The Midday Brief: Dec. 23, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

• "Earlier this week, state Rep. Warren Chisum called for the House Republican Caucus to meet and coalesce behind a single candidate for House Speaker. … Back in 2002, Chisum appears to have held a very different position on the issue. Chisum was one of about 23 Republican House members who signed an editorial titled 'Let's not have partisan speaker elections.'" — Was Chisum opposed to partisan speaker races before he was for them?, PoliTex

• "State prosecutors have cleared Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, of any wrongdoing in the way he gets paid for state travel." — Lawmaker cleared in double-billing complaint, San Antonio Express-News

• "A tunnel that stretched under the Rio Grande and was used to smuggle drugs into the U.S. has been sealed." — Officials: Smuggling tunnel is sealed, El Paso Times

• "The state's economic incentive programs account for about 1 percent of the jobs in Texas, but the debate about their future will consume a much larger portion of the Legislature's time next year." — Report adds fuel to debate about Texas incentive programs, Austin American Statesman

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Should Texas gun sellers be required to notify the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when they sell two or more semi-automatic rifles to one person within a five-day period? The feds, desperate to stem the flow of weapons into Mexico, say yes. Gun rights advocates like Gov. Rick Perry say such a policy would be misguided." — Feds Want Gun Sellers to Report Rifle Sales