Video: The Week in Texas Politics Recap: May 23 to May 27, 2011
Want a quick recap of some of the happenings this week in the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly video rundown of the action under the dome. Full Story
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Patrick Considering U.S. Senate Run With Exploratory Committee
State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, appeared on conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham's show Friday morning to announce he is considering a run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Full Story
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Dan Patrick for U.S. Senate? Stay Tuned, He Says
State Sen. Dan Patrick, a radio talk show host who has been courting Tea Party activists, is promising to tell reporters Friday whether or not he will try to make a jump to the U.S Senate to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Full Story
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For Some Republicans, Federal Action is Payback
State Sen. Dan Patrick says he knows why the federal government has intervened on two key bills facing Texas lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session: “retribution.” But is it that simple? Full Story
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Updated: Texplainer: Is TSA "Groping" Bill Junk Legislation?
Hey, Texplainer: Can Texas really stop the TSA from touching my privates when I go through airport security? Short answer: No. Full Story
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Federal Threat Shuts Down TSA "Groping" Bill
A threat from the federal government to shut down Texas airports or cancel flights may have killed legislation by Tea Party conservatives in the Capitol to prohibit federal agents from conducting "invasive searches." Full Story
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Prospects Dimming for Bill to Aid McDonald Observatory
A bill aimed at reducing the glare from outdoor lighting in a large swath of West Texas in order to help the McDonald Observatory is currently stuck in the Senate, though its sponsor hopes to get it to the floor by the tomorrow's legislative deadline. Full Story
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![A research unit of The University of Texas at Austin located in the Davis Mountains of West Texas.]()
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Video: Perry Demurs on 2012, But Patrick Enthuses
After signing the abortion sonogram bill into law, Gov. Rick Perry declined to rule out a bid for the White House in 2012 — but state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said he'd make a "great" president. Full Story
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Video: "The Beginning of the End for Abortions"
This morning, Gov. Rick Perry signed into law House Bill 15, the so-called abortion sonogram bill, which Senate sponsor Dan Patrick, R-Houston, termed "the beginning of the end for abortions." Full Story
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Tea Party, Fiscal Conservatives Aligned to Set Lege's Agenda
The ideological partnership of the raucous Tea Party movement and fiscally conservative Texas Republicans has dominated the agenda of the state lawmaking session that is sputtering to an end. Full Story
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Senate OKs Concealed Carry for Lawmakers
Texas lawmakers — current and former — may soon be able to pack heat at church, the hospital, a sporting event or even bars. Full Story
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House, Senate Unite on Abortion Sonogram Bill
Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, and Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston joined forces this morning to ask the House to accept all of the Senate's amendments to the abortion sonogram bill, virtually ensuring it's headed to Gov. Rick Perry's desk. Full Story
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![Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston with Rep. Sid Miller R-Stephenville speak together if favor of HB 15, the abortion sonogram bill on May 4th, 2011]()
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Abortion Sonogram Bill Clears Another Hurdle
Senate lawmakers tentatively passed a controversial measure to require women seeking abortions to receive sonograms — and have the details of the fetus described to them — prior to the procedure. Full Story
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![Sen. Dan Patrick (l), R-Houston, listens to an amendment by Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, during the debate on HB15 on May 2, 2011.]()
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Where Are Perry's Emergency Items?
With fewer than five weeks left in the regular session, none of Gov. Rick Perry's emergency items — voter ID, sanctuary cities, sonograms for women getting abortions, a federal balanced budget amendment, and eminent domain protection — have made it to his desk. Full Story
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David Dewhurst: The TT Interview
With less than five weeks left to go in the session, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst sat down with the Tribune to talk about his future political plans, the status of the budget in the Senate and in the biennial parley between the Senate and the House, redistricting and the tug-of-war over the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Patrick: No Holdup on Abortion Sonogram
Holdup? What holdup? Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, says he's got the votes to send abortion sonogram legislation back to the House — but the timeline for doing it depends on how quickly the Senate passes the budget. Full Story
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Senate Working on Abortion Sonogram Compromise
A panel of senators today discussed an abortion sonogram carve-out that would allow women in remote communities to wait just two hours after a sonogram to have an abortion, instead of 24 hours. Full Story
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Stubbornness, Turf War Could Hold Up Abortion Sonogram
The biggest hurdle getting an abortion sonogram bill passed this session may be good old-fashioned stubbornness. Full Story
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B-On-Time: Good for Students, Not for Some Schools
The B-On-Time Loan Program offers sweet savings if you are a student. But if you are an institution of higher education, the program might be costing you anywhere from a few thousand to millions of dollars. Full Story
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Senators Debate Productivity Center, Class Size
During Tuesday's Senate Education Committee meeting, senators considered legislation that could dramatically change the way school districts operate — including two bills that target the dreaded "unfunded mandates." Full Story
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![State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, on July 20, 2010.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge
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