Full video of my January 24 TribLive conversation with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
83rd Legislative Session
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Bidness As Usual
Lobbyists Who Dine From Both Sides of Plate
Lobbyists are competitive creatures, and don’t like it when somebody gets an advantage — like political consultants who lobby during the political off-season. But they haven’t found a way to regulate the practice.
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Energy
TribLive: Dewhurst on the Water Plan
At this morning’s TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about how much it will take to jump-start the state’s as-yet-unfunded water plan.
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Politics
TribLive: Dewhurst on Funding Public Education
At this morning’s TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about whether public education funding in Texas is sufficient and where additional money might come from.
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Public Education
Senators Grill TEA Chief on Testing, School Funding
In a hearing on Wednesday, senators probed Michael Williams, the new head of the Texas Education Agency, on student assessments and funding for remedial tutoring.
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Health care
TribLive: A Conversation About Family Planning
Full video of my January 22 TribLive conversation about family planning and women’s health with state Reps. Donna Howard, D-Austin, and Sarah Davis, R-West University Place.
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State Government
Spending Limit Could Make State’s Rainy Day Fund Tougher to Tap
After years in which the state’s spending limit was irrelevant, it may play a key role in budget negotiations this session, and it could make it tougher for lawmakers to tap billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund.
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Public Education
Texas Schools Look for Guidance on Gun Policies
Amid concerns over the safety of Texas’ public schools in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, at least a dozen of the state’s districts are considering policies that would permit employees to carry concealed handguns.
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State Government
Lost in Translation: From Legislature to English
The Legislature has its own jargon, and it sometimes feels like members are speaking a different language. Blocker bills? WADA? Chubbing? LARS? Here’s a guide — in the form of a multiple-choice quiz — to what they’re saying.
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Health care
TribLive: Howard and Davis on Fetal Pain
At this morning’s TribLive conversation, state Reps. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, and Donna Howard, D-Austin, talked about the possibility of legislation in the 83rd session restricting access to abortions.
