Your afternoon reading: Ron Paul raises $1 million in anti-“RomneyCare” moneybomb; Kansas governor confirms attendance at Perry prayer event; education protests continue
June 2011
Posted inState Government
The Brief: June 6, 2011
If Gov. Rick Perry’s gunning for conservatives ahead of a presidential run, he’s not holding back.
Posted in
Higher Education
Outcomes-Based Higher Ed Funding Seems Right — But Which Outcomes?
During the regular session, Gov. Rick Perry’s top legislative priority for higher education was the implementation of a new financing system that rewards universities for graduating more students, not just for getting students into classes. Why didn’t that happen?
Posted in
State Government
For Big Three, Session Ends as It Started: It’s Complicated
If you wanted to know where the governor, the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House would stand at the end of the legislative session, you could have seen it all months ago.
Posted in
Inside Intelligence
Inside Intelligence: In the Special Session…
For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked some questions about the special session, who benefits, how long it will last and whether a certain Fort Worth senator has helped or hurt her political future.
Posted in
Health care
World’s Shortest Effective Filibuster
The Legislature finished on Monday and came back on Tuesday to do in a few days what they could not accomplish in 140
Posted in
Economy
With Filibuster, Wendy Davis Talks Herself Into Political Spotlight
State Sen. Wendy Davis’ controversial decision to torpedo the 82nd Legislative session with a filibuster has catapulted the Fort Worth Democrat into the spotlight, which she has seized to try to mobilize the state’s downtrodden and outnumbered Democrats.
Posted inState Government
Interactive: Individual, Candidate and PAC Cash on Hand Totals
Texas politicians and political action committees, or PACS, regularly report their financial activities to the Texas Ethics Commission, and we’ve put some of their numbers into this sortable spreadsheet for comparison. This list includes a mix of what the former group had on hand on June 30 and what the latter group had on hand on July 31.
Posted in
State Government
Video: A Rally for Bill Countering TSA “Groping”
Texans for Accountable Government and their coalition partners rallied on the front steps of the Texas Capitol Saturday, urging Gov. Rick Perry to support HB 1937. The so-called “TSA groping” bill, by state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, would restrict instrusive screening practices by security personnel.
Posted in
Demographics
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson and Grissom on a freshman lawmaker who didn’t mind making waves, Aguilar on E-Verify’s new lease on life, Galbraith on the state’s plodding progress toward solar power, Hamilton on Warren Chisum’s exit, Philpott on the remapping of Lloyd Doggett’s district, Ramsey on a proposed change to ethics laws for Texas pols, Ramshaw on efforts by the state to take control of Medicaid and Medicare, Root on why a Rick presidential bid shouldn’t be underestimated, M. Smith on the unraveling of school finance legislation and Tan and Dehn on the highs and lows of the 82nd legislative session: The best of our best content from May 30 to June 3, 2011.