The Brief: May 13, 2015
The House's tax writing committee on Tuesday took up the Senate's proposal to cut property taxes by raising homeowners' residential homestead exemption. But what transpired on Tuesday was far from a kumbaya moment. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, celebrates passage of his tax cut measures during the House session April 28, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Paxton: UT Can't Block Regents' Requests for Information
Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday boosted University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall's efforts to dig into admissions at UT-Austin by siding with Hall in a dispute over whether regents can have access to confidential student records. Full Story
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![UT Regent Wallace Hall speaks at a Texas Tribune event on Sept. 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Trade Deal Backed by Cornyn, Cruz is Blocked in U.S. Senate
Despite the support of nearly every Republican in the U.S. Senate, including both from Texas, economic legislation seen as key to President Obama's legacy was blocked on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn sits with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and wife Heidi Cruz at the Fort Hood Purple Heart ceremony on April 10, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
School Finance Proposal on Life Support
A school finance plan that would result in an extra $800 million for public education faces dim prospects in the dwindling weeks of the legislative session, a top House lawmaker said Tuesday. Full Story
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![Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock R-Killeen during a public education committee hearing on February 19th, 2013]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Rainy Day Fund Could Be Invested More Aggressively
The Texas Senate on Tuesday passed a measure granting Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar more flexibility to invest a portion of the $8 billion in the state’s Rainy Day Fund, sending the bill to the governor's desk. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Bonnen: I'd Scrap Sales Tax Cut for Larger Business Tax Cut
House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen said Tuesday that he’d be fine with scrapping the tax cut plans offered by the House and Senate in favor of instituting an even larger cut in the franchise tax paid by businesses. Full Story
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![Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, on the House floor on May 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Amid Local Control Fight, a Proposal Cities Like
City officials are crossing their fingers that one Republican proposal – what consumer advocates call the session’s most important bill for natural gas utility customers – will pick up steam before time runs out. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Study: Half of Texas Women Face Barriers to Reproductive Health Care
More than half of Texas women faced at least one barrier to accessing reproductive health care in the years after lawmakers dramatically altered the state’s family planning services, according to a new report. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
New in Trib+Health: Health Care Measures at the Lege
In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Lawmakers tackle pending health legislation, The New Yorker's Atul Gawande returns to McAllen and an interview with Scott Walters of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Full Story
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To Some, Miller's School Food Plan is Half-Baked
The reintroduction of deep fat fryers and soda machines into public schools may top the agenda of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. But some teachers and parents don't share his appetite for sugary drinks and french fries. Full Story
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![Sid Miller speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 20, 2014.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez -
Video: House Members Get By With a Little Help From Their Friends
Your state lawmakers are keeping busy in these final weeks of the 84th Legislature — negotiating bills, debating on the floor and, in the House, probably helping the representatives seated near them cast votes. Here's a look at the rules that govern House votes. Full Story
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The Brief: May 12, 2015
The nonprofit group that has been secretly videotaping legislators this session has drawn the scrutiny of the Texas Rangers, the Houston Chronicle reports. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
House Shoots Down Increased Financial Disclosures
The Texas House on Monday night rejected a bill that would have increased the level of detail in personal financial statements filed by lawmakers and other state officials. Full Story
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![State Rep. Chris Turner, left, on the House floor during a budget debate on March 31, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
House Advances E-Cigarette Ban for Minors
Texas moved a step closer to banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors after the state House gave tentative approval Monday to a bill that lawmakers say would prevent young Texans from purchasing nicotine products. Full Story
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![E-cigarettes vaporize a liquid solution for inhalation. They have grown steadily in popularity since they were introduced in 2005.]()
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Senate Approves Bill to Keep Execution Drug Providers Secret
A measure to keep the names of execution drug providers from the public won initial approval in the Texas Senate on Monday. Full Story
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House Gives Tentative OK to Visitation Rights for Inmates
County jail inmates in Texas may no longer have to look at visiting loved ones on a video screen under legislation tentatively passed by the state House on Monday. Full Story
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In Houston, Huckabee Details Energy Plan
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the latest Republican to jump into the 2016 presidential race, took to Texas' oil capital Monday to flesh out his energy plan. Full Story
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![Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee speaks with a reporter after delivering a speech on energy policy in Houston. The Republican presidential candidate spoke about reducing the United States' dependence on foreign sources of energy.]()
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Senate OKs Bill Allowing Pastors to Refuse to Marry Same-Sex Couples
The so-called Pastor Protection Act — a bill that clarifies clergy members' right to refuse to marry same-sex couples — tentatively passed the Texas Senate on Monday. Full Story
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![State Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, sits at his desk on March 16, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
House Gives Early OK to Expanding DNA Testing
The Texas House on Monday gave early approval to expanding DNA testing in criminal cases, an effort to prevent the incarceration of innocent Texans like Michael Morton, who spent nearly 25 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Abbott Signs Bill to Help Students Who Fail State Exams
Gov. Greg Abbott warmed up his bill-signing pen on Monday, approving a measure ensuring that some high school seniors who fail to pass state exams can seek an alternate route to graduation. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott spoke during the grand opening of the Texas Public Policy Foundation's new building on April 21, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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