The latest José R. Rodríguez news from The Texas Tribune.
On paper, Texas senators have it better than their counterparts in the Texas House, but why would a Democrat want to work in a place where Republicans are fully and completely in control? Full Story
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In what promises to be a tumultuous and competitive election year, races for the Texas House are going to be a lot more interesting than those for the Texas Senate. Full Story
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He is vying to replace state Sen. José Rodríguez, who announced Friday he is not seeking reelection. Full Story
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A monthslong push from the governor’s office to confirm his longtime aide as secretary of state heated up in the session’s final days. Some Democrats feared retribution for defying the governor. Full Story
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The Environmental Defense Fund concluded that oil producers burned off more natural gas than they reported to the state. But Texas officials expressed skepticism of those findings during a state Senate hearing Wednesday. Full Story
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The Dallas Morning News takes a detailed look at the evolution of the deal on tax cuts this session and finds that at a few critical junctures, the deal almost derailed entirely. Full Story
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State Sen. José Rodríguez said Thursday that if the opportunity arises, he plans to filibuster a bill allowing the open carry of handguns in Texas. Full Story
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At our 5/28 conversation, state Sens. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; and José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, were pessimistic about the possibility of a compromise on the Hazlewood Act. Full Story
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At our 5/28 conversation, state Sens. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; and José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, discussed whether meaningful ethics reform will pass this session. Full Story
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At our 5/28 conversation, state Sens. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; and José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, talked about the fate of the open carry bill — and the prospect of a filibuster. Full Story
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Full video of my 5/28 conversation with state Sens. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; and José Rodríguez, D-El Paso. Full Story
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We're livestreaming our discussion on the 84th legislative session with state Sens. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills; Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham; and José Rodríguez, D-El Paso. Full Story
A state lawmaker is pushing to make all financial disclosure statements filed with the Texas Ethics Commission available online so the public can easily find them. In that spirit, the Tribune presents the disclosures filed by scores of state agency heads, regents and others that you can't get online now. Full Story
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Scholarships funded by state business tax credits would help some low-income parents send their children to private schools under a measure tentatively approved by the Texas Senate Monday. Full Story
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We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Immigration track. The sessions include panels on border security, Latinos and the Republican Party, the comprehensive immigration reform debate, and what to do with the DREAMers. Full Story
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The Houston Chronicle is reporting that in the days before Gov. Rick Perry's indictment over his veto of funding for the public integrity unit, the Travis County DA's office had requested the next Legislature to restore most of the unit's funding. Full Story
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At our 2/27 symposium on demographic change at the University of Texas at El Paso, the Trib's Julián Aguilar talked about the changing political map with state Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, state Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, former state Rep. Dee Margo, R-El Paso, and George Antuna, co-founder of Hispanic Republicans of Texas. Full Story
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Texas senators cut their expenses by just 1 percent from August 2010 to 2011 — a total of $101,000. That’s not much compared to more than $1 million they saved in 2010. Use our interactive to find details on senators' 2011 spending. Full Story
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At our TribLive conversation at the University of Texas at El Paso on 11/16, state Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, and state Reps. Naomi Gonzalez, D-El Paso, and Dee Margo, R-El Paso, discussed cuts to public and higher education and other byproducts of the 82nd Session. Full Story
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Voters will have 10 state constitutional amendments to consider on Election Day this Tuesday. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on Proposition 7, which would create a parks system in El Paso County. Full Story
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