The rough seas that sank the Texas House’s attempt to fund the state water plan on Monday night with a $2 billion draw on the Rainy Day Fund highlighted the limits of consensus on both how to pay for water development and whether it’s a top priority.
April 2013
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Law Enforcement Officials Raise Concerns About Drone Bill
State Rep. Lance Gooden’s bill to prevent unmanned drones from capturing indiscriminate surveillance — a measure that has more than 80 co-authors in the House — is facing opposition from some law enforcement officials.
Posted in
Higher Education
TribLive: A Conversation With Ken Starr
Full video of my 4/29 TribLive conversation with Baylor University President Ken Starr.
Posted in
Public Education
Charter Bill Brings New Faces to Education Debate
As lawmakers work on charter school legislation, lobbyists better known for their work in other areas have been showing up regularly at education committee hearings.
Posted in
State Government
Democracy and Texas Voters — By the Numbers
Texas politicians can easily represent the people who elect them without necessarily representing the people of Texas. To get re-elected, they have to please their voters, not the general population.
Posted in
Economy
State’s Shale Boom Has Major Impact on Budget
Besides boosting the economies of remote towns, the shale boom has big implications for the Texas economy and budget. Already, taxes on oil and gas production have soared above the comptroller’s estimates.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 30, 2013
A technicality has ended debate, for now, on one of Gov. Rick Perry’s top legislative priorities.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House Panel Hears Testimony on “Michael Morton Act”
Just more than a week after the arrest of former prosecutor Ken Anderson, a committee of House lawmakers took up the “Michael Morton Act,” which would require prosecutors to turn over evidence to defense lawyers in criminal cases.
Posted inState Government
The Evening Brief: April 29, 2013
Your evening reading: Cruz knocks GOP Senate colleagues; Abbott says domestic partner benefits violate state Constitution; major water bill hits the House floor
Posted in
Politics
Agenda Texas: Perry Joins the Fight
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: With just four weeks left in the legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry has jumped into the fight over spending billions on water, transportation and business tax cuts.