Both Republican and Democratic members of a key legislative oversight committee unloaded on Gov. Greg Abbott’s top health appointee Thursday, putting him and others on the hot seat for hours about alleged contracting abuses.
85th Legislative Session
Posted inState Government
Key chairman says House will take its time on “sanctuary” legislation
A day after hearing from peace officers largely opposed to the state’s current proposal to outlaw “sanctuary cities,” the chairman of the House committee that controls the proposal’s future said he’d like to see some significant changes.
Posted in
Public Education
Trump budget cuts would hit Texas education service programs hard
President Trump’s proposed budget would cut about $14 million from Texas programs designed to provide tutoring, mentorship and counseling for low-income students.
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Health care
Child welfare workers fear legislative push to outsource their jobs
Former and current caseworkers say a plan to move case management services to nonprofits could be problematic and that no one in power is listening to their concerns.
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Public Education
Education committee chairs push major edits to A-F ratings for schools
House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty and Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor filed bills to help make the A-F accountability system more palatable to educators, who say grading their schools won’t help them serve students better.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
House committee makes changes to anti-“sanctuary” bill
More than 600 people signed up on Wednesday to testify before the House State Affairs Committee on the lower chamber’s version of the controversial proposal to outlaw “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
Posted in
Public Education
Senate panel tentatively votes to defund Abbott’s pre-K program
The Senate Finance Committee gave initial approval to budget items that would cut $180 million from state-funded pre-K in favor of a $40 million public-private partnership.
Posted in
Higher Education
Universities face funding cuts of 6 percent to 10 percent in Senate plan
In an attempt to make major changes in how higher education is funded, the Senate Finance Committee is proposing major cuts to each state university.
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Health care
Senate gives approval to two abortion-related bills
The upper chamber gave final passage to a bill that would ban what opponents call “partial-birth” abortions and put restrictions on donating fetal tissue, and initial approval to one that would ban doctors from performing dilation and evacuation abortions.
Posted in
Politics
Texas bullet train firm calls provision added to budget a “job killer”
Officials with Texas Central Partners, the private firm developing the Houston-Dallas high-speed rail line, said the rider added to the state senate’s proposed budget Wednesday would put their project at risk.
