Multi-part stories from Ramshaw and Grissom and Stiles on mental health services for detained immigrants and on payday lenders who provide exorbitantly priced credit to people with nowhere else to turn… Twitter, word clouds and the race for governor — a Stiles joint… Farouk Shami is in and Hu was there to watch… Philpott went to Bastrop for a gather of Republican governors… Rapoport finds a State Board of Education that’s trying to control itself… and we have the skinny on legislative races that are likely to be competitive (only about 5 percent of the races on the ballot). It’s the best of The Texas Tribune from November 14 to 20, 2009.
Texas Legislature
Posted in
State Government
Debtors’ Treadmill, Part Two: Political Payday
Groups that offer high-interest, short-term consumer loans and want to avoid state regulation contributed more than $1.4 million to Texas politicians over the past nine years, Texas Ethics Commission records show.
Posted in
Economy
TribBlog: Interim Charges
Speaker Joe Straus has given committees their assignments for the next year.
Posted in
State Government
2010: Dee Margo’s in for Round Three in El Paso
El Paso Republican businessman Dee Margo said today he will run for the Texas House again, taking on Democrat Joe Moody. The campaign will be Margo’s third try for a seat in the Texas Legislature.
Posted in
State Government
Debtors’ Treadmill, Part One: Borrowed Time
Desperate Texans who get crosswise with payday lenders quickly find they get no help from the state, which hasn’t regulated the industry since 2005.
Posted in
State Government
Fight Club
With 198 legislators on the ballot next year, there ought to be more fear in the air. But only a few are in obvious political trouble. Who’s on the list, and what makes them vulnerable?
Posted in
State Government
TribBlog: Latinos and Redistricting
Guess which demographic group is calling dibs on new congressional seats?
Posted in
Economy
Math Anxiety
Will there be enough money to cover the current state budget? “Fortunately, it’s too early to tell,” jokes House Speaker Joe Straus. He and other state leaders are well aware of the numbers, and although they think it’s not yet time to act, they’re focused on the big question.
Posted in
T-Squared
T-Squared: Staff of Life
The latest addition to our elected officials directory: a listing of every staffer (we think) who works for a member of the Texas Legislature.
Posted in
Health care
Into Thin Air
Lobbyists spent a record $15 million on advertising during the 2005 session and another $12 million in 2007 — but less than $1 million this year. What happened?