The Brief: March 20, 2013
A Senate committee has advanced a controversial bill that critics say amounts to a backdoor abortion ban in Texas. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: Term Limits Legislation Passes Out of Senate
Legislation that could lead to term limits on statewide officeholders made its way through the Senate on Tuesday. Lawmakers also heard testimony on several high-profile bills in committee hearings. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Cotera -
Updated: Panel Discusses Bill Allowing Sunday Liquor Sales
As a House committee on Tuesday took up a bill that would allow Texas liquor stores to open their doors on Sundays, one member raised concerns about whether the legislation could make it easier for minors to access liquor. Full Story
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Lawmakers Take Aim at Human Trafficking
Several major highways in Texas make the state a hub for human trafficking. State lawmakers, like Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, are hoping to make progress this legislative session with bills aimed at curbing the crime. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Steve Moakley / Todd Wiseman -
Bill Adds Protections for Those Who Film On-Duty Officers With Phones
A state Senate bill aims to give extra protections to people who film on-duty police officers with their smartphones or other devices. The author, Sen. Craig Estes, says the measure addresses charges that could be filed as retribution. Full Story
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Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez -
Blue Mound Residents Boiling Over Water Rate
In the North Texas town of Blue Mound, the water system is owned by a private corporation. Residents say this results in painful rate hikes. Private water companies say their rates reflect the high costs of providing water to far-flung areas. Full Story
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![Roy Thornhill Sr. (center) voices his concern as residents of the City of Blue Mound, Texas, gather at their community center, on Monday, March 4, 2013. The small North Texas City of Blue Mound held a town hall meeting on Monday, March 4, for its residents to sign a petition against what they say are unjustifiably high water rate increases.]()
Credit: Brandon Thibodeaux -
Inside the State Budget, a Shell Game to Avoid Choosing Taxes or Cuts
The state balances its budget by counting nearly $5 billion in unspent funds that were raised for specific programs. To change their ways, lawmakers would have to go back to what they were trying to avoid: choices between taxes and cuts. Full Story
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Texas Weekly Newsreel: George P. Bush, Term Limits, Blue Texas
In this edition of the Newsreel: George P. Bush officially enters the race for Texas land commissioner, the Senate Finance Committee passes a $195.5 billion budget and educators spend spring break at the Capitol. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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![Kevin Eltife in his office in 2013, when he was a state senator. Eltife now serves as a member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
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. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Video: Freshman Lawmakers Seek Common "Purple" Ground
The freshmen in the Texas House wear something purple every Thursday as a symbol of their willingness to compromise across the aisle. Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, it's time to identify which issues are negotiable. Full Story
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![Rep. Ron Simmons R-Carrollton and Rep. Oscar Longoria D-Mission show off their purple ties on Purple Thursday at the Texas Capitol.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Video: With 43-Hour Filibuster, Texas Senator Set Record
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. Full Story
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Riddle's Facebook Post Angers Breast-Feeding Moms
A Facebook update state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, posted on Tuesday suggesting that mothers should be "modest" while breast-feeding their babies in public has nearly 1,000 comments — most of them outraged. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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![Texas Sen. Bil Meier during his 43 hour filibuster in 1977.]()
Credit: Senate Media Services -
Immigration-Related Bills Poised to Spark Debate
When it comes to immigration-related legislation, this session is far different from the one two years ago. But several bills could still stir some heated debate once House committees take up the measures in the coming weeks. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Bill Would Study Effects of Family Planning Cuts
Some say state lawmakers' cuts to family planning funding in 2011 cost the state more than it saved because it had to pay to cover additional pregnancies through Medicaid. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, wants to quantify that. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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Lawmakers Mull Bills to Keep Federal Gun Laws Out of Texas
A House committee on Wednesday debated several bills that would make it a crime to enforce new federal gun laws in Texas. Full Story
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UT System Leader Expresses Concerns Over Campus Carry
As lawmakers prepare to discuss allowing concealed handguns in college and university buildings on Thursday, the chancellor of the state's largest university system continues to express his concerns with such proposals. Full Story
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Senate Finance Approves $195.5 Billion Budget
The budget approved Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee is 2.9 percent bigger than the estimated size of the current two-year budget. It includes about $8.9 billion more than the first draft Senate leaders unveiled in January. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
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