TribLive: Joe Straus on Taxes
At our TribLive conversation last Thursday, Speaker Joe Straus talked about whether the Texas House would consider raising taxes to pay down part of the budget shortfall. Full Story
The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
At our TribLive conversation last Thursday, Speaker Joe Straus talked about whether the Texas House would consider raising taxes to pay down part of the budget shortfall. Full Story
At our TribLive conversation last Thursday, Speaker Joe Straus talked about the ongoing controversy over Barack Obama's citizenship. Full Story
The state's budget outlook is improving and lawmakers will have more money to spend than they thought, Comptroller Susan Combs said in a letter to legislative leaders today. Full Story
For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether there will be special sessions this summer and what issues would force lawmakers into overtime. Full Story
Who will be blamed for what are expected to be enormous cuts in public education funding? There will be blood. It’s undeniable, especially when the governor goes out of his way to say that he doesn’t have any on his hands. Full Story
This morning on Austin's KXAN-TV, state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, and that "compassionate young fella," state Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, discussed adoption by same-sex couples — and whether there's a difference between "transvestite" and "transgender." Full Story
Sights and sounds from Huntsville when prisoners were released from the Walls Unit on March 4. Full Story
Criminal justice advocates say proposed cuts from rehabilitation and treatment programs would reverse years of reforms in Texas that have helped reduce recidivism and drive down the size of the prison population. Full Story
Sights and sounds from Huntsville when prisoners were released from the Walls Unit on March 4. Full Story
Want to get the attention of 11,000 Texans? Propose a $10 billion spending cut to public education. Full Story
Conversations about the coming Hispanic majority and the 82nd session from our New Day Rising symposium, M. Smith on the latest tort reform battle, Galbraith on greater scrutiny of the gas industry, Ramsey on whether lawmakers will cut their own pay and benefits, Ramshaw and Aguilar on what's holding up abortion sonogram legislation, Aguilar on the ag commissioner's controversial new website, Philpott on what $9.8 billion in public education cuts looks like, Hamilton on a snippy exchange of higher ed letters and Grissom on the latest court decision in the Hank Skinner case: The best of our best content from March 7 to 11, 2011. Full Story
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
The Texas Tribune's rundown of capitol politics for the week of March 7-11, 2011. Full Story
State Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, filed a bill today that would require two-thirds of the State Board of Education to reject recommendations from experts during the approval process for curriculum standards and textbooks. Full Story
State Rep. Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, has filed legislation he said will explore the possibility of a state-run guest-worker program. Full Story
Sen. Bob Deuell, who chairs the Senate Nominations Committee, says Gail Lowe has not been scheduled for a hearing as chairwoman of the State Board of Education because she lacks the votes for a confirmation on the floor. Full Story
Atter making their presence known during election season, the various Tea Party groups in Texas continue to steer the political agenda. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
With drilling on the rise, the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality answer questions about whether Texans need to worry about radioactivity in their water. Full Story
Advocates say requiring the losing parties in litigation to pay their opponents’ legal fees is the cure for courts choked with the costs of “junk” lawsuits. Full Story
As they talk of cutting pension contributions and raising premiums for state employee health care and mandating layoffs and furloughs at state agencies, what are lawmakers doing to their own compensation and benefits? Full Story