Stiles and Thevenot collaborate on the salaries paid to superintendents, and even compare them on price per student… Ramsey’s look at redistricting and next year’s elections… Aguilar’s report on jails, brought to you by the federal agency that’s in the ag business… Rapoport’s peek at the power behind Texas pre-kindergarten programs… Smith’s conversation with Dan Patrick, in three parts… Grissom’s narrative on a circular immigration and deportation route financed by two governments… Ramshaw finds doctors agreeing on public policy and split on strategy and tactics… Hu’s latest Stump Interrupted puts the camera on Farouk Shami… Hamilton’s story on two retired cops who are taking on cargo theft in Texas… And Kreighbaum and Stiles pop open the itineraries of your folks in Congress. The best of our best from December 12 to 18, 2009.
Congress
Read the latest Texas Tribune coverage of Congress, from the state’s lawmakers in Washington to key legislation and political debates shaping Texas and the nation.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
On the Records: Digging Through Disclosure
Writing about congressional travel required days of tedious work because the information isn’t easily accessible.
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Criminal Justice
Frequent Flyers
Members of the Texas congressional delegation took more than 200 privately funded trips, at a cost of more than $350,000, in 2008 and 2009.
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State Government
Never Can Say Goodbye
Texas voters won’t be offered a real chance at change in the Legislature and Congress next year. Four out of five state and federal lawmakers face no real competition in their primary or general elections.
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Congress
TribBlog: Please, Hammer, Don’t Hurt Them
Tom DeLay, the former Houston congressman and U.S. House majority leader and ertswhile booty-shaker, is Texas Monthly’s 2010 Bum Steer of the Year.
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State Government
2010: The Re-Entrance of Bill White
Bill White’s expected to announce for governor today. We’ll get you caught up to speed on what led to this day, help flesh out what it all means, and take a quick look ahead.
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Congress
2010: Is it Safe?
How many Texas congressional seats are competitive enough to merit a mention? Three, according to sayer of sooth Charlie Cook.
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Congress
RINO Hunters
Today is the first day for people wanting to run in the Democratic or Republican primary to file their candidacy. The month-long period is often a mix of the expected — like Governor Perry filing to run for re-election — and the unexpected. Houston Mayor Bill White running for governor could set off a chain reaction among Democrats to enter other statewide races, for instance. But one of the most interesting phenomena this year is the number of so called Tea Party Republicans entering the primaries. Ben Philpott, covering the Texas governor’s race for KUT News and The Texas Tribune, has this report.
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Congress
Ads Infinitum: KBH Releases New TV Ad
KBH is out with her second television ad of the campaign cycle. “Texas Tough”, as it’s called, highlights the KBH record with the help of a tough-talkin’ male voiceover.
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Politics
2010: CQ’s Take on Texas
Congressional Quarterly’s latest rankings of congressional races has only three Texas contests in the “likely” category, two on the Democratic side and one on the Republican side.