The Evening Brief: Feb. 28, 2012

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Court Delivers Maps for Texas House, Congress: "Federal judges in San Antonio unveiled maps for the state's congressional delegation and for the state House this afternoon, and did it in time to allow the state to hold its delayed political primaries on May 29. The court also signed off on Senate plans agreed to earlier this month."

• Texans Indicted for $375 Million Health Care Fraud: "The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid announced the indictment of seven Texans, who allegedly conspired to commit $375 million in health care fraud."

• UH Creates Fund to Attract Science and Technology Faculty: "University of Houston President Renu Khator is setting aside $30 million to bring in 60 new faculty members over the next two years, all of them in the science, technology, engineering and math fields."

• Guest Column: How Partisan are Texas State Senators?: "Brian Birdwell is the most conservative Texas state senator and Rodney Ellis is the most liberal, according to an analysis of senators' votes by Rice University political scientist Mark P. Jones."

Culled:

• Houston native takes over Railroad Commission (Houston Chronicle): "The Texas agency that oversees oil and gas drilling in the state has elected a new chairman who will oversee a thorough review ordered by the Legislature. Barry Smitherman was elected Tuesday chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. He replaces Elizabeth Ames Jones, who recently resigned."

• Craig James echoes Rick Santorum in push for vocational education (The Dallas Morning News): "U.S. Senate hopeful Craig James — echoing recent comments from GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum — pledged Tuesday to support more vocational training as part of his soon-to-be unveiled education overhaul plan. But James, a vocal Santorum backer, stopped short of joining the former Pennsylvania senator in calling President Barack Obama a 'snob' for encouraging kids to go to college."