Could Texas Follow in Florida's Footsteps?
When Florida Gov. Rick Scott reversed his stance on Medicaid expansion this week, many Texans were left wondering: If Florida can reach a compromise with the feds, could Texas?
Full StoryWhen Florida Gov. Rick Scott reversed his stance on Medicaid expansion this week, many Texans were left wondering: If Florida can reach a compromise with the feds, could Texas?
Full StoryThe mental health code doesn't give police the right to take a gun from someone who is having a mental health crisis. Mental health advocates, judges and law enforcement officials are urging state lawmakers to address gaps like that one.
Full StoryFor this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about which civic problems are most important in the country and the state, how things are going and about Rick Perry.
Full StoryIn this edition of the Newsreel: The Texas budget battle is finally under way (quietly), Medicaid expansion may be taking shape and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst tells the regents of the University of Texas System to lay off the administration at UT-Austin.
Full StoryKey meetings and events for the coming week.
Full StoryMedicaid in Texas should be expanded only after the program is tailored to Texas, reimbursement rates for providers are raised, and patients are responsible for co-pays and deductibles.
Full StoryTexas Medicaid is rife with problems and expanding it under the federal Affordable Care Act would just make things worse. The state should design its own health care model that would control costs and improve outcomes for patients.
Full StoryWhile the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost, I cannot in good conscience deny Floridians that needed access to health care. We will support a three-year expansion of the Medicaid program under the new health care law as long as the federal government meets their commitment to pay 100 percent of the cost during that time.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, announcing that he has changed his mind and will expand his state's Medicaid program
The governor’s position has not changed. It would be irresponsible to add more Texans and dump more taxpayer dollars into an unsustainable system that is broken and already consumes a quarter of our budget.
Lucy Nashed, a spokeswoman for Gov. Rick Perry, after Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced that he had agreed to the Medicaid expansion under federal health care reform
I believe in reform, and I know Bill Powers believes in reform. That’s why I’m particularly troubled when I see UT regents go around this man. I see them trying to micromanage the system.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst during a Senate hearing in which lawmakers passed a resolution honoring Powers, the president of the University of Texas at Austin
Washington has a long tradition of trying to hurl insults to silence those who they don't like what they're saying. I have to admit I find it amusing that those in Washington are puzzled when someone actually does what they said they would do.
U.S. Sen Ted Cruz after his tour of a gun manufacturer in Leander
I genuinely have not decided whether to run for mayor; I can think of as many reasons not to do it as to do it.
Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, who announced on Wednesday that he wouldn't seek another term in the House
I was fine before I got this job. If they kick me out of office, I’ll be fine.
Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, on raising the gas tax to help pay for state transportation projects, as quoted in The Dallas Morning News
With no opposition, the Texas House passed its first supplemental appropriations bill (they expect one or two more) and sent it along to the Senate. It would spend $4.8 billion in general revenue (state funds) and pull down another $6.6 billion in federal funds. What might have become a debate over 2011's budget cuts was instead a yes-fest, with representatives pulling down all of their proposed amendments and then suspending the constitutional rules to send the legislation forward. This bill covers the cost of the current Medicaid system for the rest of the current budget cycle. To come: Another supplemental for wildfires, prison health care, and probably, a number of amendments that weren't added to this first bill.
In the midst of ongoing turbulence between the University of Texas System regents and the leadership of its flagship institution, the Texas Senate and House honored University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers this week with resolutions acknowledging his accomplishments and his years of service. The resolutions passed in both chambers, an honor coming at a time of strain between the university and the board of regents whose members have all been appointed by Gov. Rick Perry. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst became emotional when he addressed the Senate and Powers, criticizing the regents for undermining Powers and “cases allegedly of character assassination.”
Houston’s Senate runoff is underway, with early voting running through next Tuesday and the actual runoff election set for Saturday, March 6. Two Democrats — Rep. Carol Alvarado and former Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia — are competing to replace the late Mario Gallegos, also a Democrat, in SD-6. An Alvarado win would trigger another special election to fill her House seat.
More than 100 witnesses signed up to testify before the House Public Education Committee this week in a hearing on student testing and graduation requirements that lasted into the evening and proved the unpopularity of those tests in the Texas Legislature. Students, parents and educators overwhelmingly spoke in support of state Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock's House Bill 5, arguing that the current system forces teachers to teach to the test and stifles flexibility to provide career-orientated courses.
Just four months after winning re-election, state Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, announced he won't seek another term in 2014. He's considering a run for mayor and said he wants to clear the way for other candidates who have shown interest in his spot. The early announcement gives them room, but makes him a lame duck with most of the session still in front of him.
Vistasp M. Karbhari, the provost at the University of Alabama, remains the sole candidate for the presidency of the University of Texas at Arlington following a meeting of the UT System Board of Regents that was hastily called to revisit his prospective employment.
Karen Johnson is going part-time at United Way of Texas and picking up another job at Power Across Texas, and will stay with the first one through the session and the year while United Way looks for a new CEO. She’s been with them for 13 years.
Matt Hirsch moved to the building next door, leaving the Capitol media offices of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for the nearby media offices of Attorney General Greg Abbott. Before the government gig, he worked in Dewhurst’s campaign office.
Matthew Ladner is joining the Texas Public Policy Foundation for the legislative session to help them with school choice issues. He worked on education issues in Florida for then-Gov. Jeb Bush.
Gov. Rick Perry appointed: