Memo to Voters: There's No Free Lunch
Voters clearly want good schools and nice roads and low taxes. It's a political and policy question straight out of a business textbook: What's the right balance of price and quality? Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
How Do TxDOT's New Salaries Compare to Other State Agencies?
TxDOT's plan to hire five new executives — each paid up to at least $250,000 annually — has received heavy criticism. How do the salaries compare to those at other public entities? We checked our government salary database to find out. Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Delisi Leaves Transportation Post for Perry Campaign
Texas Transportation Commissioner Deirdre Delisi submitted her resignation to Gov. Rick Perry today. Now she will have more time to devote to his campaign. Full Story
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![Deirdre Delisi, Chair of the Texas Transportation Commission, attends a meeting on July 29, 2010.]()
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Phil Wilson's War
Phil Wilson, a former Texas secretary of state and aide to Gov. Rick Perry, on Thursday was named executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. For Wilson, the new job comes with a big salary — and even bigger challenges. Full Story
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![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
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Texas Airport Furloughs Delay Construction, but Not Operations
A weeklong partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration has delayed airport construction projects in Houston and Abilene. Full Story
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Credit: Daniel Duchon -
This Will Be on the Test
This week, Secretary of State Hope Andrade conducted a lottery that determined the order of the 10 new proposals on the November ballot. Each amendment already won approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and now needs a nod from a majority of the voters. Here's the rundown... Full Story
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![Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade announcing the launch of the 2010 census in Texas]()
Credit: Jacob Villanueva -
Video: Alex Jones Storms the Capitol
Notorious radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones led a raucous protest at the Capitol Wednesday over the Legislature's failure to pass a bill criminalizing invasive airport pat downs. "Every one of [those senators] is an enemy of the Republic and the Republic of Texas!" he bellowed. Full Story
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DPS Institutes Surcharge Breaks for the Poor
The Texas Department of Public Safety today announced the start of a program to help poor drivers pay off expensive surcharges and get their driver's licenses back. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
House Gives Early OK to "Choose Life" License Plate
A bill directing the Department of Motor Vehicles to create an anti-abortion license plate to raise money for crisis pregnancy centers got an early OK from the House — and staved off a flurry of amendments from Democrats. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
House Gives Early OK to TxDOT Sunset Bill
Consider it a do-over. The House today tentatively approved the Texas Department of Transportation Sunset bill, the measure that last year sent lawmakers into a surprise special session. Full Story
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![State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (l), R-Irving, discusses TXDOT sunset legislation with State Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas, at the Texas House on April 29, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
David Dewhurst: The TT Interview
With less than five weeks left to go in the session, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst sat down with the Tribune to talk about his future political plans, the status of the budget in the Senate and in the biennial parley between the Senate and the House, redistricting and the tug-of-war over the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Credit: Caleb Bryant Miller -
Senate Votes for "Transparent" TxDOT
The Texas Department of Transportation Sunset bill that got caught up in the backlog of legislation last session passed the Senate today. Full Story
![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
Credit: Illustration by Charles Stricklin/Todd Wiseman -
On the Records: Mapping Highway Speeds by State
The Texas House today passed a bill allowing Texas Department of Transportation to study whether to increase the speed limit on certain highways to 85 miles per hour. See how the state compares with this interactive map. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Matt Stiles -
Interactive: U.S. Speed Limits by State
The Texas House today passed a bill allowing TxDOT to increase the speed limit on certain highways to 85 miles per hour. These interactive maps visualize the vehicle speed limits set by states on rural interstates, with darker shades representing higher speeds. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Matt Stiles -
Legislators Consider Repealing Driver Fees
Lawmakers at the Capitol debate eliminating a surcharge on traffic tickets that has been riddled with problems almost since its inception. Full Story
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Video: Legislators Consider Repealing Driver Fees
Lawmakers at the Capitol today debated eliminating a surcharge on traffic tickets that has been riddled with problems almost since its inception. Full Story
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DRP Fund Helps Trauma Centers Save Lives, Supporters Say
Lives are at stake if the Legislature fails to appropriate the full amount of the Driver Responsibility Program fund, medical professionals said at a Capitol press conference today. Full Story
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Lawmakers File "Complete Streets" Bill
Lawmakers today filed a bill they hope will help drivers, cyclists and pedestrians safely share the roads. Full Story
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![Gil Peñalosa, an international expert on livable communities and the Executive Director of 8-80 Cities, talks bicycles at a transportation policy luncheon in the Texas Capitol building on February 03 2011.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
The Constant Gardeners
From the highways of Texas to the San Jacinto Battleground, state agencies now aim to maximize the use of native grasses rather than opting for whatever was cheapest or fastest-growing, as they did decades ago. Full Story
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![Bill Neiman, owner of Native American Seed, at his seed-cleaning facility in Junction, TX, Jan. 18, 2011.]()
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TribBlog: DPS Giving Drivers a Break
Some of the 1.2 million Texas drivers whose licenses have been suspended because they failed to pay expensive traffic ticket surcharges can catch a big break right now from the Department of Public Safety. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
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