Vol 32, Issue 7 Print Issue

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

Gov. Greg Abbott hailed a federal judge's decision Monday to halt President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration — a decision that gave the state of Texas an initial victory in its battle against what state leaders call federal overreach.

Abbott laid out five emergency matters — early education, higher education research, transportation, border security funding and ethics reform — in his first State of the State address this week, in which he extolled Texas as "the pinnacle of America's economy."

Two Austin women made history Thursday when they became the first gay couple to legally wed in the state. But after the Texas Supreme Court intervened, attorneys for the state and for the couple disagreed on whether the marriage is valid.

State Rep. José Menéndez handily won election on Tuesday to the state Senate after a high-dollar, contentious race against House colleague Trey Martinez Fischer. Other winners included Leighton Schubert in HD-13, John Cyrier in HD-17 and Diego Bernal in HD-123.

Political People and their Moves

J. Bruce Bugg Jr. and former state Rep. Tryon Lewis were appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to the Texas Transportation Commission, which governs the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2021.

Fred Farias III was appointed by Abbott to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for a term to expire Aug. 31, 2019.

University of Texas at Austin CFO Kevin Hegarty is leaving after 14 years to become the executive vice president and chief financial officer at the University of Michigan. His last day on campus will be Feb. 26.

The Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute has chosen state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, to be the group's next president of its board of directors.

Alyssa Marie Michalke of Schulenburg was chosen corps commander of Texas A&M University's Corps of Cadets. She is the first woman to hold that position in the group's 139-year history.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University are corporate sponsors of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Texas Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.