The Lower Colorado River Authority, a major supplier of water for Central Texas, warned today that the drought gripping the state is likely to continue for months and urged its customers to conserve water.
May 2011
Posted in
Economy
Liveblog: Will House Take Up “Christmas Tree” Fiscal Bills?
State reps will try to hang a grab bag of amendments onto Senate Bills 1811 and 1581 — two critical pieces of legislation the House takes up today that could determine whether a budget is passed and a special session averted. Click here for our liveblog of the action.
Posted in
Economy
Budget Update: Ogden Says They’re Stuck; Straus Says They’re Close
As of Wednesday afternoon, two powerful budget figures differed on the status of the budget process.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Eyewitness ID Reform Headed to Perry’s Desk
The Senate today approved a measure that would reform the way law enforcement officers conduct identification lineups, a measure that criminal justice advocates hope will mean fewer wrongful convictions in the future.
Posted inState Government
The Midday Brief: May 18, 2011
Your afternoon reading: confusion over fiscal bills trips up House; Senate approves eyewitness ID bill; is sanctuary cities stuck?
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Senate Approves Anthony Graves Compensation Bill
The Texas Senate today passed a bill that would finally compensate Anthony Graves for the 18 years he spent behind bars convicted of grisly murders he did not commit.
Posted in
State Government
Disarray Over Fiscal Bills Causes Delay, Confusion
The House was expected to take up two controversial fiscal matters bill today, but from the start representatives were not sure the lower chamber was prepared to pass them. The apparent holdup? Whether some of the revenue measures amount to the “accounting gimmicks” that the governor warned against Tuesday.
Posted in
Higher Education
UT System Regent’s Request Stirs More Controversy
After a public display of harmony last week, controversy continues to surround UT System Board of Regents. Does a request made by regent Alex Cranberg amount to the kind of micromanaging criticized by the system’s chancellor? Cranberg insists it is no such thing.
Posted in
Demographics
Will the Sanctuary Cities Bill Survive the Senate?
They won’t give names, nor will they engage in a game of hypothetical vote counting, but Senate Democrats will say the coalition forming against the state’s proposed sanctuary cities bill isn’t what observers would expect.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 18, 2011
A special session looms large, but attention shifted briefly Tuesday to another familiar topic: Rick Perry for president.