A political scientist’s analysis of Texas legislators’ votes through April, and where those votes locate lawmakers on the partisan scale. Spoiler alert: The Republicans and the Democrats don’t overlap much.
Politics
Stay informed with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth political coverage, including Texas elections, state government, policy debates, and the leaders shaping the future of the state.
Posted in
Politics
TribLive: A Conversation About the Tea Party
Full video of my 5/9 TribLive conversation with first-term state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands.
Posted in
Politics
TribLive: Tea Party Freshmen on 2014 and 2016
At Thursday’s TribLive conversation, state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth; Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford; and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, talked about the coming race for lieutenant governor and whom they’d back in a Cruz-Perry presidential primary showdown.
Posted in
Politics
House Backs Updating Rules on Political Ad Disclosures
The House on Wednesday tentatively approved a bill that would strengthen the state’s rules on disclosures for political advertisements on radio and television and add requirements for political ads on social media websites.
Posted in
Economy
Agenda Texas: Revisiting the Texas Miracle
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: President Obama’s visit to Austin on Thursday as part of a new jobs tour has again put the state’s economy in the spotlight.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
House Disclosure Bill Won’t Get a Vote
UPDATED: Rep. Giovanni Capriglione’s bill to require legislators to disclose their business contracts with government entities won’t get a vote in the House — unless he can tack it onto an Ethics Commission reform bill.
Posted in
Demographics
Cruz Files Amendments to Immigration Reform Measure
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has jumped into the immigration reform debate by filing several amendments to the legislation put forth by the “Gang of Eight.” His proposals call for additional fencing on the border and blocking a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Mexico’s Decision on Access for U.S. Agencies Put Under the Microscope
Analysts and lawmakers say Mexico’s recent decision to change the access that U.S. law enforcement agencies have in that country should not be considered a slap in the face. But the strong ties between the two nations could be impacted.
Posted in
Health care
TribuneFest: Is Cost Containment Possible?
At the Trib’s April 25 symposium on health care at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. David Warner of the LBJ School of Public Affairs talked about the escalating cost of health care with Michelle Berger, president of the Travis County Medical Society; Jesus Garza, president and CEO of the Seton Healthcare Family; Dan McCoy, chief medical officer of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas; and Tom Suehs, former executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services.
Posted in
Politics
Agenda Texas: Tea Party Power
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Tea Party lawmakers helped kill a major water bill on Monday, but that’s one of a small number of victories during a session many thought the more conservative wing of the GOP would flourish.