This week in the Newsreel, we look at the two debates held this week and check out Senate committee assignments.
Austin
Posted inState Government
Video: Michael Morton on the Anniversary of His Release From Prison
Michael Morton marked the anniversary of his release from prison on Thursday with a speech to an audience at the Capitol. He spoke about his life since being freed and encouraged others to support calls for increased prosecutor accountability.
Posted inState Government
Video: Michael Morton Anniversary Speech
Michael Morton marked the anniversary of his release from prison with a speech at the state Capitol. He spoke about his wrongful conviction, the 24 years and seven months he spent incarcerated and his hope for new laws that hold prosecutors accountable. (Full Speech)
Posted in
Economy
Inside Intelligence: About Those Money-Makers…
For this week’s nonscientific survey of government and political insiders, we asked about tax reform, swapping local property taxes for something else, and whether voters and legislators are on the same page on casinos.
Posted in
Health care
Janek’s Scrutiny of U.S. Census Bureau Uninsured Statistics Draws Critics
At The Texas Tribune Festival, Health and Human Services Commissioner Kyle Janek made a startling suggestion: that the Census Bureau’s projection that a quarter of Texans are uninsured is inflated.
Posted in
Public Education
Schools Turn to Parents’ Dollars for Support
Parents are opening their pocketbooks to fund everything from outdoor classrooms to extra teaching positions in public schools when state and district money falls short. But the influx of private dollars concerns civil rights advocates who say it only exacerbates existing inequities in the public school system.
Posted in
Public Education
Guest Column: Schools Should Offer Multiple Paths
Public schools should spend less time on testing and on a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Not all students want or need to go to college.
Posted in
Energy
Water to Be Big Topic for House, Straus Says
Speaking to a cattle raisers’ group on Tuesday, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus promised that water “will be at the center of the discussion.”
Posted in
State Government
Texas Weekly Newsreel: Paul Sadler, Committees, Dancing
This week in the Newsreel: Paul Sadler tries to get the word out about his campaign for U.S. Senate, state senators (and others) wait for committee assignments, and Texas Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright resigns. And there’s some dancing.
Posted in
State Government
A Democrat Challenges Straus on Redistricting
If a federal court decides that the state intentionally discriminated when drawing its new political maps, is it more difficult for Texas lawyers to argue against Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act? And is it fuel for the constant struggle over the leadership of the Texas House?
