San Antonio Considers Tax for Pre-K Initiative
An eighth-of-a-cent sales tax increase is being proposed in San Antonio to fund full-day pre-kindergarten for primarily low-income children in the city. Full Story
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![Teacher Silvia Corado works with students in her pre-kindergarten class as they learn syllables and word identification, part of the Summer Bilingual Academy at Wilson Elementary School in San Antonio.]()
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Court Stays the Course on Politics and Business
Corporations and unions can play in politics, but complete disclosures are not required. A corporate political campaign in Texas two years ago was unusual, featuring an unknown corporation that was open about what it was doing. Full Story
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Video: The GOP and Democratic U.S. Senate Debates
Full video of Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate squaring off in separate debates hosted by Dallas public television station KERA (and co-presented by the Tribune). Full Story
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TPWD Looks to Rebound After Devastating Year
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is still feeling the effects of last year's wildfires, drought and budget cuts, but officials say the situation is improving with increased park attendance and donations. Full Story
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Prosecutors Stepping Up Fight Against Barratry
Prosecutors are cracking down on barratry, often derided as "ambulance chasing." A handful of notable arrests — including charges against a state representative — have been made this year. Full Story
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Texplainer: When Legislators Die or Resign, What Happens to Their Seats?
When legislators die or resign, their seat is filled through a special election. The new representative serves out the end of the old representative's term. Full Story
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![The March 1 primary ballot will feature 18 open seats in the Texas Legislature – two in the Senate and 16 in the House.]()
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Defamation Lawsuit Puts New Statute to the Test
A defamation lawsuit filed by WallBuilders founder David Barton has become an early test of new tort reform legislation intended to protect free speech. Full Story
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You Thought Redistricting Was About Candidates?
It's easy to forget that redistricting and the Voting Rights Act are about voters. But sometimes, the voters jump up and remind you. Full Story
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After a Win, a Combative Speaker
House Speaker Joe Straus, coming out of a big and expensive win in a rare contested primary at home, began the runoff reboot by tweaking Michael Quinn Sullivan and his Empower Texans group, deriding them as ineffective, ugly and resentful of his success. Full Story
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Could HHSC Face a Public Ed-Sized Leadership Void?
First, the state’s Medicaid director announced he was retiring. Now, Health and Human Services chief Tom Suehs says he hasn’t decided whether he will quit in August. Will HHSC rival public education for next session's biggest leadership void? Full Story
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Uresti Lawsuit Alleges Opponent is Ineligible for Race
A lawsuit by state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, alleges that his general election opponent, Michael Berlanga, does not meet residency requirements for Senate District 19. Full Story
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Video: Looking at the State of Abortion in Texas
In Part 4 of the Tribune's series on family planning, we take a closer look at how abortion has shifted public policy in Texas in recent years — and where the political battle may be headed next. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: About Those Election Results...
For this week's nonscientific survey of governmental and political insiders, we asked about the election results, about Joe Straus' chances for another term as speaker, about who might replace David Dewhurst as presiding officer of the Senate, and about who'll control that selection. Full Story
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State Agencies Ordered to Propose Budget Cuts
The Legislative Budget Board — headed by House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — is asking state agencies to assume they'll have 10 percent less to spend in the next budget than they have now. Full Story
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A House of Strangers Calls for a Shrewd Leader
Races for speaker of the House are based on relationships. How does that work when there are so many freshmen and sophomore members in the House? Full Story
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TribLive: Branch and TMF on Hughes vs. Straus
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, discussed the prospect of a Speaker's race leading up to the 2013 legislative session. Full Story
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Updated: State Rep. Ken Legler Passes Away
State Rep. Ken Legler, R-Pasadena, has passed away, according to the House speaker's office. He was 54. Full Story
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TribLive: Branch and TMF on Straus and the Primaries
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, discussed whether Tuesday's primaries were a referendum on Speaker of the House Joe Straus. Full Story
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Davis to Law Enforcement: Report Rape Kit Backlog
State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and the Department of Public Safety are sending a reminder message to Texas law enforcement agencies: They must follow a new state law requiring them to report their backlog of untested rape kits. Full Story
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Hughes Files for Speaker
State Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, filed papers saying he will run for speaker of the House in January, setting up another challenge for House Speaker Joe Straus. Full Story
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