The nonprofit group that has been secretly videotaping legislators this session has drawn the scrutiny of the Texas Rangers, the Houston Chronicle reports.
Rodney Ellis
Posted inState Government
Lawmakers Lend an Ear to Concerns Over Payday Loans
Lawmakers from both chambers gathered Wednesday to lend support to a range of bills that would limit the loan size and number of installments offered by payday and auto title lenders.
Posted in
Transportation
Self-Driving Car Bill Stalled by Google, Carmakers
Both Google and an industry group representing major auto manufacturers have come out against a bill from state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, to create a pilot program to monitor and encourage testing of self-driving cars in Texas.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 22, 2015
A shift in the public debate over the relationship between oil and gas production and earthquakes happened Tuesday with a new study in Texas and a turnabout by the Oklahoma government on the issue.
Posted in
State Government
Ethics Legislation Headed to Senate Floor
A heavily watered-down ethics reform bill will soon be taken up by the full Senate. Lawmakers on Monday rejected an amendment that would have required legislators to publicly disclose their tax returns each year.
Posted in
Public Education
Senate Gives Initial OK to School Scholarship Plan
Scholarships funded by state business tax credits would help some low-income parents send their children to private schools under a measure tentatively approved by the Texas Senate Monday.
Posted in
Economy
Senate OKs Bill That Would Tighten Spending Cap
The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would tighten the state’s constitutional spending cap and make it tougher for future legislatures to break it. Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Kelly Hancock, passed with a vote of 19-12.
Posted in
Transportation
Nichols’ Car Sales Tax Plan Moves to Senate Floor
The Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday voted 8-1 in favor of a proposal to dedicate some of the sales tax collected on automobile sales to improving roads — but not before several lawmakers expressed reservations.
Posted in
Politics
Video: Houston & the Lege: Previewing the 84th Session
Full video of our 2/12 lunchtime discussion in Houston on the major policy debates of the 84th Legislature — and what they mean for the state’s largest city and surrounding communities.
Posted in
Energy
The Brief: Oct. 2, 2014
On the day after the country’s first case of an Ebola infection appeared in Dallas, the focus has turned to the hospital where the patient was initially sent home with antibiotics before being admitted a second time for treatment.
