The House is sending its five budget conferees — Reps. Jim Pitts, John Otto, Sylvester Turner, John Zerwas and Myra Crownover — off to negotiate with the Senate, but they want to tie their hands on certain issues, instructing them on what’s acceptable to add, subtract or leave alone when they talk with the other side.
82nd Legislative Session
Posted in
Economy
Video: Outside Groups, Ads Influence Senate Budget Debate
The Texas Senate passed a budget this week for the next biennium, but only after nearly suffering a meltdown. Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden has blamed some of the drama on the meddling of outside interest groups.
Posted in
State Government
Puppies, and the Legislative Power of Distraction
It’s tense at the Texas Capitol. It’s May — the last month of the session. Deadlines are arriving daily. Bills are dying. Legislative wish lists are drying up and blowing away. Blame the puppies.
Posted in
Public Education
Schools for Troubled Students Can Often Face Long Odds Too
A bill in the Legislature aims to adjust the formula for assessing completion and dropout rates at dropout recovery charters, which supporters say penalizes the schools who serve challenging populations.
Posted in
Demographics
House Prepares for Sanctuary Cities Debate
Is it about security or racial profiling? Will U.S. citizens be targets of harassment? Will it stain Texas with the reputation Arizona thrust upon itself? The Texas House will likely entertain those and other sensitive questions when House Bill 12, commonly referred to as the “sanctuary cities” bill, hits the chamber’s floor on Friday.
Posted in
Health care
Abortion Sonogram Moves to Governor’s Desk
House lawmakers have sent the controversial abortion sonogram bill to the governor’s desk — after a last-ditch effort by disability rights advocates to change language they called highly offensive.
Posted in
Demographics
Perry on Senate Budget, Sanctuary Cities and Rainy Days
The governor told a press gaggle today that the Senate budget vote is a “step in right direction” — and that big-city police chiefs who oppose sanctuary city legislation must not have been listening last Election Day.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Senate Approves Rape Kit Testing Bill
Some of the thousands of untested rape kits lining evidence storage room shelves statewide would finally get testing under a bill the Texas Senate approved today.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Juvenile Justice Merger Heads to Governor
A bill to merge Texas’ two state juvenile justice agencies is headed to the governor for a signature.
Posted in
Economy
Procedural Move Allows GOP to Pass Senate Budget
The $176 billion budget was approved along party lines, with all 19 Republicans voting for it and all 12 Democrats voting against.
