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  • TribLive: Powers and Loftin on Higher Ed Reform, Budget Cuts

    By Evan Smith

    At last Thursday's TribLive conversation, I interviewed Bill Powers and Bowen Loftin, the presidents of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University, respectively, about the need for higher education reform, the impact of budget cuts, the predicament of middling graduation rates and more. Full Story 

    William Powers Jr., UT President and R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M President at TribLive on April 28, 2011.
    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • Why the House Is Unlikely to Agree to the Senate Budget

    By Ross Ramsey

    It might not matter, in the end, whether the Senate wants to use some of the Rainy Day Fund to balance the budget. The House isn’t likely to go along unless the proposition is delivered on a tea cart pushed by Gov. Rick Perry and third-party conservative groups who have been hounding lawmakers to hold the line. Full Story 

    Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, attempts to get votes to suspend the rules on CSSB1580 a Senate spending bill on April 28, 2011.
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • Inside Intelligence: The Security of State Data Is...

    By Ross Ramsey

    For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether the state should pay the costs if identities are stolen using state data, whether the state is can be trusted with data, and whether the comptroller will suffer politically for the latest data breach. Full Story 

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  • Suddenly Serious

    By Ross Ramsey

    It's a misleading headline; they've been serious. But this was the week with redistricting on the floor of the House and no budget on the floor of the Senate. Redistricting is often a noisy and bloody affair, and this might be a case when the availability of information took the sting out of the fight. Not so long ago, redistricting maps and data were closely held until the big reveal on the House floor. Members got to see pieces of the maps — their own districts and some of their neighbors' — but it wasn't unusual to see politicians in near cardiac condition when the maps were put on the easels for the first time and they got a peek at the whole state. Full Story 

  • UT, A&M Offer New Way to Graduate — From High School

    By Reeve Hamilton

    The University of Texas and Texas A&M University are working on a system that will allow high school students who demonstrate sufficient competency in English, math, science, a social science and a foreign language to receive a certificate that can be traded for a high school diploma at any time. Full Story 

    William Powers Jr., UT President and R. Bowen Loftin, Texas A&M President at TribLive on April 28, 2011.
    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Aguilar and Weber on a subdued debate over homeland security, Galbraith on rising concern about natural gas drilling, Grissom on a controversial psychologist, Hamilton on the aftermath of the Rick O'Donnell episode, Philpott on the comptroller's apology, Ramshaw with more on the statewide database of child abusers, E. Smith interviews Lance Armstrong, M. Smith on what House budget cuts would mean for school districts, M. Stiles on how redistricting would change things for each House member, Tan on the Senate's wobbly attempts to approve a budget and my interview with David Dewhurst: The best of our best content from April 25 to 29, 2011. Full Story 

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  • Senate Debates "Non-Tax Revenue"

    By Ross Ramsey

    The Texas Senate, digging publicly for money while it battles quietly over a proposed budget, approved a "non-tax revenue" bill that would make $4.3 billion available for spending over the next two years. Full Story 

    Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Sen. Carlos Uresti, Sen. Robert Duncan and Sen. Dan Patrick review amendments to Senate Bill 16, the abortion sonogram bill.
    Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera