Irony Abounds in Debate Over Ethics Proposals
In this session's ethics battles, watchdogs say there’s more contradiction than conviction. Full Story
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New Regent Requirements Head to Governor's Desk
UPDATED: After the Senate concurred with amendments in the House, a bill adding restrictions and requirements for regents of the state's university systems is on its way to the governor's desk. Full Story
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The Brief: May 15, 2013
Days after a stalemate threatened to force lawmakers into legislative overtime, chances of a special session for the state budget have dwindled. Full Story
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Agenda Texas: Water Funding Gets New Life
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: A plan to fund future water infrastructure projects in Texas may be back from the dead. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
House Sends Campaign Disclosure Bill to Perry
UPDATED: A divisive measure requiring the disclosure of certain unreported political donors passed the House on a 95-52 vote on Tuesday with little of Monday's debate. The measure now heads to Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Inside Intelligence: About Those Special Sessions...
For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about the likelihood of special sessions, the issues that might force them and whether there will be multiple such sessions. Full Story
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Budget Rider Could Lay Out Terms for Medicaid Reform
State Rep. John Zerwas, a budget conferee, said Monday he’s relatively confident that a rider stipulating the Legislature's preferred Medicaid reform terms for any deal with the federal government would stick to the 2014-15 budget. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Agenda Texas: The Final Fortnight
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: As another round of deadlines in the Capitol approaches, several legislative priorities are still unresolved. Full Story
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Leaders Find Agreement on Budget's Finer Points
State budget leaders adopted unified proposals for several areas of the budget on Monday morning but said they are still working on the two largest pieces: education and health and human services. Full Story
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Newsreel: Deadlines, Tax Cuts, Special Session
In the latest Texas Weekly Newsreel: With less than three weeks left in the legislative session, the deadlines are coming fast and furious, raising the stakes and prompting whispers of a special session if things don't get finished. Full Story
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Agenda Texas: Bill Kill, Vol. 1
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Deadlines in the Texas House have come and gone. Now lawmakers are left to pick up the pieces for next session, or to find another way to get their bills passed. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
A Well-Timed Budget Note From the Attorney General
Greg Abbott’s letter doesn’t have any new information in it, but the timing takes away what some — probably those further from the budget conversations than closer — saw as a possible solution for the Legislature’s financial logjam. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Guest Column: An Early Look at Legislative Partisanship
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. Full Story
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Credit: Tommy LaVergne of Rice University -
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. Full Story
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Bill Would Curb Access to Photos of Murder Victims
UPDATED: The legislation authored by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, that would require court approval for most requests to view or copy crime scene photos that show murder victims passed the Senate Monday without debate. Full Story
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Judicial Pay Raises Bring a Little Something Extra
Lawmakers are talking seriously about a 21.5 percent pay raise for state district judges, which would increase the pensions of those same lawmakers by that same amount. Full Story
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News App: Updated House Bill Tracker
Another major House deadline has gone by, ending that chamber's consideration of major legislation filed by its own members. We've updated our House Bill tracker, showing which bills stalled in committee and which ones stalled in the full House. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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TribLive: Tea Party Freshmen on the Rainy Day Fund
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth; Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford; and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, explained their objection to dipping into the Rainy Day Fund to jump-start the state water plan. Full Story
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Lobbyist Transparency Bill Heads to Perry's Desk
A transparency bill that would require lobbyists to disclose the names of lawmakers who pay them using campaign funds for services, including political consulting, is headed to Gov. Rick Perry's desk. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Guillermo Esteves
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