State Rep. Lance Gooden says he will carry legislation to make it illegal to use a drone to capture video or photographs of private property without the consent of the property’s owner or occupant.
Texas Legislature
Posted in
State Government
Medicaid Expansion in Spotlight as Session Heats Up
Will Texas expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act? That’s the $100 billion question this session at the Capitol, where supporters of federal health care reform may be gaining traction.
Posted in
State Government
Newsreel: State of the State
In this edition in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Gov. Rick Perry delivered his State of the State address this week. It was big on large-scale spending, but didn’t touch hot-button issues like abortion, immigration or gun control. Anti-abortion advocates rallied on the steps of the state Capitol. And U.S. Representative Roger Williams raised his Second Amendment banner.
Posted in
State Government
Budget Surplus May Not Stretch Far
At first glance, the first drafts of the House and Senate budgets leave billions of dollars on the table. A closer look shows there may not be as much left as many have hoped.
Posted in
Economy
Ethics Commission Declines to Raise Legislators’ Session Pay
There will be no pay raise for legislators this year. The Texas Ethics Commission, at the urging of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus, declined to raise the per diem payments lawmakers get when they’re in session.
Posted in
Economy
Perry’s Call for Tax Relief is Subject of Confusion
The $1.8 billion in tax relief that Gov. Rick Perry called for this week was short on details, but the few that are out there are already sparking questions.
Posted in
State Government
TribLive: A Conversation with Williams and Pitts
Full video of my 1/31 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and state Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Texas Ethics Reform: A Long, Tortured History
From Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson’s impeachment to the Sharpstown scandal, Texas has weathered mighty ethics controversies. Despite reforms, the Legislature still faces criticism over lax disclosure rules and ties with lobbyists.
Posted in
Politics
Searching for Clues in Perry’s State of the State
The governor stayed away from social issues and some obvious hot-button topics in his State of the State speech this week. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a political speech.
Posted in
Health care
Bill Would Clarify End-of-Life Treatment for Terminally Ill
The families of terminally ill patients would receive more time to find a willing medical provider for their relative and get more help through difficult end-of-life legal processes under a bill filed by state Sen. Robert Deuell.
