The Evening Brief: April 11, 2012

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Planned Parenthood Files Suit to Halt Exclusion from Health Program: "Planned Parenthood branches in Texas have filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to block their exclusion from the state's Women's Health Program."

• Dewhurst Announces Raising $1.66 Million in First Quarter: "Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst will report raising $1.66 million in individual contributions during the first three months of 2012, his campaign confirmed today."

• Leppert Swipes at Cruz and Dewhurst in New Ad: "Tom Leppert has released a new TV ad that includes a thinly veiled swipe at U.S. Senate race rivals David Dewhurst and Ted Cruz."

• Updated: UT-Austin Bans Tobacco Campuswide: "The University of Texas at Austin is kicking the smoking habit, announcing today that it will ban smoking on all university grounds. The new policy is meant to ensure that UT continues receiving cancer research funds."

• First Lady Recognizes A&M-Corpus Christi Administrator: "The dean of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences was recognized today by first lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden for the college’s commitment to veterans and military members."

• Texas Lawmakers: Add Mexico to Trade Group: "A group of Texas lawmakers is pushing for the inclusion of Mexico in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multination coalition meant to increase trade and reduce tariffs between member countries. But some warn that expanding free trade agreements could drive down wages in partner countries and take much-needed jobs from the U.S."

Culled:

• Texas continues strong sales tax collections (Austin American-Statesman): "Texas registered another month of strong sales tax collections in March with revenue increasing to $1.87 billion, a 16.9 percent jump over the same month last year. For the year, the state is now almost 13 percent — of $1.5 billion — ahead of last year’s sales tax collections at this time. The sales tax is the state’s most important source of revenue and pays for basic public functions such as schools and prisons."

• Dewhurst agrees to a second televised Senate forum, using novel format (The Dallas Morning News): "Senate frontrunner David Dewhurst gave final acceptance Tuesday to an invitation to appear in a second televised Senate candidate forum — in Houston, in just over three weeks, and with Democrats as well as Republicans."

• Retired state Sen. Carlos Truan, 76, dies Tuesday evening at his home (Corpus Christi Caller-Times): "Carlos F. Truan, who pioneered bilingual education in public schools as one of the state’s longest-serving legislators, died Tuesday at his home in Corpus Christi. He was 76. Truan served 34 years in the Texas Legislature. He was elected to the House in 1968, where he sponsored and pushed for a bill to allow teachers to speak Spanish in state schools. His determination paved the way for the Bilingual Education Act, which was passed in 1969."