Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst filled out his committee assignments late Friday afternoon, supplementing the chairmanship shuffle he announced late last year.
Jan 18, 2013 5:36 pm
The Polling Center: Lawmakers Fret About Water, but the Public Doesn’t
Water has emerged as the top infrastructure issue before the 83rd Legislature — an issue that appears to be more important to lawmakers than to most of the people they represent.
The Evening Brief: Jan. 18, 2013
Your evening reading: Cornyn presses Holder for information on internet activist’s death; Dallas mayor backs Obama on gun control; Texas unemployment rate falls
Regulators Face Criticism Over Earthquake Monitoring
As domestic drilling continues to boom, more earthquakes are occurring, and states are taking action to fight them. But not in Texas, where the most drilling is taking place.
For Fourth Month in a Row, Texas Unemployment Rate Drops
The state’s unemployment rate fell for the fourth month in a row in December, capping off a drop of more than 1 percentage point in the rate since December 2011, the Texas Workforce Commission announced Friday.
Lawmakers to Again Take Aim at Predatory Lending
The Legislature will have another go at fighting the practices of some payday lenders and auto-title loan businesses, which critics say often prey on vulnerable Texans.
TribLive: A Conversation with Allan Ritter
Full video of my January 17 TribLive conversation with state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Slideshow: Whitmire’s 40 Years in the Lege
Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, served 10 years in the Texas House before becoming the longest-serving member of the Texas Senate. Here’s a photographic look back at the dean of the Senate’s 40 years in elected office in Texas.
The Brief: Jan. 18, 2013
Hoping to avert another debt ceiling showdown, President Obama has found a little common ground with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn.
For Dean of Senate, Public and Private Blur
Critics say the dean of the Texas Senate, John Whitmire, D-Houston, is a poster boy for a legislative culture in which real and perceived conflicts of interest are commonplace. Whitmire says he’s proud of his four decades in office.


