The Brief: Top Texas News for March 23, 2011
Voter ID, after a false start of sorts on Monday, hits the House floor again today. Full Story
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Short of Funds, State Eyes School Reserves
The state’s 1,030 school districts have — in total — $10.2 billion in reserves and another $2.1 billion in unspent federal stimulus money. Can they use that money to avoid draconian cutbacks? It's not that simple. Full Story
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Budget Constraints Pit Teaching Against Research
College students will rally at the Capitol today for higher-education funding. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some students think major changes are also needed on campus, where, they say, professors spend too much time researching and not enough time with undergraduates in the classroom. Full Story
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Senators Take Up Bullying Bills
At Tuesday's Senate Education Committee hearing on a trio of anti-bullying bills, the parents of children who committed suicide after being picked on by classmates asked lawmakers to fix a system they say failed their families. Full Story
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![Asher Brown took his own life on Sept. 23, 2010 after bullies at school tormented him. He was 13 years old.]()
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SSNs of Laredo ISD Students Missing In Possible Data Breach
A disk holding the Social Security numbers of thousands of current and former students in the Laredo Independent School District — a total of 24,903 — has gone missing, according to the Texas Education Agency. Full Story
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Video: Legislators Consider Repealing Driver Fees
Lawmakers at the Capitol today debated eliminating a surcharge on traffic tickets that has been riddled with problems almost since its inception. Full Story
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Brewpub Bill Gets Boost With Compromise
A bill that would give brewpubs more flexibility to sell their ales has been given a boost by a compromise with an influential beer lobby. Full Story
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Who's Watching the Stimulus?
The House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilization Funding has expired, and its outspoken leader failed to get re-elected. So, amid all the state's fiscal concerns, who is keeping an eye on the stimulus? Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texplainer: Who Would Be Allowed to Carry on Campus?
Those with a concealed handgun license, which currently means they must be 21 years old. Though it won't necessarily be that way forever, which raises another question: When it comes to gun safety, does age matter? Full Story
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for March 22, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Donna Howard speaks out; Railroad Commission clears gas driller; Berman and Burnam unite against driver program Full Story
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Activists Rally for Home Health Care
Health care providers who treat profoundly disabled children at home face major budget cuts this session — cuts they say would devastate their industry and cost the state more in the long run. Full Story
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![Community home care advocates for children rally on the
South steps of the Capitol against budget cuts]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Railroad Commission Clears Gas Driller of Harming Water
In a meeting this morning punctuated by harsh denunciations of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas Railroad Commission voted unanimously to clear a natural gas driller, Range Resources, of charges that it contaminated two water wells in Parker County. The EPA, however, said it stands by its charges against the driller. Full Story
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Senate Approves Incentive for Out-of-State Doctors
The Senate passed a bill today that would streamline the process of obtaining a medical license in Texas for out-of-state doctors. Full Story
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The Brief: Top Texas News for March 22, 2011
To Democrats' momentary relief, House debate on Monday over voter ID stalled before it even seemed to get started. Full Story
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Illegal Minors Continue to Stream Toward Border
With strict immigration bills awaiting debate in the Legislature, thousands of unaccompanied minors continue to head toward the U.S. border. Mario Carrillo of KUT News and Reporting Texas looks at why they come — and what happens if they're caught. Full Story
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Environmental Regulators Brace for Budget Cuts
Texas' environmental regulators, already under fire from green groups for not doing enough to keep air and water pollution in check, are bracing for deep cuts as lawmakers hash out the budget. Full Story
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Paul Burka: The TT Interview
The senior executive editor of Texas Monthly on the biennial list of the Best and Worst Legislators, now coming together for the 20th time, on how he decides who's in and who's out, and on how this crop of lawmakers is shaping up. Full Story
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Texas Task Force to Battle EPA Regulations
Texas is summoning all of its political firepower to do battle against the Environmental Protection Agency. A newly announced task force of state and federal lawmakers will try to prevent the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases and abolishing the state's flexible permitting system for refineries and other big plants. Full Story
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Texplainer: Why Is the Capitol's Pink Dome So Shiny?
That's what 1,200 gallons of fresh paint will do for a dome. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Voter ID On Hold in House [Updated]
One word in the voter ID bill brought debate in the Texas House to a halt today, postponing passage of the measure — one of Gov. Rick Perry's emergency items — for at least a couple of days. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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