When Cutting the Budget Actually Costs Money
Cutting the budget can be expensive. Something that appears to save money can, on further inspection, cost more. Family planning, for instance. Full Story
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Senate List of $5.5 Billion in Revenue Proposals Leaked
Texas senators scratching for new state revenue canceled a meeting to talk about their options today, but a copy of their list got loose — and it includes $5.5 billion in taxes, fees, asset sales and accounting tricks that could be used to ease their budget problems. Full Story
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Texting While Driving Ban Gets Early OK In House
This is no LOL matter: Texting while driving could soon be prohibited statewide. But using other applications on a smart phone, like GPS or Facebook, would not be banned — as long as you're reading, not typing. Full Story
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Video: Senate Signals Big Changes In Store For HB 1
The Texas House sent its budget blueprint to the Senate this week. But many senators say those cuts are too deep, and they're ready to make some drastic changes. Full Story
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Wentworth Temporarily Pulls Down Campus Carry Bill
After his bill received heated debate on the floor, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, withdrew his campus carry bill today. Full Story
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Unexpectedly, a Lawmaker Finds Extra Money For Schools
A Texas lawmaker said the magic words Thursday morning to a panel of exhausted and nearly hopeless state budget writers: he has found a “new revenue source without raising taxes.” Full Story
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Two New Texas Latino Seats in Congress?
The public version of drawing new congressional maps for Texas started this morning with committee hearings and the unveiling of a proposal from a coalition that insists at least two of the four new districts should have Latino majorities. Full Story
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![Nina Perales of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and members of the Texas Latino Redistricting Task Force present a proposal for two new Latino-majority congressional seats during a 2011 press conference.]()
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TribLive: Seliger and Solomons on the Politics of Redistricting
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and state Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, acknowledged that there's no way to take politics out of the mapmaking process. Full Story
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To Some House Republicans, Family Planning = Abortion
Is "family planning" a euphemism for abortion? For many House Republicans, yes. It's not that they don't understand the difference — it's that they don't trust family planning clinics not to steer women toward abortions. Full Story
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Credit: Adam Lederer -
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 74
In this week's episode, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben discuss the House budget and what it means for the Senate, pansexuals and Western civilization. Full Story
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Fight Over Alamo Continues in the Capitol
The dust-up over who should be the steward of the Alamo continued into today's House Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee, where three bills addressing the historic site were heard. Full Story
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Dueling Rallies: Cut Spending or Save Programs?
Texans on all sides of the budget equation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for vastly different priorities. Full Story
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Video: Dueling Rallies Fight For Different Priorities
Texans on all sides of the budget equation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for vastly different priorities. Full Story
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House Passes Controversial School Testing Bill [Updated]
A bill from state Rep. Rob Eissler modifying how end-of-course exams factor into graduation led House Republicans into a debate over how best to handle student testing during what one called "extraordinary times" in public education. Full Story
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Committee Passes Bill That Would Protect Veterans Fund
A Senate committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that would prevent the Texas Veterans Commission — which faces a proposed 20 percent budget cut — from dipping into a fund it is barred from using for administrative purposes. Full Story
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Thousands Rally for Smaller Budget Cuts
Thousands of protesters chanted "They say, 'Cut back.' We say, 'Fight back'" as they marched to the Capitol this afternoon to rally against proposed budget cuts. Full Story
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Senate Approves Easing Restrictions on DNA Testing
The Senate today passed a bill that would reduce restrictions on post-conviction DNA testing by allowing biological evidence that was previously untested, or tested by older, potentially inaccurate techniques, to be tested and used as evidence in court. Full Story
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![Hank Skinner was sentenced to death for the 1993 triple slaying of his girlfriend and her two sons.]()
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Senate OKs Bill to Promote Texas Data Transparency
Data enthusiasts may be cringing at proposed federal cuts to data transparency websites, but the Texas Senate passed a bill today that would promote state transparency by requiring agencies to post high-value data sets online. Full Story
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Updated: Will Hospitals Be Taxed to Prop Up Medicaid?
Talk has resumed in the Senate — albeit quietly — about a so-called quality assurance fee, a revenue generator that would effectively tax hospitals to prop up the state’s cash-strapped Medicaid program. Full Story
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State, Local Government Look to Curb Unfunded Mandates
Lawmakers are looking for ways to reduce the effects of budget cuts on local governments — community colleges, school districts, cities and counties — by easing the unfunded mandates the state imposes on them. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman
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