Texas House Republicans agreed Friday to change their rules for selecting the next house speaker, potentially paving the way for a more conservative leader of the chamber in 2019.
December 2017
Posted in
Congress
Texas, Florida members of Congress team up to secure more hurricane relief
As Texans in Congress grow increasingly anxious about Hurricane Harvey relief funding, some joined a bipartisan group of U.S. House members from Florida Friday, threatening to oppose a relief bill unless funding is “significantly improved.”
Posted in
Congress
Report: U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold settled sexual harassment claim with taxpayer funds
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold used taxpayer money to settle a sexual harassment claim brought by a former staffer, according to a Politico report published Friday.
Posted inState Government
Texas House revises sexual harassment policy following reports of flaws
The revised Texas House sexual harassment policy includes language that strengthens protections against retaliation and provides specific steps to report inappropriate behavior. It comes about two weeks after The Texas Tribune detailed flaws in the former policy that often left victims to fend for themselves.
Posted inState Government
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: Texas churches need to know they can have guns
Patrick requested that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issue an opinion on guns in church. The lieutenant governor said he hopes more churches will know they have the option to have guns in their buildings.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Barton’s out, more welfare woes, and is there a bomb in your backyard?
U.S. Rep. Joe Barton announced Thursday he’s set to retire in 2018 amid a nude photo controversy, Texans may qualify for welfare benefits without ever getting them, and Texas has the fourth highest number of hazardous military sites that have cost tens of billions of dollars in cleanup so far.
Posted inState Government
In Texas, you probably won’t get welfare benefits — even if you qualify
Texas’ rolls of cash assistance recipients under its TANF program have steadily shrunk over the last two decades. Some experts say the bureaucracy guarding the state’s safety net makes it difficult to access those benefits, even for Texans who fit the requirements.
Posted in
Guides
Hey, Texplainer: How much money does Texas spend per child through CHIP?
During the next two fiscal years, Texas is set to spend roughly $200 per child per month through the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: Texas has more than one problem with government rats
The infestation of Norwegian rats in a state building where health regulators work is not only a big, embarrassing mess — it’s a metaphor for a persistent problem in Texas government.
