At last Thursday’s TribLive conversation, I interviewed three veteran lawmakers — state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, and state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio — about how they and their Democratic colleagues fared this session.
82nd Legislative Session
Posted in
Energy
There’s More Than One Way to Land a Catfish
Hand fishing — that is, sticking your hand down the throat of a fish — is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $500. But not for long. State lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill to legalize hand fishing, sending it to the governor.
Posted in
Public Education
Struggle Over Education Bill Breaks Old Alliances, Creates New Ones
State Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, is a widely liked Republican chairman with a supermajority to back him up. So why has his signature education bill this session, a mandate relief package for school districts, stumbled so badly?
Posted in
State Government
Budget Update: Campus Handguns Wing Budget Package
The hits just keep on coming. One of the fiscal matters bills critical to the budget got thrown back to the Senate for carrying a concealed weapon; it had been amended there to include legalization of concealed handguns on college campuses.
Posted in
State Government
Balanced Budget Resolution Passes Senate
More symbolic than anything else, House Concurrent Resolution 18, calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring a federal balanced budget, passed out of the state Senate today.
Posted in
State Government
Video: Perry On The Budget
Gov. Rick Perry, speaking to reporters outside a ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel, said legislative leaders were moving toward a budget deal that would avoid a special session.
Posted in
Energy
Senate OKs Legalizing “Noodling”
Amid the budget drama of the day, senators had a few moments of levity when they brought up the “noodling” bill, which would legalize the practice of hand-fishing for catfish.
Posted in
Demographics
Williams Explains Move That Gutted HB 12
He may have pulled the plug on “sanctuary cities” legislation yesterday, but Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, said today he still supports it — even if he considers his own homeland security legislation a higher priority.
Posted in
State Government
TribLive: “We’re Not a Crazy State,” Turner Says
At this morning’s TribLive conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, warned his House Republican colleagues about overreaching in exercising their supermajority power.
Posted in
Higher Education
GOP Lawmakers Target In-State Tuition for Students in Texas Illegally
A bill by state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, seeks to repeal in-state tuition for students who are not living in Texas legally. He says it will make tuition rates fairer, but others argue that the tuition break ultimately benefits the state.
