House Votes Not to Change Primary Date
After a testy exchange, House lawmakers gave an initial OK to a voting bill that would push up the election filing period in order to give military voters more time to get absentee ballots. Full Story
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Credit: Ben Philpott -
Senate Approves Bill on Health Reform Costs
In a mixed-bag swipe at "Obamacare," the Texas Senate approved a bill today that would require state agencies to report the costs — and savings — of implementing federal health care reform. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune -
Special Session Hinges on School Finance Fix
The Legislature has just a few days to get the state budget, the most important bill of the session, passed and to the governor's desk. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on the final items needed to send lawmakers home on time. Full Story
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![Rep. Sylvester Turner D-Houston, speaks with Sen. Steve Ogden R-Bryan during finance committee hearing on May 23rd, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Chairman of A&M Regents Responds to Faculty Concerns
Last week, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents chairman Richard Box received a letter from five Texas A&M University professors concerned about his intended direction for the system. Today, he responded, saying, "We are all in this together." Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune -
Senate Approves Anti-Cockfighting Bill
“The roosters are crowing and it’s time to go noodling,” said Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, today before the Senate passed a bill to crackdown on cockfighting rings. Full Story
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![Domanick Muñoz, senior animal cruelty officer for the Dallas Police Department euthanizes a severely injured rooster.]()
Credit: Brandi Grissom -
Prospects Dimming for Bill to Aid McDonald Observatory
A bill aimed at reducing the glare from outdoor lighting in a large swath of West Texas in order to help the McDonald Observatory is currently stuck in the Senate, though its sponsor hopes to get it to the floor by the tomorrow's legislative deadline. Full Story
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![A research unit of The University of Texas at Austin located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.]()
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Budget Notes: The Race to Fix School Finance Without a Special Session
One day after the education fiscal bill, SB 1581, died on the floor of the House, lawmakers are scrambling to reach a deal and keep the budget bill, HB 1, on track for approval by both chambers before the weekend deadline. The governor is among the optimists who think they'll finish their work without going into overtime. Full Story
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![Rep. Rob Eissler R-The Woodlands, Public Education Committee Charman, speaks to reporters on May 23rd, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
DPS Institutes Surcharge Breaks for the Poor
The Texas Department of Public Safety today announced the start of a program to help poor drivers pay off expensive surcharges and get their driver's licenses back. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
House Gives First OK to Dewhurst's Health Reform
House lawmakers have given the first OK to a key piece of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's health reform plan, after efforts to turn the bill into a health care Christmas tree fell short. Full Story
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![Rep. Lois Kolkhorst R-Brenham and Rep. John Zerwas R-Simonton during amendment discussion for SB 8 on May 24th, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Senate Approves Loser-Pays Bill
The Senate unanimously passed a major tort reform bill today that would allow courts to grant attorneys' fees to prevailing parties under certain circumstances. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Perry Won't Rule Out 2012 Run
With conservatives aching for more choices in 2012, Gov. Rick Perry declined Tuesday to rule out a White House bid. “I’ve said multiple times I’m not going to get distracted from my work at hand, and I’m not going to get distracted today, either,” Perry said. Full Story
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![Gov. Perry ceremonially signs HB 15, which requires a woman to have a sonogram before an abortion. He is joined by Sen. Dan Patrick R-Houston and Rep. Sid Miller R-Stephenville on May 24th, 2011]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Powell, Powers Attack Productivity Analysis of UT-Austin
UT President Bill Powers and Regents Chairman Gene Powell slammed a controversial study that found that if some UT-Austin professors were more productive, tuition could be cut by as much as half. Full Story
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![Bill Powers speaks about budget cuts at The University of Texas on Tuesday, February 2nd.]()
Credit: Jacqueline Mermea -
Video: "The Beginning of the End for Abortions"
This morning, Gov. Rick Perry signed into law House Bill 15, the so-called abortion sonogram bill, which Senate sponsor Dan Patrick, R-Houston, termed "the beginning of the end for abortions." Full Story
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The Midday Brief: May 24, 2011
Your afternoon reading: congressional redistricting dead; Perry signs abortion sonogram bill (again); GOP 2012 hopefuls court the Bushes Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Southbound Checkpoints Given New Life in Senate
Legislation that would grant the state authority to erect southbound checkpoints near the Texas-Mexico border was successfully revived today after lawmakers attached it as an amendment to a bill concerning record sharing by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Senate OKs "Reptile Bill"
The Senate passed the "reptile bill" today, which creates regulations for hunters who want to collect snakes and horny toads along Texas highways. Full Story
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On the Records: Mapping Migration to Texas
The U.S. Census Bureau released data this week showing how many people moved to and from Texas in the last year. California sent more people our way than any other state — and we lost the most Texans to Oklahoma. Full Story
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The Brief: May 24, 2011
After days of stop-and-go budget negotiations, lawmakers may have just inched closer to a special session. Full Story
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Presidential Front-Runner in Texas? Not Perry, UT/TT Poll Finds
It's a good thing Rick Perry says he's not running for president — only 4 percent of Texas Republicans say they'd vote for the governor, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Full Story
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How Do You Solve a Problem Like a Data Breach?
It’s been more than a month since state officials acknowledged they'd exposed millions of Texans' Social Security numbers and other information online. Matt Largey of KUT News reports what the state's been doing to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. Full Story
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