The panel of conservative activists that is advising Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is putting him in a tricky spot as he navigates leadership politics under the dome.
Texas Senate
Posted in
State Government
Senate Announces Budget Negotiation Team
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has named the Senate lineup of budget negotiators who will meet with House counterparts and hash out a final version of the two-year state budget.
Posted in
Politics
Legislative Tensions Peak at Leadership Breakfast
A weekly leadership breakfast went sour Wednesday as the state’s top three officials complained to one another about legislative packages and the tensions between a House and Senate that have just weeks left to complete their work.
Posted in
Higher Education
Senate Committee Backs Hazlewood Program Changes
Amid concerns raised about the rising costs of a college tuition program for military veterans, a Texas Senate panel on Wednesday backed a plan that would tighten eligibility rules.
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: Legislative Dance Partners Stepping on Each Other’s Toes
The Texas House and Senate are ignoring each other’s work, slowing progress on bills like open carry and border security legislation. They’re ruffling feathers, too.
Posted in
Health care
House Backs Bill Pushing “Right to Try” Experimental Drugs
The Texas House on Tuesday tentatively passed House Bill 21, the “right to try” bill that would allow terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs that have passed at least the first of three FDA trial phases.
Posted in
State Government
Ethics Legislation Headed to Senate Floor
A heavily watered-down ethics reform bill will soon be taken up by the full Senate. Lawmakers on Monday rejected an amendment that would have required legislators to publicly disclose their tax returns each year.
Posted inState Government
Analysis: Abbott’s Caution on Display in Tax Fight
Texans grew accustomed to the swagger and bombast of Rick Perry, a governor who didn’t shy from confrontation with the Legislature and upended the notion that his office was inherently weak. Newly elected Gov. Greg Abbott, ever cautious and lawyerly, is cutting a different path.
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: A Senate Trying to Regulate Its Own Spending Habits
The Texas Senate wants to limit growth in the state budget — by adding a fifth spending limit to state law.
Posted in
Health care
Senators Approve Partial Consolidation of Health Agencies
The Texas Senate on Wednesday tentatively approved a measure to partially consolidate the state’s massive health and human services system.
