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The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Ramsey's interview with Rick Perry's chief consultant, Stiles on the massive amount of cash that cities are collecting from red-light cameras, Grissom on the coming debate over the Democrats' two-step primary/caucus process, Thevenot on the State Board of Education's latest controversial plan, Aguilar on immigrants deported for minor infractions, Ramshaw on the social conscience (or lack thereof) of medical schools, M. Smith on a nascent voter registration effort in Harris County, Hamilton's interview with the newest state senator, Philpott on Bill White's feistier week, Galbraith on how tighter EPA rules will affect Texas and Hu on questions about the governor's transparency: The best of our best from June 21 to 25, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • TribBlog: Berman's Cup of Tea

    By Sarah Acosta

    State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said he's counting on Tea Party supporters to call their state representatives and urge them to vote for him for Speaker instead of incumbent Joe Straus, R-San Antonio. Full Story 

    State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler
    Credit: Bob Daemmerich

  • TribBlog: Leo Berman For Speaker?

    By Sarah Acosta

    Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, is expected to challenge House Speaker Joe Straus for his job, according to Capitol sources. Asked Monday whether he would seek Straus' post, Berman told the Tribune: "I can't say anything until tomorrow." Full Story 

    State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler

  • Face-Off: The Shortfall

    By Elise Hu

    While the right and left don't agree on much, both sides stipulate that the state's budget mess is a multibillion-dollar problem. In the debut of our new video series, the executive director of the progressive Center for Public Policy Priorities, former state district judge Scott McCown, and the director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, former state Rep. Talmadge Heflin, debate the best way to dig us out of the hole — and how we got into it in the first place. Full Story 

    Scott McCown and Talmadge Heflin
    Credit: Justin Dehn

  • Scott McCown vs. Talmadge Heflin

    By Elise Hu

    The executive director of the progressive Center for Public Policy Priorities and the director of the Center for Fiscal Policy at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, debate the best way to dig out of Texas' multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall. Full Story 

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  • Cuts That Cost

    By Brandi Grissom

    After shocking abuse was uncovered at Texas Youth Commission facilities in 2007, lawmakers successfully overhauled the state juvenile justice system. Three years later, advocates worry that budget woes will halt that progress. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • 2010: WFAA: Harper-Brown Under Ethics Cloud

    By Elise Hu

    Tribune news partner WFAA-TV reports that state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, and her husband are driving cars owned by a highway contractor doing millions of dollars in business with the state. All the while, Harper-Brown sits on the influential House Transportation Committee. Full Story 

    State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving.
    Credit: WFAA-TV

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Evan Smith

    Ramshaw and the Houston Chronicle's Terri Langford on incidents of abuse and mistreatment at residential treatment centers, M. Smith on the state Republican Party platform and 10th Amendment embracers, Galbraith on a pipeline project raising crude concerns and the most important word in water law, Ramsey on former officeholders who are now lobbyists and the possibility of a speaker's race, Grissom on a fight over solar power in Marfa, Hamilton and Aguilar on the TxDOT audit, Philpott on budget cuts affecting school districts and my conversation with Dallas County D.A. Craig Watkins: The best of our best from June 7-11, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • The Ex Files

    By Ross Ramsey

    How many former state officeholders are registered to lobby in Austin? The answer: 65, or a little less than 5 percent of the 1,475 lobbyists on the rolls at the Texas Ethics Commission, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva

  • Speaker's Race, Anyone?

    By Ross Ramsey

    Nobody's openly campaigning right now, but there's talk of who might succeed Joe Straus if he stumbles before January. Attribute the speculation to inertia: The House's top job was in play for at least four years before Straus won it 17 months ago, and members and the lobby and the press and other gawkers have been trained to study every new complaint, slight, reward and compliment for signs of a coup. While he appears to be on solid ground going into his second session behind the podium, don't erase the possibility of a contest. It's an uncertain environment: It's an election year, Straus is green and the Capitol is full of people who are constantly looking for a better deal than the one they've got. Full Story 

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    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    Ramshaw on geriatric care in state prisons, with Miller's photo essay inside those walls; M. Smith interviews the state's newest Supreme Court justice, Debra Lehrmann; Aguilar finds fewer Mexicans seeking asylum in the U.S; Galbraith sorts out the politics of pollution and whether our air is dangerous to breathe; Thevenot discovers authorities writing tickets for misbehavior to elementary school kids; Philpott reports on early hearing about political redistricting; Kreighbaum examines fines levied against polluters and finds they're often smaller than the economic benefits of the infractions; and Stiles and Babalola spotlight some of our data projects from our first seven months online: The best of our best from May 31 to June 4, 2010. Full Story 

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    Credit: Jacob Villanueva