For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we turned our attention to the startup of the 84th Legislature, its committees and its leadership.
2015
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Video: New House Members on Immigration
At our 1/14 conversation, new state Reps. Celia Israel, D-Austin, Linda Koop, R-Dallas, and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, talked about border security, in-state tuition and other immigration-related topics.
Posted in
Health care
Video: New House Members on the Health Care
At our 1/14 conversation, new state Reps. Celia Israel, D-Austin, Linda Koop, R-Dallas, and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, talked about what the Lege is likely to do on health care.
Posted inState Government
TribCast: The Start of the 84th Legislative Session
Reeve, Evan, Emily and Ross discuss the first day of session, the results of the speaker’s race, the tactics of some open carry advocates, the biennial revenue estimate, and what happens when lawmakers mention Hitler on Twitter.
Posted in
Politics
Commissioner Gets Cupcake Policy Wrong, Combs Says
When Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller granted amnesty to cupcakes on Monday, he pointed out that state rules that once banned such treats from classrooms were repealed last summer. But cupcakes have been allowed for a decade.
Posted in
Energy
Obama’s Methane Plan: Why It Matters for Texas
On Wednesday, the Obama administration announced another major plan to combat climate change that aims to slash emissions of methane gas in the next decade by almost a half. Here’s why that’s a big deal for Texas.
Posted in
Economy
Video: New House Members on the Budget
At our 1/14 conversation, new state Reps. Celia Israel, D-Austin, Linda Koop, R-Dallas, and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, talked about the comptroller’s revenue estimate and how they’ll approach the task of passing a budget.
Posted in
Politics
Video: A Conversation With Three New House Members
Full video of my 1/14 conversation with three new members of the Texas House: Celia Israel, D-Austin; Linda Koop, R-Dallas; and Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving.
Posted in
Politics
Straus Aims to Expand Authority for House Investigations
When members debate the proposed rules for the House on Thursday, they’ll discuss a plan from House Speaker Joe Straus to expand one committee’s jurisdiction in investigating state agencies and practices.
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Introducing the Texas Legislative Guide
Adding to our robust suite of Texas legislative tools, we’ve rolled out our Texas Legislative Guide — complete with an upgraded bill tracker and curated lists of the must-watch issues of the session across nearly a dozen different policy areas.
