This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Only a few days remain in the 83rd legislative session, and everything is up in the air — including whether lawmakers will come back for more when the session ends on Monday.
Austin
Posted inState Government
News App: Tracking the Status of House and Senate Bills
The deadline for bills to win approval from the House and the Senate passed earlier this week, resulting in the death of a lot of legislation. Most of what remains is to reconcile differences between versions of legislation passed by both chambers. Our updated bill apps — one for House bills and one for Senate legislation — detail the results.
Posted in
Politics
Dewhurst’s Run to the Right Falls Short
David Dewhurst, the state’s lieutenant governor for the past decade, started this legislative session looking for some momentous conservative victories. He’s still looking.
Posted in
Energy
Will Lawmakers Save the Railroad Commission?
UPDATED: If lawmakers don’t do something quickly, the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in the state, could disappear.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
An Expensive Celebration, Courtesy of the Lobby
End-of-session dinners are commonplace for legislative committees at the end of the session, and they can be lavish affairs. One this week cost more than $22,000.
Posted inState Government
Hopefuls Taking Aim at Strama’s House Seat
While members of the Legislature are eyeing Memorial Day and Sine Die with increasing anticipation, a growing field of candidates looking toward 2014 has emerged, including four — so far — in Austin’s House District 50, an open seat.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas Standing Out on Multiple Fronts in Immigration Debate
Texas is showing how unique it is when it comes to matters of immigration. Statistics say it has more undocumented immigrants in detention centers than any other state. And organizers of a virtual march for immigration reform say the state is the perfect spot to host related events.
Posted in
Higher Education
Senate Votes to Extend UT-Austin’s Admissions Cap
The Senate approved an extension of the University of Texas at Austin’s cap on automatic admissions under the state’s top 10 percent rule on Tuesday, and members rejected efforts to do away with the rule entirely.
Posted in
State Government
Polling Center: Budget Endgames and Public Opinion
The public doesn’t closely follow legislative debates over the budget, but sometimes those budget debates line up pretty accurately with public opinion.
Posted inState Government
Will They Stay or Will They Go?
A perfect time for speculation: The legislative session isn’t quite over, and the political season hasn’t quite begun.
