For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders on issues of the moment, we asked whether a Republican who supports abortion rights can survive a statewide primary, whether the sonogram bill on the governor’s list of emergency items addresses a real or a political problem, whether it will pass and what other issues of interest to social conservatives might win approval from this Legislature this year.
Inside Intelligence: A Pro-Choice GOP Candidate Will…
Posted in
Health care
Can a Pro-Choice Republican Win in Texas?
State Comptroller Susan Combs may test that question. She is considering a run for lieutenant governor in 2014.
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Public Education
In West Texas, a Town’s Fate Tied to Its School
With just 56 students, Marathon ISD is one of the state’s smallest. But its fate is critical to the West Texas town’s survival. And if what is happening here works, it could serve as a model for other towns looking to shield their way of life from the death knell of school closures.
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Health care
Pretty Good Forecasting
The keepers of numbers over in the LBJ Building, north of the Capitol, have confirmed to lawmakers what they warned them about in 2006: The legislation that cut local school property taxes and revised the state’s corporate franchise tax didn’t balance, to the tune of $10 billion a biennium.
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: Could Texas Fire Up Old Sparky?
The short answer is yes — and no. It’s still around, and would work if it was plugged in. But it can’t be used for executions in Texas anymore.
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Criminal Justice
Last Words: “All Right, Warden, Let’s Do It.”
Before prison officials administer the lethal cocktail of drugs used to carry out executions, the condemned may say their final piece. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice keeps a record of these last statements.
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Criminal Justice
Will Europe Thwart Texas Executions?
Texas has enough supplies of a key drug to carry out only two more executions. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is exploring its options, including what other states are doing. But the drug alternatives are limited and would most likely still leave Texas reliant on nations that oppose the death penalty.
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Health care
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The best of our best from January 31 to February 4.
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Health care
The Week in Texas Politics Recap: 1/31 to 2/4
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome.
Posted in
Demographics
Mexican Reporter Asylum Case Postponed Until 2012
A final ruling in the case of a Mexican reporter seeking asylum in the U.S. with his teenage son has been postponed until 2012 after his attorney was subpoenaed to appear in federal court in an unrelated case and asked for a rescheduling.
