At our Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas at Tyler, state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, and state Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, discussed the 82nd Legislative Session and looked ahead to the 83rd.
Texas House of Representatives
Posted in
State Government
Democratic Leader: Speaker Led Mapping Discrimination
A top Democratic leader in the Texas House, in a letter Wednesday, accused staffers in House Speaker Joe Straus’ office of leading discriminatory conduct that got the Texas redistricting maps thrown out.
Posted in
State Government
Integrity Unit Investigating Top Aide to Rep. Kleinschmidt
John Higgins, a top aide to state Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt, R-Lexington, is under criminal investigation for alleged improprieties related to travel reimbursements he got from the state, a prosecutor told the Tribune on Friday.
Posted in
State Government
Straus Names Senior Staff
House Speaker Joe Straus has appointed two top aides, one from his current staff and another from outside.
Posted in
Economy
Straus: Process to End Budget Diversions Starts Now
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus called on lawmakers Monday to start figuring out how to stop diverting billions of dollars in dedicated taxes and fees that are being used to balance state budgets.
Posted inState Government
Interactive Map: Texas House Committee Clout
Use this interactive to explore the geographic distribution of committee members in the Texas House, by committee, to see who’s got what clout on what subject. Choose a committee and the map highlights the district of each member and, in a different color, the home districts of the chairs, vice chairs and co-chairs.
Posted in
State Government
Court Stays the Course on Politics and Business
Corporations and unions can play in politics, but complete disclosures are not required. A corporate political campaign in Texas two years ago was unusual, featuring an unknown corporation that was open about what it was doing.
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: When Legislators Die or Resign, What Happens to Their Seats?
When legislators die or resign, their seat is filled through a special election. The new representative serves out the end of the old representative’s term.
Posted in
State Government
A House of Strangers Calls for a Shrewd Leader
Races for speaker of the House are based on relationships. How does that work when there are so many freshmen and sophomore members in the House?
Posted in
State Government
TribLive: Branch and TMF on Hughes vs. Straus
At this morning’s TribLive conversation, state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, discussed the prospect of a Speaker’s race leading up to the 2013 legislative session.
