The Weekly TribCast: Episode 75
This week on the TribCast, Evan, Ross, Reeve, and Morgan discuss rumors of the death of campus carry legislation, a controversial amendment with many names, and the latest on redistricting and the budget. Full Story
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Senate Panel OKs Expanding Managed Care to Valley
A bill designed to find cost savings and efficiencies in Texas' costly Medicaid program — and, more controversially, expand managed care into the Rio Grande Valley — is moving to Senate budget writers for consideration. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Ano Lobb / Todd Wiseman -
Top Budget Players in Race to Find Revenue
The Big Men on Campus in the school known as the Texas Legislature have the unenviable job of finding money that might alleviate the massive cuts outlined in House Bill 1, the general appropriations bill for the next biennium. Full Story
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Tax Panel Considers Making $1M Exemption Permanent
The House Ways & Means Committee is considering several bills that have the same mission: to make permanent the franchise tax exemption for businesses that report $1 million or less in gross revenue. Full Story
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Is an Incomplete Budget Better Than a Shrunken One?
There’s a widely held belief around the Capitol that lawmakers balanced a troublesome budget in 2003 with a convenient underestimation of how many people would need to be served. So why not do that on purpose, and out in the open? Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Ano Lobb / Todd Wiseman -
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Tan on the budget standoff between the House and Senate, Ramsey on budget cuts that cost us money, Philpott on Hispanics and redistricting, Stiles visualizes speed limits by state, Grissom on a liberal social justice organizer who became a conservative hero, M. Smith on even more student social security numbers at risk, Ramshaw on whether family planning equals abortion, Aguilar on what circumcision has to do with citizenship, Murphy on how much Texas university adminstrators are paid, Hamilton on the latest in the higher ed reform saga and Galbraith on Texas energy lessons from the 1970s: The best of our best content from April 4 to 8, 2011. Full Story
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Word Cloud: House Budget Debate
Data don’t lie: Amendments dominated the House floor last Friday as Representatives debated the budget bill. A visualization of the House transcript reveals “amendment” was the most used word. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Becca Aaronson, Wordle.net -
Interview: Speaker Joe Straus on the Budget and Session
House Speaker Joe Straus was interviewed eariler this week by Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, government prof and half of the Tribune's polling team, about the session so far, the budget, gambling, rewriting state taxes, federal stimulus money and what he thinks about the tempest over research and teaching at the state's top universities. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for April 8, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Budget cut-induced furor; an ongoing controversy at UT; House approval for school board disclosures. Full Story
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The Week in Texas Politics Recap: Apr. 4 to Apr. 8
No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome. Full Story
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When Cutting the Budget Actually Costs Money
Cutting the budget can be expensive. Something that appears to save money can, on further inspection, cost more. Family planning, for instance. Full Story
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It's Senate vs. Austerity in Fight Over Budget
The betting game has already begun on whether the budget battle between a more moderate Senate and a far stingier House will lead to a standoff — and a special session in the summer. The two budget committee chairmen refuse to say whether one body may have more sway than the other in the final outcome. Full Story
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Forest Service Battles on Two Fronts: Fires, Budget
Drought and strong winds mean that the number of wildfires is way up this year. But the Texas Forest Service, the lead fire-fighting agency, is also facing heightened scrutiny in the Legislature — and, of course, budget cuts. Full Story
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Senate List of $5.5 Billion in Revenue Proposals Leaked
Texas senators scratching for new state revenue canceled a meeting to talk about their options today, but a copy of their list got loose — and it includes $5.5 billion in taxes, fees, asset sales and accounting tricks that could be used to ease their budget problems. Full Story
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Video: Senate Signals Big Changes In Store For HB 1
The Texas House sent its budget blueprint to the Senate this week. But many senators say those cuts are too deep, and they're ready to make some drastic changes. Full Story
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Unexpectedly, a Lawmaker Finds Extra Money For Schools
A Texas lawmaker said the magic words Thursday morning to a panel of exhausted and nearly hopeless state budget writers: he has found a “new revenue source without raising taxes.” Full Story
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The Weekly TribCast: Episode 74
In this week's episode, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben discuss the House budget and what it means for the Senate, pansexuals and Western civilization. Full Story
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Dueling Rallies: Cut Spending or Save Programs?
Texans on all sides of the budget equation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for vastly different priorities. Full Story
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Video: Dueling Rallies Fight For Different Priorities
Texans on all sides of the budget equation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for vastly different priorities. Full Story
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Thousands Rally for Smaller Budget Cuts
Thousands of protesters chanted "They say, 'Cut back.' We say, 'Fight back'" as they marched to the Capitol this afternoon to rally against proposed budget cuts. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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