The Brief: Feb. 12, 2015
The debate over the expansion of rights to carry guns onto university campuses and openly with a permit moves from rallies outside the Capitol to legislative hearings inside the building today. Full Story
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![Almost forgotten in the midst of Texas Muslim Capitol Day, an open carry advocate displays his gun and the Israeli flag on Jan. 29, 2015.]()
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After Texas Ebola Cases, Bill Seeks to Fix Outbreak Response
Months after three people in Texas were diagnosed with Ebola, several key state lawmakers on Wednesday proposed ways to prepare the state for the next disease-related emergency. Full Story
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![Dr. Brett Giroir, center, head of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response, speaks at a press conference on Oct. 6, 2014, with state Sen. Charles Schwertner, left, and Gov. Rick Perry, right.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Feb. 11, 2015
The Tribune's Terri Langford has uncovered a new problem with the no-bid Medicaid fraud software contract awarded to 21CT by the Health and Human Services Commission. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Was 21CT Contract Built on Lie to Federal Agency?
When the Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked the federal government for $18 million to foot most of the bill for new Medicaid fraud tracking software, it assured Washington counterparts the deal had been competitively bid. That was not true. Full Story
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![Former HHSC Inspector General Doug Wilson, left, and his former second-in-command, Jack Stick.]()
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Stick's Investigators Got Badges, and Taxpayers Got the $36,000 Bill
Emblems of Jack Stick’s days as the state health agency's deputy inspector general remain: roughly 300 high-dollar badges he designed and ordered for his investigators at a cost to taxpayers of $36,000. Full Story
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![A photo of one of the $80 badges ordered by Jack Stick (left) when he was HHSC deputy inspector general.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel -
Texas Has High Stakes in Lawsuit Over Health Law
Texas and the 33 other states that refused to set up their own insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act are especially vulnerable to an impending U.S. Supreme Court decision. Full Story
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The Brief: Feb. 10, 2015
A handful of former HHSC employees are suing for wrongful termination in the aftermath of revelations over the awarding of a no-bid Medicaid fraud contract. Full Story
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![Irene Williams, CEO of 21CT, and Jack Stick, a top attorney at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Erich Schlegel -
The Brief: Feb. 9, 2015
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz talked presidential politics and foreign policy in a pair of appearances on Sunday morning talk shows. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during the 2014 RedState Gathering at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth on Aug. 8, 2014.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Texas Republican Calls for Limiting Vaccine Exemptions
State Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, said Friday he will propose legislation to eliminate "conscientious exemptions" because of the re-emergence of diseases like measles attributed to growing numbers of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. Full Story
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![Rep. Jason Villalba R-Dallas, files the Protection of Texas Children Act on February 6th, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: Feb. 6, 2015
Rick Perry had some choice words in an interview Thursday with the Tribune and the Washington Post on what separates him from Ted Cruz. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
See Vaccine Exemptions in Texas by School District
More than 38,000 Texas students — about 0.75 percent of the state's overall school-age population — had nonmedical exemptions to school immunization laws in the 2013-14 school year, according to state data. Search our table to see the totals for your district or private school. Full Story
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![The Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County in Fort Worth.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Drug Testing for Welfare Benefits Back on the Table
After a few failed legislative attempts, Republican lawmakers are once again working to make drug testing mandatory for some Texans who receive state welfare benefits. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: Feb. 5, 2015
House Speaker Joe Straus leaned toward the familiar in filling open spots at the top of the chamber's top-tier committees. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, in the Texas House of Representatives, Feb. 8, 2011.]()
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Senator Talks of "Lost Confidence" in Health Agency Watchdog
At the Senate Health and Human Services Committee's first meeting of the legislative session, Chairman Charles Schwertner shared some tough criticism of the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General. Full Story
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![Sen. Charles Schwertner R-Georgetown, at a February Texas Tribune event.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Echoes of Fights Past in Health Consolidation
Twelve years after a major mash-up of state health agencies, the Sunset Commission and several lawmakers say it's time to finish the job and merge the remaining five systems into one. Some veteran Capitol observers say they're feeling déjà vu. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, wraps up the Sunset Advisory Commission hearing on Jan. 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Feb. 4, 2015
The ability of Austin tech firm 21CT to secure a $20 million Medicaid fraud software contract through a no-bid program run by the state's Department of Information Resources drew intense scrutiny from Senate budget writers on Tuesday. Full Story
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![This is a photo of one of two $2800 chairs ordered by Jack Stick's office when he was deputy inspector general. The chairs which resemble the ones used in the Texas Legislature committee hearing rooms, were discovered after the resignations of Stick, and Doug Wilson, inspector general.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
The HHSC-21CT Contract Investigations: How Did It Get to This Point?
A now-canceled deal between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and a software maker is the subject of scrutiny and is also causing greater talk of state contract reforms. Here's a look back at the deal and what led to the current investigations. Full Story
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![Irene Williams, the CEO of 21CT, and Jack Stick, who recently resigned as the top lawyer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Erich Schlegel -
Texas Hospitals Explorer Gets an Update
We’ve revamped our Hospitals Explorer, using the most recent Medicare data analyzed by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Use our updated tool to learn more about the quality of care available at Texas hospitals that reported Medicare data. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
The Brief: Feb. 3, 2015
The state representative at the center of a controversy over treatment of visitors to the Capitol for Texas Muslim Capitol Day last week told the Tribune on Monday that she didn't expect her Facebook post to raise such a ruckus. Full Story
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![Rep. Molly White R-Belton in her Capitol office on February 2nd, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: Feb. 2, 2015
The weekend saw more lengthy stories on problems in the way the state contracts out services. Full Story
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