The Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on two bills addressing criticisms stemming from the proliferation of toll roads and toll lane projects around the state.
Aman Batheja
Aman Batheja was a political reporter and editor for the Tribune from 2012 to 2019. Previously he worked for eight years at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most of that time covering state and local politics. A native of Cedarhurst, New York, he has an undergraduate degree in journalism and psychology from New York University and a master's in economics from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Posted in
Economy
House Budget Spends More Than Senate’s on Schools, Less on Medicaid
Both the House and Senate are proposing spending about $194 billion over the next two years. But there are key differences between the two plans.
Posted in
Economy
Perry, Some Lawmakers Want Gold Back in Texas
Call it the Rick Perry gold rush: The governor wants to bring the state’s gold reserves back from a New York vault to Texas.
Posted in
Public Education
House Committee Backs Budget That Includes More School Funding
The $193.8 billion budget approved by the House Appropriations Committee includes an extra $2.5 billion for public education. The bill is smaller than the Senate budget by about $1.7 billion.
Posted in
State Government
Senate Votes to Approve $195.5 Billion Budget
The Texas Senate approved a $195.5 billion budget Wednesday that even supporters called an intermediate step toward a final spending plan for the next two years.
Posted in
State Government
Budget Votes to Set Stage for Future Negotiations
The $195.5 billion budget that senators will vote on Wednesday includes $1.4 billion extra for education and pay raises for most state employees. A House committee is expected to vote Thursday on its version of the budget.
Posted in
Economy
GOP Senator Challenging His Party on Debt, Taxes
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state’s bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution.
Posted in
State Government
LBB Right on Rainy Day Fund, Lawmakers Admit
House and Senate leaders have come to the same painful conclusion: spending from the Rainy Day Fund is subject to the constitutional spending limit. They disagree on what to do now.
Posted in
State Government
At 43 Hours, Senator Set Filibuster Record in ’77
Thirty-six years before U.S. Sen. Rand Paul held a nearly 13-hour filibuster, a Texas senator filibustered for 43 hours in the Texas Senate, setting a world record.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Visualization: The Lobbyist Revolving Door
Since relinquishing their seats in January, 11 former House members and one former state senator have registered as lobbyists with the Texas Ethics Commission — and several of them are working for clients in industries they regulated in the Legislature.
