State Sen. Joan Huffman acknowledges that a lobby firm with ties to casino interests helped her draft a GOP caucus letter blasting a proposal to allow expanded gambling at horse tracks. Now a major proponent of the tracks is crying foul.
Joan Huffman
Posted in
Energy
The Brief: Feb. 19, 2015
Senate budget writers on Wednesday lit into Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek, a former senator himself, in a hearing that concluded with another call for him to resign.
Posted in
Energy
The Brief: Feb. 4, 2015
The ability of Austin tech firm 21CT to secure a $20 million Medicaid fraud software contract through a no-bid program run by the state’s Department of Information Resources drew intense scrutiny from Senate budget writers on Tuesday.
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Criminal Justice
Public Integrity Unit Chief Testifies Before State Senators
The head of the state’s public integrity unit told Senate lawmakers on Monday that Gov. Rick Perry’s veto of its funding in 2013 forced the division — which investigates public corruption — to lay off staff and give up cases.
Posted in
Politics
Video: Huffman and Watson on Dan Patrick
At our 1/12 conversation, state Sens. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin — the chairs of the Senate Republican and Democratic caucuses — talked about what kind of lieutenant governor Dan Patrick will be.
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Criminal Justice
Video: Huffman and Watson on Open Carry
At our 1/12 conversation, state Sens. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin — the chairs of the Senate Republican and Democratic caucuses — talked about proposed gun legislation in the 84th session.
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State Government
Video: Huffman and Watson on the Two-Thirds Rule
At our 1/12 conversation, state Sens. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin — the chairs of the Senate Republican and Democratic caucuses — talked about the likely fate of the two-thirds rule.
Posted in
State Government
Video: A Conversation With Huffman and Watson
Full video of my 1/12 conversation with state Sens. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin — the chairs of the Senate Republican and Democratic caucuses.
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Health care
Liveblog: Health Care at The Texas Tribune Festival
We’re liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival’s Health Care track. The sessions include panels on mental health, the Affordable Care Act, medical education and women’s health.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Transportation, Criminal Justice Bills Headed to Full Senate
The Senate could vote as early as next week on transportation funding and criminal justice measures that died in the first special session. Those measures were quickly approved Tuesday by two Senate committees.