A House committee Wednesday night voted 5-2 to approve a proposal to legalize marijuana in Texas — but that might be as far as the measure gets.
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The Houston Democrat has been in the House since 1973 and has learned some parliamentary tricks along the way. This week, Ms. T taught many of her colleagues about one of those maneuvers.
Full StoryFor this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about who's having the best session and about fallout from the Jade Helm controversy.
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Key meetings and events for the coming week.
Full StoryThe American Phoenix Foundation, an activist group with ties to conservative causes, said it plans to release secretly captured footage of Texas lawmakers behaving badly, confessing to a variety of indiscretions, engaging in inappropriate relationships with special interest lobbyists and possibly admitting to criminal behavior.
Investigations continue into the Sunday night killing in Garland of two men who shot a security guard outside a contest featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Their ties to terrorist groups are being investigated as is a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State.
In a letter, the UT System says Regent Wallace Hall shouldn't have "unfettered access" to confidential student information. The letter also argues that Hall didn't have the right to seek the attorney general's help in the request.
After an unsuccessful attempt to include an exception for rape and incest, a measure to ban abortion coverage from health insurance plans cleared the Texas Senate on Wednesday.
A key early education bill backed by Gov. Greg Abbott setting up grants to encourage higher-quality pre-kindergarten programs has now cleared both chambers of the Legislature.
Debra Ibarra Mayfield was named judge of the 165th Judicial District Court in Harris County by Gov. Greg Abbott for a term to expire at the next general election.
David Daniel was named deputy chancellor of the University of Texas System on Wednesday. In a press release, Chancellor Bill McRaven said Daniel will be McRaven's "right-hand man." Daniel is the current president of the University of Texas at Dallas. In other UT personnel news, Steven Leslie, the former UT-Austin provost, has been named vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia announced Wednesday that he’s running for mayor of Houston, joining an already crowded field that includes state Rep. Sylvester Turner, former Congressman Chris Bell and Houston attorney and businessman Bill King. On Thursday, state Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, said he will forgo a re-election bid in an effort to replace Garcia, who must resign his post.
Deaths: Jim Wright, 92, whose 34-year congressional career culminated in being elected speaker of the House in 1987. An ethics controversy led to the Fort Worth Democrat's resignation from Congress in 1989. Another legacy was his sponsorship of the Wright Amendment, which for many years protected Dallas/Fort Worth Airport from competition from Dallas Love Field.
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