Less than a year after he first took office, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is defending himself against felony charges while a quiet procession of candidates comes under unofficial consideration to succeed him.
Governor’s Office
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Politics
Buried Treasure: State Budget Hides a Mystery
Lawmakers approved giving $200,000 to a community college that doesn’t want it to fund a maritime museum that doesn’t exist, and now the Legislative Budget Board may scuttle Gov. Greg Abbott’s bid to reclaim the loot.
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Politics
Top Texas GOP Officials Offer Measured Support for Paxton
When Gov. Rick Perry was indicted last year, there was a groundswell of support among Republicans for Perry. The response to Ken Paxton’s indictment — particularly among some top state GOP leaders — has been more restrained.
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State Government
Abbott Aides: “Magic Words” Used to Block Budget Vetoes
In a lengthy legal memo to the state’s comptroller, aides to Gov. Greg Abbott defend his budget vetoes and decry a legislative agency’s challenge as a threat to constitutional separation of powers.
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Higher Education
Challenged Vetoes Leave $200 Million in Limbo
With varying degrees of concern, a smattering of government offices and institutions around the state are waiting to learn the fate of more than $200 million in funds that the governor might — or might not — have excised from the state budget.
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Politics
Analysis: Deflection by Officials is Worth Noting
It’s diversion season: Top state officials, not surprisingly, would rather talk about red-meat political issues than indictments and legally contested budget vetoes.
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Criminal Justice
Appeals Court Rejects One of Two Counts in Perry Indictment
A state appeals court on Friday threw out one of two counts in the indictment against former Gov. Rick Perry.
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State Government
In Emails, Patrick’s Office Did Not Object to Abbott Veto Memo
Emails released to the Tribune show Dan Patrick’s budget guru raised no obvious objections while approving the release of a memo that the lieutenant governor is now railing against.
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State Government
Patrick: My Office Didn’t Start Veto Inquiry
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday reiterated his disagreement with a letter questioning the governor’s budget vetoes, saying his office did not initiate a letter from a legislative agency on that subject.
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State Government
Patrick Backs Abbott in Line-Item Veto Dispute
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is backing Gov. Greg Abbott in a growing dispute over the validity of some of Abbott’s line-item vetoes to the state budget.
