Lawmakers today filed a bill they hope will help drivers, cyclists and pedestrians safely share the roads.
Rodney Ellis
Posted in
Health care
Most Texans Support Smoking Ban, Poll Says
The latest from Gov. Rick Perry’s preferred polling firm, Baselice & Associates, shows that 70 percent of Texans support a ban on indoor smoking, including in restaurants and bars.
Posted inState Government
On Your Left
Despite its relatively low number of people who walk and bike to work, Texas ranked 10th-highest among states in fatality rates for bicyclists and pedestrians in a recent survey. Lawmakers who worked on a failed 2009 measure to create a buffer zone, giving bicyclists more room on the road, will try again in 2011.
Posted in
State Government
The Fire Next Time
Under the leadership of Williamson County DA John Bradley, the Texas Forensic Science Commission has waged a masterful war of attrition in the Cameron Todd Willingham case: Stall long enough, and public interest in the internationally controversial capital punishment case — along with political liability for any missteps — will fade away. But the commission’s latest delay, while pushing the resolution of the Willingham investigation securely after the general election, comes against Bradley’s wishes and could represent a sea change on the board that until now has resisted making any broader inquiries into the state’s arson convictions.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Still No Conclusion on Willingham
The Texas Forensic Science Commission has delayed its decision on the Cameron Todd Willingham case one more time — and now, it’s scheduled for after the Nov. 2 election.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Lawmakers Criticize Science Panel’s Arson Investigation [Updated}
Two state senators told the Texas Forensic Science Commission today that its investigation of the arson case that led to the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham could be damaging public trust in the criminal justice system instead of bolstering it.
Posted in
Politics
The Sting of the Killer Bees
The rules of the Texas Senate are designed to create an orderly process that respects the rights of individual members. They have lasted this long because they do the job well and consider the need for compromise in the legislative operation. Trampling the rights of the minority is never a good idea — and yet it has happened over and over again. An excerpt from the forthcoming How Things Really Work: Lessons from a Life in Politics.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Defending the Innocent
The Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense today approved money to help establish a public defender’s office in Harris County — the largest urban area in the nation without one — along with a slate of measures meant to prevent innocent people from serving time.
Posted inState Government
Accounts Playable
The 2,694 political committees and campaigns that filed mid-year reports with the Texas Ethics Commission together held $167 million in their accounts, but only 274 of them had more than $100,000 on hand. Our interactive chart tells you who or what they are and how much they’ve banked.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Sued Into Silence
Plaintiffs in so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs, use the court system to bury opponents in a crush of legal fees and paperwork of Bleak House proportions. They’re not concerned about winning damages. They usually don’t expect to be successful, and the targets often don’t have the money to adequately defend themselves. Yet in otherwise tort-reform-happy Texas, there is no prohibition on filing this particular form of meritless suit — yet.