The Midday Brief: May 26, 2011

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Budget negotiators adopted a report Thursday that cuts state spending by $15 billion. The measure is scheduled for a vote on the House and Senate floors as early as Saturday afternoon. Key fiscal bills, including SB 1811, must still be passed to fund the budget." — Budget Negotiators Pass $15 Billion in Cuts for 2012-13

• "The Women's Health Program — long believed to require legislative renewal — lives on, at least for now, in the form of a budget rider." — Women's Health Program Still Stands, but Questions Linger

• "The debate over whether to set up an Animal Cruelty Registry continues. In a close vote — 63 to 78 — the House sent HB 1103 to conference." — House Sends Animal Cruelty Registry Bill to Conference

• "Payday lending could soon become much more transparent for borrowers looking for a quick money fix — the House concurred with the Senate version of a bill today that would require payday lenders to disclose interest rates and fees associated with the loans. The bill now moves to the governor for final approval." — Payday Lending Bill Moves to Governor

Your afternoon reading:

• "Conservative radio talk show host and best-selling author Laura Ingraham got tongues wagging in Texas today when she declared that Rick Perry is running for president in 2012." — Rumor du jour: Laura Ingraham says she’s been told that Rick Perry’s going to run for president, Texas on the Potomac

• "The head of the Democrats' senatorial campaign predicted today that retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez will do well in Texas. She also predicted that voters will see past the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, which occurred during his stint overseeing coalition forces in Iraq." — Sanchez, Dems "on offense" in Texas, Dem Senate campaign chief insists, Trail Blazers

• "The Senate, after a minor change, on Wednesday approved a bill that would allow Capital Metro buses — and those in four other Texas counties — to evade freeway congestion by driving on highway shoulders." — Second lap for buses-on-shoulder bill almost complete, Postcards