Guest Column: How Conservative is David Dewhurst?
The state's lieutenant governor has clearly sided with and protected the Republicans in the Texas Senate, but has he presided as a conservative? That's in the eye of the beholder. Full Story
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Rodriguez, Gallego Make Final Arguments in CD-23
With the July 31 runoff around the corner, the Democratic candidates in Congressional District 23 are busy rallying voters across the district. And the size of CD-23 is only adding to the challenges for Pete Gallego and Ciro Rodriguez. Full Story
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Unlikely Tea Party Candidate Challenges State Senator
State Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, expected a tough fight in the GOP primary for Senate District 25. But instead, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, Wentworth has instead been tussling with a political newcomer who has broad Tea Party support. Full Story
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Interactive Map: Texas Senate Committees in 82nd Legislative Session
Use this interactive to explore the geographic distribution of committee members in the Texas Senate, by committee, to see who's got what clout, geographically speaking, on what subject. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: In the Open Seats...
For this week's nonscientific survey of government and political insiders, we asked about a dozen open House races on the July 31 ballot and found the insiders mostly in agreement, wrong or right. Full Story
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Straus: Process to End Budget Diversions Starts Now
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus called on lawmakers Monday to start figuring out how to stop diverting billions of dollars in dedicated taxes and fees that are being used to balance state budgets. Full Story
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Interactive Map: Texas House Committee Clout
Use this interactive to explore the geographic distribution of committee members in the Texas House, by committee, to see who's got what clout on what subject. Choose a committee and the map highlights the district of each member and, in a different color, the home districts of the chairs, vice chairs and co-chairs. Full Story
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San Antonio Considers Tax for Pre-K Initiative
An eighth-of-a-cent sales tax increase is being proposed in San Antonio to fund full-day pre-kindergarten for primarily low-income children in the city. Full Story
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Court Stays the Course on Politics and Business
Corporations and unions can play in politics, but complete disclosures are not required. A corporate political campaign in Texas two years ago was unusual, featuring an unknown corporation that was open about what it was doing. Full Story
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Video: The GOP and Democratic U.S. Senate Debates
Full video of Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate squaring off in separate debates hosted by Dallas public television station KERA (and co-presented by the Tribune). Full Story
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TPWD Looks to Rebound After Devastating Year
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is still feeling the effects of last year's wildfires, drought and budget cuts, but officials say the situation is improving with increased park attendance and donations. Full Story
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Prosecutors Stepping Up Fight Against Barratry
Prosecutors are cracking down on barratry, often derided as "ambulance chasing." A handful of notable arrests — including charges against a state representative — have been made this year. Full Story
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Texplainer: When Legislators Die or Resign, What Happens to Their Seats?
When legislators die or resign, their seat is filled through a special election. The new representative serves out the end of the old representative's term. Full Story
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Defamation Lawsuit Puts New Statute to the Test
A defamation lawsuit filed by WallBuilders founder David Barton has become an early test of new tort reform legislation intended to protect free speech. Full Story
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You Thought Redistricting Was About Candidates?
It's easy to forget that redistricting and the Voting Rights Act are about voters. But sometimes, the voters jump up and remind you. Full Story
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Could HHSC Face a Public Ed-Sized Leadership Void?
First, the state’s Medicaid director announced he was retiring. Now, Health and Human Services chief Tom Suehs says he hasn’t decided whether he will quit in August. Will HHSC rival public education for next session's biggest leadership void? Full Story
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After a Win, a Combative Speaker
House Speaker Joe Straus, coming out of a big and expensive win in a rare contested primary at home, began the runoff reboot by tweaking Michael Quinn Sullivan and his Empower Texans group, deriding them as ineffective, ugly and resentful of his success. Full Story
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Uresti Lawsuit Alleges Opponent is Ineligible for Race
A lawsuit by state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, alleges that his general election opponent, Michael Berlanga, does not meet residency requirements for Senate District 19. Full Story
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Video: Looking at the State of Abortion in Texas
In Part 4 of the Tribune's series on family planning, we take a closer look at how abortion has shifted public policy in Texas in recent years — and where the political battle may be headed next. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: About Those Election Results...
For this week's nonscientific survey of governmental and political insiders, we asked about the election results, about Joe Straus' chances for another term as speaker, about who might replace David Dewhurst as presiding officer of the Senate, and about who'll control that selection. Full Story
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