With fewer than five weeks left in the regular session, none of Gov. Rick Perry’s emergency items — voter ID, sanctuary cities, sonograms for women getting abortions, a federal balanced budget amendment, and eminent domain protection — have made it to his desk.
Dan Patrick
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Health care
David Dewhurst: The TT Interview
With less than five weeks left to go in the session, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst sat down with the Tribune to talk about his future political plans, the status of the budget in the Senate and in the biennial parley between the Senate and the House, redistricting and the tug-of-war over the Rainy Day Fund.
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Health care
Patrick: No Holdup on Abortion Sonogram
Holdup? What holdup? Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, says he’s got the votes to send abortion sonogram legislation back to the House — but the timeline for doing it depends on how quickly the Senate passes the budget.
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Health care
Senate Working on Abortion Sonogram Compromise
A panel of senators today discussed an abortion sonogram carve-out that would allow women in remote communities to wait just two hours after a sonogram to have an abortion, instead of 24 hours.
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Health care
Stubbornness, Turf War Could Hold Up Abortion Sonogram
The biggest hurdle getting an abortion sonogram bill passed this session may be good old-fashioned stubbornness.
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Higher Education
B-On-Time: Good for Students, Not for Some Schools
The B-On-Time Loan Program offers sweet savings if you are a student. But if you are an institution of higher education, the program might be costing you anywhere from a few thousand to millions of dollars.
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Public Education
Senators Debate Productivity Center, Class Size
During Tuesday’s Senate Education Committee meeting, senators considered legislation that could dramatically change the way school districts operate — including two bills that target the dreaded “unfunded mandates.”
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Public Education
Do Texas Schools Spend Too Much on Administration?
For lawmakers scrutinizing every possible saving, “administrative costs” presents an easy mark. But there may be less to cut than they imagine.
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State Government
The Week in Texas Politics Recap: 2/7 to 2/11
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We’ve made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome.
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Health care
For Senate Democrats, Abortion Bill Reveals Split
Unlike the debate over voter ID, in which Senate Democrats stood united in their opposition, a combination of politics, religion and personal histories have made the sonogram bill more divisive in their caucus.
