The Midday Brief: May 23, 2011
Your afternoon reading: deal reached on education funding; another blow for sanctuary cities legislation; anti-bullying bill sent to governor's desk Full Story
Your afternoon reading: deal reached on education funding; another blow for sanctuary cities legislation; anti-bullying bill sent to governor's desk Full Story
The residency programs that train Texas family physicians will take a big hit under the education budget agreement lawmakers unveiled today. Full Story
As the parents of Asher Brown watched, the Senate today unanimously approved a bill meant to prevent bullying in schools. If the House, as expected, approves some changes the Senate made to the measure, it will go to Gov. Rick Perry's desk for a final signature. Full Story
Legislation on football helmet safety is one step closer to crossing the goal line after passing the Senate today nearly unanimously. Helmets are “the first line of defense” for football players, said Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, the senate sponsor of HB 675. Full Story
House and Senate negotiators agreed on spending on education, state salaries and benefits this morning and hope to have the final vote on the 2012-13 budget sometime this weekend. Full Story
The budget that state lawmakers are poised to accept attempts to eliminate wide variations in what hospitals are paid by Medicaid for performing the same procedures on similarly sick patients — a sweeping change in how Texas hospitals are funded. Full Story
A homeland security bill that was a major factor in whether the state’s sanctuary cities legislation — one of Gov. Rick Perry's emergency items — would be signed into law failed to get placed on a House calendar for this week. Full Story
A deal's been struck, but with just a week to go, lawmakers still have to piece together the budget puzzle. Full Story
For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked some questions about the political atmosphere in Texas, about the job performance of leaders and institutions and about whether immigration is good or bad for the country right now. Full Story
When it comes to congressional redistricting in Texas, inaction is louder than words. Full Story
The ideological partnership of the raucous Tea Party movement and fiscally conservative Texas Republicans has dominated the agenda of the state lawmaking session that is sputtering to an end. Full Story
Voters still want lawmakers to cut the budget, but they still oppose the major cuts in education and health and human services that cutting the budget requires, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
A bill that would compel energy companies to reveal some chemicals they use to extract natural gas is awaiting movement in the Texas Senate. But as Mose Buchele of KUT News reports, there are still plenty of unanswered questions when it comes to the drilling process, known as fracking. Full Story
The media (and we do include ourselves, thanks) loves the sort of legislative or political story line that goes like a cliffhanger episode of a TV show. And the Lege always seems to provide at least one during the session. Will they finish in time? Will they fail and go into overtime? Full Story
The Texas A&M University System announced a bid today to become one of the nation’s key centers for defense against infectious diseases and other biological threats. Full Story
Thousands of Texas students have been forced to put their college plans on hold as the Legislature, working on the state budget, determines what level of funding there will be for TEXAS Grants, the state's principal financial aid program for financially needy college students. Full Story
Where did the time go? Texas legislators are a mere nine days away from the end of the session and still have to finish work on several bills to finish up their budget for the two-year period that starts September 1. Full Story
After days of debate, the House finally passed a key fiscal matters bill — Senate Bill 1811 — that raises necessary funds to balance the proposed budget. Full Story
Want a quick recap of some of the happenings this week in the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly video rundown of the action under the dome. Full Story
Root and Galbraith on a Dallas billionaire's radioactive waste dump victory, Grissom on the passage of eyewitness ID reform, Hamilton on the old grudges bedeviling the debate over higher ed, Philpott on the status of congressional redistricting, Ramsey on Rick Perry's un-campaign for president, Ramshaw on why medical schools are the scorned children of the state's education budget, my session-wrap interview with three veteran Democrats, M. Smith on why Rob Eissler can't pass mandate relief for school districts and Stiles on who's giving what to which Texas candidates in 2011-12 congressional races: The best of our best content from May 16 to 20, 2011. Full Story