Inmates in some Texas county jails may no longer have to speak to loved ones on a video screen, after the Senate voted Monday to pass a House measure guaranteeing a minimum of two 20-minute, in-person visitations per week.
John Whitmire
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 1, 2015
The decision earlier this week by Gov. Greg Abbott to get involved in the controversy over a planned military exercise taking place across several Southwestern states continues to draw comment.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Amid Truancy Debate, Whitmire Questions Program’s Referrals
State Sen. John Whitmire is asking questions about a program for at-risk youths run by the Texas Military Department where more than half of the applicants are truant students referred by justice of the peace courts or from the schools themselves.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 29, 2015
Gone are accusations of gamesmanship as lawmakers get to work finding common ground on the session’s border security bill.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 16, 2015
For all the talk about undocumented immigrants qualifying for in-state tuition at Texas colleges and universities, it turns out that these students make up a very small portion of the college-going population.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: March 30, 2015
The reviews are in for Ted Cruz’s first campaign swing this weekend through New Hampshire, a key early presidential primary state.
Posted in
State Government
Property and Business Tax Cut Measures Head to Full Senate
The Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to send proposals cutting property taxes and business taxes to the full Senate, though some senators questioned whether the property tax cuts could be better spent in other ways.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Classification of 17-Year-Olds Spurs Criminal Justice Debate
Texas is one of nine states that automatically classify 17-year-olds as adults when they’re accused of crimes. Campaigns to “raise the age” are gathering momentum in some states, and Texas is facing a spirited debate of its own.
Posted in
Economy
Senators Show Interest in Ditching Margins Tax
As a key Senate committee prepares to hear public testimony on tax cut proposals Wednesday, senators expressed strong interest in repealing the state’s unpopular margins tax on businesses, which has raised $4.7 billion annually.
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.
