At a memorial service Thursday honoring victims of the West fertilizer plant explosion, President Obama told survivors that they are not alone. “We’re neighbors, too. We’re American, too. We stand with you, and we do not forget,” he said.
April 2013
Posted inState Government
The Evening Brief: April 25, 2013
Your evening reading: bipartisan ceremony marks dedication of Bush library; Obama honors victims of West blast at Waco service; equal-pay bill sparks gender debate
Posted inState Government
Agenda Texas: The Rehabilitation of Bush’s Legacy
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: The resuscitation of George W. Bush’s legacy began Thursday with the dedication of his presidential library in Dallas.
Posted in
State Government
House Backs Bill Limiting Mail-In Ballot Collection
The Texas House on Thursday tentatively approved a measure that would make it a Class A misdemeanor for someone to collect and deposit 10 or more mail-in ballots from other voters during an election.
Posted in
Politics
Senate Backs Limits on Subsidies for Event Trust Funds
Promoters say tax subsidies are needed to lure events that otherwise wouldn’t be held in Texas. Critics say the practice is corporate welfare. The Texas Senate on Thursday backed legislation that keeps the subsidies going but with new restrictions and oversight.
Posted in
State Government
Labor Bill Spurs Gender Discrimination Debate in House
A debate over equal-pay legislation in the Texas House on Thursday sparked a suggestion that a vote against the labor bill would be a vote against equality for men and women.
Posted in
Health care
Janek Awaits Direction From Lege on Medicaid Expansion
Texas’ executive health commissioner, Kyle Janek, said Thursday that negotiations between the federal government and the Health and Human Services Commission on whether to expand Medicaid are at a standstill because he’s waiting on the Legislature.
Posted in
Politics
South Texas Irrigation District Running Dry
If current drought conditions persist, farmers in Willacy and Hidalgo counties who receive water from the Delta Lake Irrigation District in South Texas will have to look for other options in June.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Rich Man, Poor Man, Beggar Man, Lawmaker
Giving up 20 weeks of every other year to serve in the Texas Legislature is a lot easier if you don’t have to worry about the paycheck you’re missing at home. It is easier, in other words, if you’re rich.
Posted in
Higher Education
New Disclosure Policy Delayed at UT System
The implementation of a robust but controversial conflict-of-interest policy at institutions in the University of Texas System that was originally scheduled for this spring has been delayed until at least September.