Most of the drama was saved for another day in the Texas Senate after the first installment of the planned debate over the contentious voter ID bill was postponed. Senate Democrats did their best, however, to derail Republicans’ attempts to fast track the issue, which Gov. Rick Perry declared an emergency item last week.
82nd Legislative Session
Posted in
Economy
A Chicken Little Budget
Whatever budget lawmakers eventually approve will serve as the working blueprint for the state for the two years starting in September. But the budget released last week isn’t a blueprint — it’s a political document. It marks the shift from the theoretical rhetoric of the campaigns to the reality of government.
Posted in
Public Education
Closing Time
Texas public schools are facing what could be $10 billion less in state financing — a stark prospect that could empty school buildings across the state as districts consolidate campuses to reduce costs. What should happen to these structures, which are built with taxpayer money?
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: What If a Lieutenant Governor Resigns?
Hey, Texplainer: Who becomes lieutenant governor if David Dewhurst resigns? Well, it’s a little complicated. But the bottom line is, you don’t get to decide.
Posted in
State Government
Climbing the Ladder
What happens if Gov. Rick Perry or Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst decide to run for federal office and win, creating a vacancy — or two — in Texas? That sound you hear is a herd of GOP pols rushing to update their resumes.
Posted in
Higher Education
A Plea For Fairness
Every chancellor of a university system in Texas knows — down to the exact, excruciatingly precise percentage point — how much worse higher education fared than other agencies when their current budgets were cut. With the state facing a massive budget shortfall in the next biennium, the chancellors know they’re in for another round. But this time they’re adamant that they not bear a disproportionate share of the pain.
Posted in
Economy
Budget Blues
As House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, laid out the first grim round of proposed cuts on Wednesday, even some of his Republican colleagues couldn’t stifle their objections. House Democrats went a step further, calling the cuts “akin to asking an anorexic person to lose more weight.”
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Study: Courts Can Do Better With Foster Kids
The Texas judicial system can do a better job handling the cases of kids in long-term foster care, according to a study released today by Texas Appleseed.
Posted in
Energy
TribBlog: The Drilling Grilling
More than 40 people crammed into the Texas Railroad Commission’s hearing today on what caused two water wells in Parker County to become contaminated by natural gas. Missing: the Environmental Protection Agency.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
A Stiff Cocktail of Budget Cuts
The Texas House has unveiled a $156.4 billion budget that’s $31.1 billion smaller than the current two-year spending plan — a drop of 16.6 percent. The proposed budget came with $1.2 billion in recommendations for savings and new revenue from the Legislative Budget Board.
