The so-called Denton fracking bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The Senate on Monday approved a bill to pre-empt local efforts to regulate a wide variety of oil and gas activities.
Texas Senate
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: For Bills, May Marks the End of the Line
May is the final full month of the 140-day regular legislative session, which concludes June 1. And the deadlines that start in a week form a bottleneck that will ultimately block most proposed legislation.
Posted in
Politics
Analysis: Does “Voucher” Label Fit the Bill?
You can slow down or even kill a piece of legislation with a single word or phrase, if it’s poisonous enough.
Posted in
Politics
Analysis: How Private Opinions Can Diverge From Public Votes
Tax cuts and politics ethics legislation have this in common: When lawmakers have to vote in public view, they’re often forced to set aside their private opinions.
Posted in
Politics
Budget Panel Breakdown: Democrats Short on Slots, Long on Experience
The budget conference committee will hash out a compromise of the chamber’s respective 2016-17 budget plans. Committee members include two Democrats who rank as the most experienced budget negotiators on the panel.
Posted in
State Government
Running for Office? Urine for a Surprise
Any candidate seeking elected office in Texas would be required to take a drug test when he or she files to run, under a proposal that the state Senate approved Tuesday.
Posted inState Government
A Look at the Priority Bills for Straus and Patrick
Here’s an updated breakdown of House Bills 1-20 and Senate Bills 1-20, showing where House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are placing their priorities for the 84th legislative session.
Posted in
Energy
Watchdogs Question Fraser’s Energy Holdings
As the Texas Legislature ponders ethics reforms to increase transparency and reduce conflicts of interests among its members, a key state lawmaker is facing new questions about whether his private business affairs are impacting his public duties.
Posted in
Demographics
A Look at How House, Senate Budgets Compare
This week, the House and the Senate named the members of a conference committee that will resolve the differences between the two chambers’ budget plans. Here’s a look at how the two proposals compare, with details on some areas where the plans diverge.
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: Tax Cuts an Easy Way to Grade State Lawmakers’ Work
The Texas Legislature has fewer than six weeks left in this session and thousands of bills to consider. But you can get a pretty good feel for how things are going by watching their efforts to cut taxes.
