Immigration legislation — mostly dormant so far this session — will see some action in the Legislature today.
May 2011
Posted inCongress
Texas Federal Fundraising Map 2011
Texas candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives have raised more than $9 million in the first quarter of this year in advance of the 2012 federal elections. This interactive map visualizes campaign finances by congressional district during the first quarter of 2011.
Posted in
Politics
For Congress, Fundraising Can Never Begin Too Early
Members of Congress from Texas — and potential candidates for those offices — have raised more than $9 million in the first quarter of this year in advance of the 2012 federal elections, campaign records show.
Posted in
State Government
Puppies, and the Legislative Power of Distraction
It’s tense at the Texas Capitol. It’s May — the last month of the session. Deadlines are arriving daily. Bills are dying. Legislative wish lists are drying up and blowing away. Blame the puppies.
Posted in
Public Education
Schools for Troubled Students Can Often Face Long Odds Too
A bill in the Legislature aims to adjust the formula for assessing completion and dropout rates at dropout recovery charters, which supporters say penalizes the schools who serve challenging populations.
Posted inState Government
Video: 2011 Membership Drive — Why We Do This
Meet the folks behind The Texas Tribune: who we are, why we do what we do — and why we are asking for your support.
Posted in
Economy
Schools Consider Legal Action Over Budget Cuts
With school districts across the state passing belt-tightening budgets due to cuts expected at the Legislature, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports that some districts are gearing up for legal challenges.
Posted in
Demographics
House Prepares for Sanctuary Cities Debate
Is it about security or racial profiling? Will U.S. citizens be targets of harassment? Will it stain Texas with the reputation Arizona thrust upon itself? The Texas House will likely entertain those and other sensitive questions when House Bill 12, commonly referred to as the “sanctuary cities” bill, hits the chamber’s floor on Friday.
Posted in
Health care
Abortion Sonogram Moves to Governor’s Desk
House lawmakers have sent the controversial abortion sonogram bill to the governor’s desk — after a last-ditch effort by disability rights advocates to change language they called highly offensive.
Posted in
Higher Education
UT System Releases Data on Faculty “Productivity”
This afternoon, the University of Texas System released much-anticipated data on faculty “productivity” — noting, however, that the 821-page spreadsheet is in a raw draft form that has not been fully verified and “cannot yield accurate analysis, interpretations or conclusions.”