Could casino gaming be coming to Texas? State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, who’s tried and failed to pass gambling legislation in recent sessions, thinks the coming budget crisis gives him and other supporters an opportunity.
Rodney Ellis on Bringing Gaming Back
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 13, 2010
Sales tax collections up slightly last month, Perry’s take on gambling, Cornyn and predator drones and more U.S. citizens killed in Mexico.
Posted in
Energy
A Hostile Climate
The Obama administration’s push to pass carbon control legislation got a boost yesterday with the release of a new version of the bill in the U.S. Senate. Here in Texas, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, the state’s GOP leadership continues to fight back against what they view as an energy tax bill.
Posted in
Higher Education
Guest Column: Why Student Regents Shouldn’t Vote
Would you turn all of your family’s assets, its health and safety and future, or those of your friends and neighbors, over to an unknown university student, even one carefully selected? Of course not.
Posted in
State Government
On the Records: FEC Drops New Data
On Tuesday, the Federal Election Commission for the first time released detailed records for all congressional candidates’ campaign spending. These records tell us who the candidates hire for advertising, consulting, etc., and can often be more interesting to politics junkies than lists of campaign donations. We’ve made spending by the Texas delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives searchable.
Posted in
State Government
Data App: Hey, Big Spenders
It’s not only rich people and lobbyists and interest group activists who make political contributions. Texas congressional candidates gave at least $1.3 million to other campaigns and causes over the last 15 months, according to itemized records of campaign expenditures released for the first time by the Federal Election Commission. Topping the list of big spenders in the Texas delegation were U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, who contributed at least $240,000 — the highest dollar amount — and Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, who gave more than 60 contributions — the highest number. Search our database to see who gave what to whom.
Posted in
Demographics
Visas for Victims
The federal government has more than tripled the number of visas granted to undocumented victims of such crimes as domestic violence and rape. The policy change is designed to aid prosecutors in securing witnesses and convictions, but some fear the incentive of legal status will spur false accusations.
Posted inState Government
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 28
In this week’s TribCast, Ross, Elise, Ben and Emily discuss the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget woes, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s turn in the hot seat at TribLive, and the intersection of new media and old-school lawmaking.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Study: Mentally Ill End Up in Texas Prisons
Texas has nearly eight times as many people with serious mental illness in jails and prisons as it does in psychiatric hospitals, according to a new study by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs’ Association.
Posted inState Government
Dewhurst on the “Gay Jesus” Play
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst defends his decision to publicly denounce a play featuring a gay Jesus character.
