reform Texas' probation system.

The developments came as a new analysis showed that the reform plan will save much less than earlier predicted: $6.6 million over the next two years, instead of more than $44 million. The earlier figure was based on the assumption that the new law would be retroactive, affecting thousands of people already on probation."