Peña Files Guest-Worker Bill to Address Immigration
State Rep. Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, has filed legislation he said will explore the possibility of a state-run guest-worker program. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Deuell: Lowe Lacks Votes for Senate Confirmation [Updated]
Sen. Bob Deuell, who chairs the Senate Nominations Committee, says Gail Lowe has not been scheduled for a hearing as chairwoman of the State Board of Education because she lacks the votes for a confirmation on the floor. Full Story
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Texplainer: Why Can't I Buy a Car or Liquor on Sundays?
You can’t buy liquor on Sundays and car dealerships can only be open one day over a weekend because of the last remnants of so-called “blue laws” in Texas. But a state Senate bill would change that for alcohol sales. Full Story
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The Brief: Top Texas News for March 11, 2011
A hearing on Thursday, largely meant to look into use of the Rainy Day Fund, played host to drama pitting House lawmakers against Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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Does Gas Drilling Put Radiation in Texas Water?
With drilling on the rise, the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality answer questions about whether Texans need to worry about radioactivity in their water. Full Story
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Will Lawmakers Cut Their Own Benefits?
As they talk of cutting pension contributions and raising premiums for state employee health care and mandating layoffs and furloughs at state agencies, what are lawmakers doing to their own compensation and benefits? Full Story
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Texas' Next Tort Reform Battle: "Loser Pays"
Advocates say requiring the losing parties in litigation to pay their opponents’ legal fees is the cure for courts choked with the costs of “junk” lawsuits. Full Story
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![Texas State Representative Brandon Creighton, who chairs the House Select Committee on State Sovereignty, during a press conference on the Tenth Amendment.]()
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After Bolstering Red Tide, Tea Party Still Making Waves
Atter making their presence known during election season, the various Tea Party groups in Texas continue to steer the political agenda. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
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Abundant With Natural Gas, State Eyes More Oversight
Texas' renewed commitment to natural gas comes at a time of sharply increased scrutiny for the gas industry. Full Story
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![An oil & gas drilling rig is drilling a well for Pioneer Natural Resources in the Eagle Ford Shale formation near Yorktown.]()
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Lights Out for Seniors, Poor
State Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, is concerned about budget cuts to a program that discounts utility bills for the elderly and those with low incomes. Full Story
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Enviros to Shapiro: Don't Be a Pest
A bill filed by state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, has an unusual group turning out to education committee meetings: environmentalists. Full Story
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Staples Stands By Website, Calls It Necessary [Updated]
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples has no plans to pull down a state-run website that allows border ranchers and farmers to document their daily struggles with drug cartels and undocumented immigrants. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for March 10, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Pitts vs. Perry battle over budget heats up; state worker furlough bill introduced; more Texas vs. California Full Story
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LiveBlog: Budget Writers Weigh Tapping Rainy Day Fund
We're liveblogging the House Appropriations Committee hearing, where lawmakers are expected to consider whether to tap into the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Shay Bilchik: The TT Interview
The director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown Public Policy Institute on the factors Texas lawmakers should consider as they seek to make budget cuts while continuing the reforms they started in 2007. Full Story
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TribLive: Straus on the Rainy Day Fund
At today's TribLive conversation, Speaker Joe Straus stopped short of supporting the tapping of the Rainy Day Fund to cover the current biennium's $4.3 billion deficit, but he left the door open. Full Story
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New Day Rising: The Changing Public Policy Landscape
At the Tribune's New Day Rising symposium on Feb. 28, four public policy experts talked about criminal justice, education, health care and other issues and the impact of the coming Hispanic majority. Full Story
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Bill Would Make Restroom Peeping a Felony
State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a bill today that would make it a state jail felony to "lewdly violate" a person's privacy in a place like a public restroom. Full Story
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![State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, at the 2010 Texas Democratic convention in Corpus Christi, Tex. on June 26.]()
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Liveblog: TribLive with House Speaker Joe Straus
This morning's TribLive event is a return engagement: House Speaker Joe Straus on stage with Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith. Full Story
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The Brief: Top Texas News for March 10, 2011
Gov. Rick Perry, addressing education cuts on Wednesday, had one message for districts facing layoffs: Don't shoot the messenger. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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