Comptroller Candidates Duel Over Tax Relief Bill in Speeches
Three of the four Republican candidates for comptroller spoke at a conference in Austin on Thursday. And taxing was the topic of choice. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: Oct. 22, 2013
Your evening reading: Pitts testifies in Regent Hall investigation; Stefani Carter drops Railroad Commission bid for run at re-election; blowback over Combs' endorsement of Hegar for comptroller Full Story
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Combs Endorses Hegar for Comptroller
Comptroller Susan Combs has announced her preferred successor, endorsing state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, on Friday morning in San Antonio. Full Story
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Hegar Touts "Support for the Unborn" in Comptroller Ad
In the first campaign ad in his bid to succeed Comptroller Susan Combs, state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, promotes Texas' "business climate and our unwavering support for the unborn." Full Story
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Revisiting Immigration Study a Popular Idea in Comptroller's Race
The state of Texas last performed a study on the economic impact of undocumented immigrants in 2006. The majority of the candidates running for comptroller in 2014 say it's time for that analysis to get an update. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman / Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Spencer Selvidge -
Liveblog: Environment at The Texas Tribune Festival
We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Environment track, which features panel discussions on the West fertilizer plant explosion, water, the future of parks and the fight over climate change. Full Story
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Crowded Field Gathering for Comptroller Contest
Four Republicans are vying to replace outgoing state Comptroller Susan Combs, and at least one Democrat may join the race soon, too. Full Story
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![GOP candidates for state comptroller. Clockwise, from top left: former gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina, former state Rep. Raul Torres, state Sen. Glenn Hegar and state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman / Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Spencer Selvidge -
Senate Sponsor Significantly Rewrites Franchise Tax Bill
House Bill 500, the Legislature's most sweeping attempt at reforming the franchise tax this session, was drastically rewritten Thursday morning by its Senate sponsor, state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy. Full Story
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Watchdogs: Ethics Law Loopholes Leave Public in Dark About Lobby Perks
Whether it’s lobbyists’ spending on legislators or lawmakers who don't disclose their spouses' interests on personal financial statements, Texas ethics laws are full of holes. Full Story
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TribuneFest: A Conversation with Ritter and Hegar
At the Trib's Oct. 29 symposium at Texas State University on the future of water, I talked with state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, and state Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. Full Story
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Senate Approves Texting-While-Driving Ban
The Texas Senate approved a measure this evening that would ban texting and sending e-mails and instant messages while driving. Full Story
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Senate Passes Fracking Disclosure Bill
After a lengthy discussion, the Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would require drilling companies using hydraulic fracturing techniques to disclose on a public website the chemicals they use in the process. Full Story
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![A worker untangles a hose at a Fountain Quail water management and treatment facility in Roanoake, Texas. Fountain Quail cleans and separates water used in fracking for natural gas removal.]()
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Fraudulent Fishermen Could Face Felony
Fraudulent fishermen better reel it in. The Senate passed a bill today to make cheating in a fishing tournament up to a third-degree felony, sending the measure on to the governor. Full Story
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Why the U. of Houston-Victoria Wants a New Marriage — With A&M
An influential band of the 62,500 or so residents of Victoria, home of the University of Houston-Victoria — a smaller, more rural member of the University of Houston System, about 130 miles from the main campus — is leading a movement to part ways with the parent system. Full Story
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Senate OKs Renaming, Shrinking RR Commission
The Senate approved a bill today that would change the name of the Railroad Commission to the Texas Oil and Gas Commission and reduce the size of the commission from three elected members to one elected commissioner. Full Story
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Senators Express Incredulity at Rolling Blackouts Hearing
At a state Senate hearing this morning on Texas's rolling blackouts earlier this month, ERCOT released the first list — albeit a very partial one — of power plants that failed during the Feb. 2 crisis. Full Story
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Sunset Finishes Workers' Comp Fixes
State lawmakers on the Sunset Advisory Commission make final remarks after the panel unanimously approves changes to the Division of Workers' Compensation's medical quality review process. Full Story
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After Sunset
Sunset Advisory Commissioners unanimously approved a series of changes to the troubled Division of Workers' Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday, but not before aggressively rewriting the Sunset staff's original recommendations to improve the division's medical quality review process. Full Story
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TribBlog: Hegar: No PUC Revolving Door
When reports surfaced that the Public Utility Comission chair was being considered for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' top job, watchdogs questioned whether he could legally — or ethically — apply for the job. If Sunset Advisory Commission Chair Glenn Hegar's recommendations stick, the answer will soon be no. Full Story
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Here Comes the Sun
The state Division of Workers' Compensation has uncovered "tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary medical care" in the last several years, but its commissioner failed to sanction the doctors involved, a key former employee told members of the Sunset Advisory Commission on Tuesday night. Full Story
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