Texas Legislature

Senators Worry State Contracting is Too Decentralized

By Aman Batheja March 11, 2015

Senators learned at a hearing Wednesday that the current state contracting system is so fragmented that no one knows the total value of the state's current contracts. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Analysis: A Distinctive Push for Business Tax Repeal

By Ross Ramsey March 11, 2015

As lawmakers debate what kinds of tax cuts they like best, and voters point at property taxes as their favorite, a national conservative group is starting a grassroots campaign to promote repeal of the state's business margins tax. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Lawmakers Vying to Bring More Transparency to State Contracting

By Aman Batheja March 10, 2015

Texas lawmakers consider different approaches to transforming the state's unwieldy, loophole-ridden system of contract oversight into something that can be properly tracked, analyzed and, when needed, restrained. Full Story
Talk Turns to Standards as Lawmakers Weigh Pre-K Bills

By Morgan Smith and Ryan McCrimmon March 10, 2015

As legislators considered several early education bills Tuesday afternoon, testimony was dominated by a debate over what standards school districts should meet to get additional state funding for pre-kindergarten programs. Full Story

Credit: Robert W. Hart
Video: Life After Proposition 6

By Evan Smith March 10, 2015

At our 3/10 symposium on water, I talked about life after Proposition 6 with Chairman Jim Keffer of the House Natural Resources Committee, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller; and Chairman Carlos Rubinstein of the Texas Water Development Board. Full Story
Issues of the Texas Legislature: Groundwater Management

By Ayan Mittra March 10, 2015

As we follow bills on environmental issues during the 84th legislative session, we'll keep you updated on legislation addressing reforms on how groundwater is managed. Stay caught up on the session with our Texas Legislative Guide. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Emily Albracht
Analysis: Making the Worst of a Good Situation

By Ross Ramsey March 10, 2015

Texas legislators have an unfamiliar problem: They have more money available to spend than their self-imposed limits will allow. And it's enough to start debates even where there is broad agreement. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Antony Vance Clicks
House Panel Endorses Texting-While-Driving Ban

By Edgar Walters March 10, 2015

A bill that would ban texting while driving passed its first legislative hurdle Tuesday when lawmakers voted it out of the House Transportation Committee. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Patrick, Hancock Propose Spending Cap Changes

By Ryan McCrimmon March 10, 2015

Senate leaders on Tuesday rolled out more legislation that would change how the state sets its limit on spending for each budget biennium, and let lawmakers pass tax cuts that don't count toward the cap. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Housing Legislation Puts Local Control Debate Front and Center

By Patrick Svitek March 10, 2015

A bill before a Texas Senate committee is bringing into focus the simmering debate over local control in the state. It's a charge that has been backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and state legislators who see cities overstepping their authority. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
Double-Dipping Ban is on the Move

By Jay Root March 9, 2015

Efforts to ban longtime politicians from double-dipping their salaries and their pensions — as former Gov. Rick Perry started doing in 2011 — went nowhere two years ago. But this year the idea is picking up steam. Full Story
UT Regents Have Hurdles to Jump to Hire Hamilton

By Bobby Blanchard March 9, 2015

Two of the three candidates on the short list to be president of the University of Texas at Austin remain in the hunt, sources say. The front-runner comes with a very good pedigree — and a very large price tag. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
Texas Legislative Guide: Environment

By Ayan Mittra March 9, 2015

Use our Texas Legislative Guide to stay updated on the issues that lawmakers are debating this legislative session. This week, our featured section is Environment. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Emily Albracht
Film Groups Want Separate Funding for Video Games

By Ryan McCrimmon March 9, 2015

Texas film heavyweights are asking lawmakers to create a separate funding strategy for video game incentives instead of continuing shared funding with film and television incentives. The video game lobby isn't ready for a split. Full Story

Credit: Callie Richmond
Along the Texas Border, a Third-World Problem

By Alexa Ura, The Texas Tribune, and Neena Satija, The Texas Tribune and Reveal March 8, 2015

Reliable access to clean drinking water is not a reality for tens of thousands of Texans living along the Mexican border, despite a multibillion-dollar effort that has spanned decades. Those left behind face third-world conditions and grave health risks. Full Story

Credit: Spencer Selvidge
In Women's Health Fight, Cancer Care Could Be Collateral Damage

By Alexa Ura March 6, 2015

GOP lawmakers, in their effort to put Planned Parenthood out of business, could change how they fund a cancer screening program for poor women. But private clinics unaffiliated with Planned Parenthood say they'd take a hit, too. Full Story

Credit: Michael Stravato
Roundup: Funding Roads, Debating Health Care Reform

By Alana Rocha and Justin Dehn March 6, 2015

In the Roundup: The Texas Senate passed its first legislation this week, state Republican leaders again addressed Medicaid expansion and reforms, and new bills aim to preserve the federal health subsidies in question in a U.S. Supreme Court case. Full Story
"Texting is the King of Distraction," Lobbyist Tells Panel

By Eva Hershaw March 5, 2015

Doctors, law enforcement officers, and family members of crash victims gathered Thursday at the Capitol to testify in support of a statewide texting-while-driving ban. Forty-four states now ban text messaging while driving. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Analysis: Fear of Spending Even Extends to Tax Cuts

By Ross Ramsey March 5, 2015

Lawmakers want to send voters a tax cut but fear spending the money the cut requires without asking voters for permission. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
Committee Passes Second Chance Bill For Failing Seniors

By Terri Langford March 4, 2015

Texas public high school seniors who failed the state's mandatory exams might still get to graduate this May under a bill pushed by state Sen. Kel Seliger. The Senate Education Committee approved the measure Wednesday. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich