For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether lawmakers will agree on a budget and redistricting during the regular session and about what might be left undone.
May 2011
Posted in
Energy
Brownsville Debates the Merits of Plastic Bag Ban
At stores in Brownsville, customers must pay $1 for plastic bags — so many bring their own, or go without. The policy, which also restricts paper bags, has removed hundreds of thousands of bags daily — but not without controversy.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: Trib Spring Pledge Drive a Huge Success
I’m overjoyed to report that last week’s brief membership drive — our first ever — exceeded our wildest expectations on the number of members generated, the amount of money raised and the size of the average gift.
Posted in
Health care
Playing by the Rules
The real rule of the Texas Legislature is that there are no rules when the rules get in the way. If the Senate needs to pass a budget and can’t get a two-thirds vote to do so, and if there’s a way to squint at the rules and do it with a simple majority, then that’s what they’ll do.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Death Row Inmate Faces Same Prosecutors Who Committed Misconduct
At a hearing Monday in a Bowie County state district court, lawyers for Delma Banks Jr. will ask the court to disqualify prosecutors who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled suppressed evidence and deliberately covered up mistakes in a 1980 murder trial that sent the young black man to death row.
Posted in
State Government
House Meltdown Ends in GOP Show of Force
A day of parliamentary chaos in the House ended with the passage of Gov. Rick Perry’s newest emergency item: a tort reform bill. And a powerful message from Republicans to Democrats: mess with us at your own peril.
Posted in
State Government
Liveblog: Parliamentary Deadlock Grips the House Floor
With 37 members missing from House’s first Saturday meeting— many of them Republicans — Democrats seized a chance to cause some procedural mischief when they realized only 14 of them would have to walk out to break a quorum.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on the latest attack on Planned Parenthood, Aguilar previews the sanctuary cities debate, Grissom on a death row inmate’s unsuccessful appeal, Hamilton on the UT System’s faculty “productivity” data dump, Philpott on the prospect of lawsuits over education cuts, Ramsey on puppies and other distractions, Ramshaw on a tobacco fight, my interview with the presidents of UT-Austin and Texas A&M, M. Smith on a former State Board of Ed member who may have violated state ethics law, Stiles interactively displays the effects of House redistricting and Tan on the Senate budget end game: The best of our best content from May 2 to 6, 2011.
Posted in
Public Education
Attempt to Lift Class Size Ratio Stumbles Again
Lawmakers in the House took a second swing at state Rep. Rob Eissler’s school mandate relief bill late Friday night. And once again, they whiffed.
Posted in
State Government
House Committee Advances Gambling, Without Casinos
Attention, gamblers. A Texas House committee surprised the casino lobby Friday night when it voted out legislation that would allow video lottery terminals — slot machines — at state racetracks and Indian reservations. The casinos were left behind.