Perry, Some Lawmakers Want Gold Back in Texas
Call it the Rick Perry gold rush: The governor wants to bring the state’s gold reserves back from a New York vault to Texas. Full Story
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TribLive: Freshman Lawmakers on Vouchers
At this morning's TribLive conversation, Ross Ramsey talked to state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, and state Reps. Scott Turner, R-Frisco, and Gene Wu, D-Houston, about the prospect of school voucher legislation. Full Story
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House Committee Backs Budget That Includes More School Funding
The $193.8 billion budget approved by the House Appropriations Committee includes an extra $2.5 billion for public education. The bill is smaller than the Senate budget by about $1.7 billion. Full Story
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Lawmakers Discuss Regulating Ownership of Large Animals
A House committee discussed whether to regulate the ownership of “big cats and nonhuman primates" at a hearing Wednesday. Animal rights groups say these animals are a threat to public safety, while owners of tigers, lions and other large cats say they already face enough regulation. Full Story
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The Brief: March 21, 2013
In a marked departure from 2011, the state Senate on Wednesday passed a two-year budget with relative ease. Full Story
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The Evening Brief: March 20, 2013
Your evening reading: Senate passes $195.5 billion budget; Cornyn calls talk of pathway to citizenship premature; UT System votes to seek review of Law School Foundation Full Story
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Senate Votes to Approve $195.5 Billion Budget
The Texas Senate approved a $195.5 billion budget Wednesday that even supporters called an intermediate step toward a final spending plan for the next two years. Full Story
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Budget Votes to Set Stage for Future Negotiations
The $195.5 billion budget that senators will vote on Wednesday includes $1.4 billion extra for education and pay raises for most state employees. A House committee is expected to vote Thursday on its version of the budget. Full Story
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Senate Committee Advances Abortion Clinic Bill
A Senate committee on Tuesday approved a controversial Republican-backed bill that would raise licensing standards for abortion clinics. Democrats say the legislation would effectively ban abortion in Texas. Full Story
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![State Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, is in a Republican runoff to keep his seat.]()
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The Brief: March 20, 2013
A Senate committee has advanced a controversial bill that critics say amounts to a backdoor abortion ban in Texas. Full Story
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Video: Term Limits Legislation Passes Out of Senate
Legislation that could lead to term limits on statewide officeholders made its way through the Senate on Tuesday. Lawmakers also heard testimony on several high-profile bills in committee hearings. Full Story
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Updated: Panel Discusses Bill Allowing Sunday Liquor Sales
As a House committee on Tuesday took up a bill that would allow Texas liquor stores to open their doors on Sundays, one member raised concerns about whether the legislation could make it easier for minors to access liquor. Full Story
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Lawmakers Take Aim at Human Trafficking
Several major highways in Texas make the state a hub for human trafficking. State lawmakers, like Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, are hoping to make progress this legislative session with bills aimed at curbing the crime. Full Story
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Bill Adds Protections for Those Who Film On-Duty Officers With Phones
A state Senate bill aims to give extra protections to people who film on-duty police officers with their smartphones or other devices. The author, Sen. Craig Estes, says the measure addresses charges that could be filed as retribution. Full Story
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Blue Mound Residents Boiling Over Water Rate
In the North Texas town of Blue Mound, the water system is owned by a private corporation. Residents say this results in painful rate hikes. Private water companies say their rates reflect the high costs of providing water to far-flung areas. Full Story
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![Roy Thornhill Sr. (center) voices his concern as residents of the City of Blue Mound, Texas, gather at their community center, on Monday, March 4, 2013. The small North Texas City of Blue Mound held a town hall meeting on Monday, March 4, for its residents to sign a petition against what they say are unjustifiably high water rate increases.]()
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Inside the State Budget, a Shell Game to Avoid Choosing Taxes or Cuts
The state balances its budget by counting nearly $5 billion in unspent funds that were raised for specific programs. To change their ways, lawmakers would have to go back to what they were trying to avoid: choices between taxes and cuts. Full Story
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Texas Weekly Newsreel: George P. Bush, Term Limits, Blue Texas
In this edition of the Newsreel: George P. Bush officially enters the race for Texas land commissioner, the Senate Finance Committee passes a $195.5 billion budget and educators spend spring break at the Capitol. Full Story
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GOP Senator Challenging His Party on Debt, Taxes
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state's bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution. Full Story
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![Kevin Eltife in his office in 2013, when he was a state senator. Eltife now serves as a member of the University of Texas System Board of Regents.]()
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LBB Right on Rainy Day Fund, Lawmakers Admit
House and Senate leaders have come to the same painful conclusion: spending from the Rainy Day Fund is subject to the constitutional spending limit. They disagree on what to do now. Full Story
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Video: Freshman Lawmakers Seek Common "Purple" Ground
The freshmen in the Texas House wear something purple every Thursday as a symbol of their willingness to compromise across the aisle. Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, it's time to identify which issues are negotiable. Full Story
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![Rep. Ron Simmons R-Carrollton and Rep. Oscar Longoria D-Mission show off their purple ties on Purple Thursday at the Texas Capitol.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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