The Trib’s been keeping track of the key issues throughout the special session. From budget measures to school finance, health care and airport groping, here’s our final rundown of bills that passed, and the ones that died.
Economy
Get the latest on jobs, business, growth, and policy shaping the state’s economy with in-depth reporting from The Texas Tribune.
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Demographics
The Midday Brief: June 27, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Sanctuary cities bill isn’t dead; UT System and former adviser Rick O’Donnell reach settlement; House passes health reform bill; George Will says Rick Perry is a “potentially potent candidate”; debating how much credit Perry deserves for jobs creation; TSA removes 95-year-old woman’s diaper
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Demographics
The Last Seven Days: Special Session Update
The Tribune counts down to the end of the special session with updates on where the major issues added to the agenda by Gov. Rick Perry stand.
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Economy
Video: Perry’s Speech in New Orleans
Gov. Rick Perry fired up the party faithful at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans on Saturday. Watch C-SPAN’s video of his speech, which clearly shows he’s nodding to a national audience.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson and Murphy visualize what happened to the nearly 5,800 bills introduced in the 82nd Lege, Aaronson, Hasson and Swicegood interactively recap the budget battle, Aguliar on the surge in illegal re-entry cases prosecuted by the Obama administration, Galbraith on a coal plant that wants a water deal from the LCRA, Grissom interviews a man wrongly imprisoned and nearly executed — twice, Hamilton on a controversial UT regent who wants a do-over in the debate over higher ed reform, Ramshaw on the continuing fight over pre-abortion sonograms, Root on Rick Perry’s newsmaking trip to NYC and M. Smith on whether cash-strapped school districts will raise taxes: The best of our best content from June 13 to 17, 2011.
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Economy
On the Records: Houston Mayor Releases Budget Balancing Tool
Houston Mayor Annise Parker has released an interactive budget balancing tool on her personal website, giving citizens a chance to see if they can close the city’s $130 million deficit.
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Economy
Perry Slaps Obama, Acts Like GOP Hopeful in NYC
Gov. Rick Perry, moving closer to a run for the White House, took his anti-Washington message to New York City Tuesday, telling a gathering of Republican donors that the Obama administration had “promised jobs and … delivered economic misery.” It comes as Perry steps out increasingly on the national stage.
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Economy
Updated: Fiscal Conservatives Frustrated With House Votes
Rep. Donna Howard’s proposal to direct surplus Rainy Day Fund money to Texas schools for enrollment growth survived to fight another day during debate on the House floor this morning, but not before a Republican attempt to derail it.
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Economy
After 16 Hours of Debate, House Tentatively Passes Key Fiscal Matters Bill
Lengthy debate on a key budget bill featured many retreads of contentious topics from the regular session — but it was Rep. Wayne Christian’s revival of his famous “pansexual” amendment around midnight that almost killed the whole thing.
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Economy
With Filibuster, Wendy Davis Talks Herself Into Political Spotlight
State Sen. Wendy Davis’ controversial decision to torpedo the 82nd Legislative session with a filibuster has catapulted the Fort Worth Democrat into the spotlight, which she has seized to try to mobilize the state’s downtrodden and outnumbered Democrats.