As of Friday, three-quarters of Texans hadn’t returned their census forms. Only five states have a worse rate of participation so far.
State Government
Stay informed on Texas state government with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth coverage of the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and policies shaping the future of Texas.
Posted inState Government
Advice for Bill White
He has 31 weeks to make his case that we should fire Rick Perry and hire him instead. But when should he introduce himself to voters? When should he start attacking the governor? When should he spend his millions? Democratic strategists Glenn Smith and Keir Murray and blogger Charles Kuffner answer those and other pressing questions for the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.
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Higher Education
TribBlog: McCall’s Off to College [updated]
Brian McCall will apparently be the next chancellor of the Texas State University System. The board of regents picked the state representative, a Plano Republican, as the sole finalist to replace Charles Matthews in that job. They made the announcement on Monday.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Grissom on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to stay Hank Skinner’s execution, Thevenot on the myth of Texas textbook influence, Rapoport on the wild card who was just elected to the State Board of Education, Ramshaw on the price of health care reform, Philpott on the just-enacted prohibition on dropping kids from the state’s health insurance rolls, M. Smith on the best little pole tax in Texas, Ramsey on the first corporate political ad and the reality of 2011 redistricting, Stiles on the fastest-growing Texas counties, Aguilar on the vacany at top of Customs and Border Protection at the worst possible time, Galbraith on the state’s lack of renewable energy sources other than wind and its investment in efficiency, and Hu and Hamilton on the runoffs to come in House districts 52 and 127. The best of our best from March 22 to 26, 2010.
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State Government
2010: Al Edwards Contesting Recount Results
A recount showed state Rep. Al Edwards lost his primary race by eight votes, but Edwards wants to be absolutely sure. He’s filed an election contest in district court.
Posted inState Government
2010: KBH Aide Florida Bound
Say farewell to Joe Pounder, the KBH campaign’s indefatigable communications aide. He’s headed to Florida, to work for Marco Rubio.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: March 26, 2010
The mouse that roared? When it comes to textbooks, all Texas can say, is well, squeak, squeak.
Posted inState Government
A Taxing Session?
The Texas Legislature will find itself in a multi-billion dollar budget hole when lawmakers return to Austin in 2011. Constitutionally, the state’s budget can’t run a deficit. Ben Philpott covers state politics and policy for KUT News and the Texas Tribune, and reports that lawmakers are expected to use a mixture of budget cuts and revenue raisers to keep the state in the black.
Posted in
Public Education
The Textbook Myth
Despite all the handwringing about Texas’ influence on the textbook market nationally, it’s just not so, publishing insiders say. The state’s clout has been on the wane and will diminish more as technological advances and political shifts transform the industry.