The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for Feb. 16, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, filed the sanctuary cities bill this morning. HB 12 prohibits cities or counties from ignoring federal or state laws regarding immigration." — Solomons files 'sanctuary cities' bill, Texas Politics

• "At Tuesday's Senate Finance Subcommittee hearing on education funding, Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, offered a revolutionary suggestion: a statewide property tax to make school funding a more logical affair." — Burning the Tax Ships, The Texas Observer

• "At 8:54 a.m. on May 11 last year, state Rep. Todd Hunter e-mailed attorneys who would represent homeowners in a massive lawsuit against the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association and lawyers for the association. Hunter was the newly named mediator in the case, and he wanted to set meeting times." — Texas state Rep. Todd Hunter accepted $25k donation from Hurricane Ike lawyer Steve Mostyn's firm days after being chosen to mediate his case, Texas Watchdog

• "Sen. John Cornyn called on the Obama administration to 'respond accordingly and ensure justice is swiftly served' after an attack on two Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Mexico left one dead." — Cornyn demands swift justice after attack on ICE agents, Trail Blazers

• "Rider 58 in the proposed Senate budget declares that TDCJ 'shall not pay rates to health care providers for hospital services provided to offenders in its custody that exceed the rates that would be paid for same services according to the Medicaid reimbursement methodology adopted by the Health and Human Services Commission in Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 355.'" — Draft budgets reduce prison healthcare reimbursements to match Medicaid rates, Grits for Breakfast

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Grapvine, introduced two bills Wednesday they believe could save the state a significant amount of money and produce 'healthy patient outcomes.' 'We don't have health care in America — we have sick care,' Dewhurst said." — Dewhurst, Nelson Unveil Health Care Bills

• "Senate lawmakers unveiled bills today to reform how health care is paid for and how providers are held accountable for patient outcomes. Here's a look at how the wording of Texas' proposed reform legislation compares to the wording of the often-maligned federal health care reform law in Washington." — Texas vs. "Obamacare": How the Words Stack Up

• "A report from a conservative education think tank says social studies standards in Texas give students a distorted and politicized view of history that, in one case, resembles 'Soviet schools harping on the glories of state socialism.'" — Texas Social Studies Standards Receive Failing Grade