Budget Deal Remains in Flux After Hearings Canceled
UPDATED: The cancellation of two key committee hearings Thursday put into clear focus that budget negotiations, believed to be nearly done just two days earlier, remained ongoing. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Senate Panel Backs Bill Mandating Drug Tests for Legislators
A bill that would require Texas legislators to submit to drug tests and pass the results to the State Ethics Commission was voted out of the Senate Committee on State Affairs on Thursday. Full Story
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![A medical technician handles and prepares urine sample to be tested for drugs at a small medical clinic in Austin.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas House Backs Bill Expanding Charter Schools
UPDATED: A measure targeting a Turkish charter school network was added to major legislation from Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick that would increase the number of publicly funded, privately operated schools as it passed the Texas House on Thursday, 105-34. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: Montford on Prosecutors and Enforcing Ethics Laws
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former Assistant Travis County District Attorney Mindy Montford talked about ethics investigations and the deterrent effect of prosecution. Full Story
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Cause of West Explosion Remains Unclear
The cause of the West fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people on April 17 has been ruled “undetermined,” officials announced at a press conference in the town's high school parking lot on Thursday. Full Story
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![State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy spoke during the West press conference at West High School and announced that the cause of the explosion is still undetermined.]()
Credit: Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor -
Agenda Texas: Busted Budget Negotiations
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Several twists and turns marked Thursday's budget negotiations, and major sticking points remain. Full Story
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![Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, holds a copy of the state budget on the Senate floor March 20, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie K Cotera -
House Backs Bill to Protect Medicaid Providers' Rights
Medicaid providers would have clearer due process rights during fraud investigations under a measure the House gave tentative approval to on Wednesday. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: May 16, 2013
Your evening reading: budget negotiations back in limbo; Perry signs Michael Morton Act; senator says Kitzman unlikely to win confirmation Full Story
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![Appropriations Chairman State Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, l, listens as State Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, grills state auditors on CPRIT matters on Feb. 6, 2013]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Perry Signs Michael Morton Act
With exoneree Michael Morton by his side, Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday signed a measure that aims to avoid wrongful convictions by preventing prosecutors from suppressing evidence. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry ceremonially signs Senate Bill 1611, known as the Michael Morton Act, which requires prosecutors to disclose evidence in criminal cases. Morton served nearly 25 years in prison for his wife's murder before he was exonerated in 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Senator Says Innocence Commission Bill is in Trouble
Two days after an advocate for a bill establishing a commission to review wrongful convictions lashed out at a state senator who voiced opposition to the bill, the measure's Senate sponsor says he doesn't have the votes to move the legislation forward. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Amended South Texas University Bill Passes Senate
The Texas Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a controversial committee substitute to House Bill 1000, which creates a new university and medical school in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
TribLive: Capriglione and Wood on Disclosing Donors
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, and ethics and campaign finance lawyer Randall "Buck" Wood talked to the Tribune's Ross Ramsey about transparency in political giving. Full Story
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The Polling Center: Texans’ Dueling Attitudes About Guns
Texas provides a looking-glass view of the national picture on the issue of guns — though with its own Texas flavor, of course. Full Story
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Coordinating Board Nears End of Tough Sunset Process
UPDATED: House lawmakers on Wednesday put their stamp of approval on a measure that would keep the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in business for another 12 years. But they tacked on a few more amendments. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Senate Sponsor Significantly Rewrites Franchise Tax Bill
House Bill 500, the Legislature's most sweeping attempt at reforming the franchise tax this session, was drastically rewritten Thursday morning by its Senate sponsor, state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy. Full Story
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Diana Davids Hinton: The TT Interview
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin professor and expert on Texas oil history on the current fracking boom and how it compares to the great booms of the past, as well as the strange way in which the Railroad Commission came to regulate oil and gas drilling. Full Story
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Industry Opposition Leads to Likely Demise of Worker Classification Bill
Advocacy groups and business owners urged lawmakers to crack down on companies that misclassify their employees for tax and immigration purposes. But in the final days of the session, the measures have run out of steam. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Vonderau -
Irony Abounds in Debate Over Ethics Proposals
In this session's ethics battles, watchdogs say there’s more contradiction than conviction. Full Story
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Central Texas Water Fight Could Have Statewide Implications
A dispute over permitting in the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District may foreshadow fights the rest of the state could soon face as crippling drought conditions persist. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Pedro Moura Pinheiro -
The Brief: May 16, 2013
A day after a budget breakthrough appeared imminent, negotiations were thrown back into limbo. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Paul Hudson
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