House Members Prepare for Long Budget Debate
Texas House members are expected to debate well into the night Thursday as they take up the lower chamber's budget proposal, which includes 267 amendments. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman / Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: April 4, 2013
A marathon budget debate today may keep House lawmakers at the Capitol past midnight. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Teachers Group Not Endorsing Amendments From Freshmen
The Texas Retired Teachers Association says it does not endorse any of the controversial budget amendments filed by freshman House Republicans that would put more money into the teachers' health insurance fund. Full Story
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![Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, speaks with Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, on the House floor during the budget debate.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Evening Brief: April 3, 2013
Your evening reading: UT regent didn't disclose lawsuits; Perry suggests link between border security and DA killings; Senate approves CPRIT reform bills Full Story
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UT Regent Hall Failed to Disclose Lawsuits
University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall didn't disclose a long history of courtroom battles before his Senate confirmation two years ago, a lapse that prompted some lawmakers to say they feel misled. Full Story
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TEA Advisory Panels Didn't Recommend A-F School Ratings
Two Texas Education Agency advisory panels opposed a plan to move the state to an A through F school ratings system, a plan that Education Commissioner Michael Williams announced Tuesday. Full Story
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![Texas Education Agency commissioner Michael Williams announces at a press conference that he is stripping all authority from the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees. The move comes in the wake of a cheating scandal that landed the former superintendent in federal prison.]()
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TribCast: Medicaid Expansion, Budget Fights and CPRIT
Emily, Ross, Reeve and Ayan discuss the debate over Medicaid expansion, the upcoming fight over the budget in the Texas House, and the latest issues with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Project Explores Effect of Family-Planning Cuts Across Texas
A new website and database released by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project explores the impact of cuts made in 2011 to state family-planning services, breaking down information on the county and district level. Full Story
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Senate Approves CPRIT Reform Legislation
The Texas Senate unanimously approved two bills on Wednesday to reform the beleaguered Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas amid continuing controversy over grant awards. Full Story
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Zerwas: House Medicaid Reform Bill Will Incorporate Williams' Plan
UPDATED: Rep. John Zerwas confirmed Wednesday that he will incorporate into his own Medicaid reform bill a proposal by Sen. Tommy Williams to use premium tax revenue to subsidize private health policies for the uninsured. 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 -
SXSWedu Audio: Navigating Financial Aid
With concerns about student debt and the price of college on the rise, the state’s leading financial aid experts joined the Tribune at SXSWedu to discuss what students, institutions and lawmakers can do to keep college affordable. Full Story
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Duane Nellis: The TT Interview
The incoming president of Texas Tech University on his vision for the institution and why he isn't worried about coming to work in a state that is experiencing some debate around the issues of higher education governance. Full Story
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Data App: Ethics Explorer
With the addition of more than a dozen statewide elected officials to our Lawmaker Explorer — including Attorney General Greg Abbott and Comptroller Susan Combs and the state's railroad commissioners and Supreme Court justices — we're renaming it the Ethics Explorer. Full Story
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Search Warrant Highlights Debate Over Commission's Enforcement
An environmental task force's recent push to obtain a warrant to search a Railroad Commission district office underscores the debate raging over the oil and gas agency's environmental enforcement. Full Story
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Report Says Gun Running Into Mexico on the Rise
Discussions on gun control are replete with arguments about background checks, ammunition limits and issues related to mental-health awareness. Gun running to Mexico, however, remains a key concern, a new study shows. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Agenda Texas: Abortion Regulations Could Close Clinics
On the latest Agenda Texas from KUT News and the Tribune: We talk with opponents of new abortion proposals and take a tour of a San Antonio abortion facility to see what regulations clinics already face. Full Story
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![An abortion procedure room at the Whole Woman's Health ambulatory surgical center in San Antonio.]()
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Budget Plans May Be Larger Than They Appear
Leaders in the Legislature decided this was the year to move more than $6 billion in income off the books. While they argue it improves budget transparency in the long term, in the short term it creates the illusion that this year's budget plan is growing less than it is. Full Story
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The Brief: April 3, 2013
Amid fierce debate this week, a Senate Republican has started work on his own "Texas solution" to Medicaid reform. Full Story
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Prosecutors, Defense Lawyers Agree to More DNA Testing in Skinner Case
Prosecutors in the Texas attorney general's office and lawyers for death row inmate Hank Skinner have signed an agreement this week to allow more DNA testing in the 1993 triple murder for which he was sentenced to death. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Caleb Bryant Miller / Micah Baldwin / Todd Wiseman -
The Evening Brief: April 2, 2013
Your evening reading: Cruz's plans for South Carolina speech stir speculation; Williams says state will move to A-F grading system for schools; House lawmakers question CPRIT Foundation's decision to rebrand Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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