Two Republican boosters have circulated a memo urging business owners to contact lawmakers to encourage them to vote against the “sanctuary cities” bills pending in committee.
June 2011
Posted in
Public Education
Measure Providing Extra Money For Schools Dies
An amendment from Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, that would have directed surplus money from the Rainy Day Fund to pay for enrollment growth in public schools has perished in conference committee.
Posted in
Politics
Joaquin Castro To Take On Doggett for New Congressional Seat
San Antonio State Rep. Joaquin Castro will take on veteran U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett to vie for a newly-created congressional district that spans from San Antonio up to southern Travis County.
Posted in
Energy
The Midday Brief: June 24, 2011
House Speaker Joe Straus knocks down the TSA “anti-groping” bill. Are voters ready for another Texan in the White House? News of the “tepid” response to Perry’s NALEO speech spreads inside the Beltway.
Posted in
State Government
Updated: Straus Calls TSA Bill “Publicity Stunt”
The House appears set on passing a non-binding TSA anti-groping resolution, instead of Rep. David Simpson’s bill. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst says a Senate committee will hear the upper chamber’s version of the bill on Monday.
Posted in
Demographics
The Brief: June 24, 2011
Not every crowd is an adoring crowd. Gov. Rick Perry got a reality check in San Antonio this week.
Posted in
State Government
Video: Does Special Session Help, Hurt Perry?
Strategists say the longer lawmakers stay in town, the more time Gov. Rick Perry has to show off his conservative credentials and appeal to a crucial bloc that could propel him into a national race: Republican primary voters.
Posted in
Energy
Audio: Water Needs of Proposed Coal Plant Spark Debate
Plans to build a coal plant called the White Stallion Energy Center near Bay City have stirred controversy, as residents near and far worry about air pollution and the huge amounts of water needed to operate the plant.
Posted in
State Government
Amazon Offers Jobs for Tax Breaks, and Lawmakers Balk
Lawmakers aren’t buying Amazon’s latest pitch for a sales tax break in Texas. But Rick Perry is.
Posted in
Health care
That $6 Billion Left in the Rainy Day Fund? Already Used, Some Say
Gov. Rick Perry’s neon-light promotion on the national stage of the $6 billion left in the Rainy Day Fund exposes a disconnect with the conservative lawmakers battling for his principles at home, where his party is working to divert negative public sentiment about the deep budget reductions.