Mark P. Jones, political science chairman at Rice University, recently ranked Texas House members’ partisanship based on their 2009 legislative votes. The study, which we’ve used to create an interactive chart, shows Texas’ increasingly polarized political environment, Jones says in an interview.
Texas House of Representatives
Posted in
Health care
Down in the Valley
Last week State Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra, D-South Padre Island, was indicted on charges she engaged in Medicaid fraud — the second House member from South Texas to be indicted in less than a year. But their colleagues insist that such corruption isn’t a regional thing, no matter what the stereotype suggests.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Katherine Youngblood Glass: The TT Interview
The Libertarian Party’s gubernatorial candidate talked to the Tribune on Friday about why more Texans should be armed, why same-sex unions should be allowed and her admittedly slim chances of dethroning Gov. Rick Perry.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Berman’s Cup of Tea
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said he’s counting on Tea Party supporters to call their state representatives and urge them to vote for him for Speaker instead of incumbent Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Tara Rios Ybarra in Federal Custody
The federal government’s roundup of dentists for medicaid fraud in South Texas has claimed its latest casualty: outgoing state Rep. Tara Rios Ybarra.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Berman Files, Slams Straus; Straus Hits Back
Speaker’s race 2011: Oh, yeah, it’s on.
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Leo Berman For Speaker?
Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, is expected to challenge House Speaker Joe Straus for his job, according to Capitol sources. Asked Monday whether he would seek Straus’ post, Berman told the Tribune: “I can’t say anything until tomorrow.”
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Capitol Cleared After Bomb Threat
Capitol staffers report that they’re being evacuated. Staffers say state troopers notified them that there was a possible bomb threat about 30 minutes ago.
Posted in
State Government
The Ex Files
How many former state officeholders are registered to lobby in Austin? The answer: 65, or a little less than 5 percent of the 1,475 lobbyists on the rolls at the Texas Ethics Commission, according to a Texas Tribune analysis.
Posted in
State Government
Speaker’s Race, Anyone?
Nobody’s openly campaigning right now, but there’s talk of who might succeed Joe Straus if he stumbles before January. Attribute the speculation to inertia: The House’s top job was in play for at least four years before Straus won it 17 months ago, and members and the lobby and the press and other gawkers have been trained to study every new complaint, slight, reward and compliment for signs of a coup. While he appears to be on solid ground going into his second session behind the podium, don’t erase the possibility of a contest. It’s an uncertain environment: It’s an election year, Straus is green and the Capitol is full of people who are constantly looking for a better deal than the one they’ve got.
