The House on Monday sent five members to negotiate a budget with the Senate, with instructions to avoid anything that looks like it would expand the state’s Medicaid program.
Texas House of Representatives
Posted in
State Government
Perry Stuns Lawmakers by Urging House to Bust Spending Cap
UPDATE: Gov. Rick Perry told House Republicans in a private meeting this week that he could support a budget that breaks the state’s constitutional spending cap, according to several attendees. But many are still wary of doing so.
Posted in
State Government
A Rumor of Peace
It’s a little funny to talk to people at the Capitol who have been steeled in a culture of political warfare about the outbreak of peace. Many differences remain, but those blood veins that were sticking out on everyone’s foreheads and necks in 2009 and 2011 have smoothed out. For the moment, Texas civics is downright civil.
Posted in
State Government
The Playlist: We Can Work It Out
This week’s news-inspired playlist is entirely dedicated to Thursday’s budget debate in the Texas House. To set the stage, we begin with Stevie Wonder singing “We Can Work It Out.”
Posted in
Economy
A House Less Susceptible to Political Stampedes
In 2011, state lawmakers fresh from a Tea Party election surge were hypersensitive to the opinions of and instructions from conservative activists. But as Thursday’s House budget debate showed, this session isn’t quite the same.
Posted in
State Government
Video: Freshman Lawmakers Seek Common “Purple” Ground
The freshmen in the Texas House wear something purple every Thursday as a symbol of their willingness to compromise across the aisle. Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, it’s time to identify which issues are negotiable.
Posted inPolitics
Interactive: Sorting Lawmakers With the Texas Weekly Index
Going by the Texas Weekly Index, which is based on the results of contested statewide elections over the 2010 and 2012 political cycles, the state’s most conservative districts are in the Panhandle. Use this interactive to see charts that illustrate the political climate of each district.
Posted inState Government
Former Rick Perry Aide Got $162,500 Bonus
Days before she became Gov. Rick Perry’s chief of staff, Ann Bishop — already the highest-paid executive officer at a state agency — received a $162,500 bonus from the Employees Retirement System, records show.
Posted in
Public Education
TribuneFest: A Conversation with Aycock and Patrick
At the Trib’s February 25 symposium on public education at Rice University, I talked school finance, accountability, choice and other hot-button issues with state Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, the chairman of the House Public Education Committee, and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, the chairman of the Senate Public Education Committee.
Posted in
Public Education
Bill Seeks to Protect Religious Groups
State Rep. Matt Krause’s bill would require public schools to give religious and nonreligious groups the same access to facilities during noneducational time.
