The latest Jane Nelson news from The Texas Tribune.
House Speaker Joe Straus said the House's base budget plan, released Thursday, holds "spending in check while addressing some very important challenges related to our rapid growth." The Senate's base budget is expected to come out next week. Full Story
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Lawmakers on Thursday chose $7 billion as an appropriate minimum balance for the Rainy Day Fund in a meeting that took just a few minutes but will have far-reaching consequences. Full Story
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With the endorsement Wednesday of the Sunset Advisory Commission, legislators are set to move forward with a consolidation of the state's five health agencies into a single health commission with seven divisions. Full Story
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Scott Turner, the freshman state representative challenging Joe Straus for House speaker, affirmed on Tuesday that he will insist on a floor vote the first day of session, come what may. Full Story
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GOP statewide candidates uniformly hold sizeable advantages over their Democratic rivals. Full Story
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Criticism by state leaders of the Obama administration for failures in the response to the Ebola virus omits mention of the tools at the state's disposal that were not used. Full Story
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States that put tight restrictions on abortion generally perform worse on women’s and children’s health outcomes, according to a new report released by two national groups that support access to the procedure. Full Story
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The Houston Chronicle is reporting that in the days before Gov. Rick Perry's indictment over his veto of funding for the public integrity unit, the Travis County DA's office had requested the next Legislature to restore most of the unit's funding. Full Story
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A Texas commission that reviews government agencies officially recommended Wednesday that lawmakers shutter an Austin-area institution for people with disabilities and identify five more statewide for later closure. Full Story
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At a state Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday, senators debated the merits and tactical strategies of Gov. Rick Perry’s decision to send Texas National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Full Story
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On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, we talked about the new head of the Senate Finance Committee, the border surge, campaign finance reports, the ongoing UT-Austin saga and more. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is on his way out in a few months, but on Thursday he moved to fill some key Senate leadership slots to help the chamber prepare for the coming legislative session in January. Full Story
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After appointing Sen. Jane Nelson to chair the Senate Finance Committee, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has picked Sen. Charles Schwertner to replace her as the head of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Full Story
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Wendy Davis' fundraising figures from Tuesday that showed her raising slightly more money than her GOP rival for governor are now being questioned. Full Story
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Lawmakers considered a proposal to shutter six of Texas’ 13 state-supported living centers over two days of public hearings, renewing a long-simmering debate over the future of the state’s institutions for the disabled. Full Story
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The state is considering a proposal to integrate its Division for Blind Services with other rehabilitation services. While lawmakers are largely supportive of a consolidation, advocates for the blind are voicing concerns. Full Story
A recommendation from the state's Sunset Advisory Commission to shutter six of Texas' 13 state-supported living centers has reopened a giant divide in the disability community that had seemed to narrow in recent years. Full Story
Ted Nugent on Thursday became a litmus test of sorts for Republican officeholders in the wake of the rocker's appearance on the campaign trail with Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott. Full Story
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The Senate Health and Human Services committee at a hearing on Thursday discussed Texas’ efforts to expand access to women’s health services across the state. Full Story
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State senators will hold a hearing Thursday to assess Texas’ efforts to expand access to women’s health services across the state. Abortion rights advocates say an essential issue has been left off the agenda. Full Story
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