Prisoners Don't Vote, but They Sometimes Count
Texas prison inmates can’t vote, so most counties ignore them. But they can change the value of your votes for Congress and the state Legislature. Full Story
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An Eye on the Calendar
The state probably won't have political maps for federal and state legislators until November and possibly December, crowding the filing-fundraising-campaigning cycle into the holidays and perilously close to the March primaries. Full Story
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Campaign Chatter
Chris Harris and Will Hartnett say they won't be back, but the horde of candidates for state and federal legislative seats is growing. Full Story
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Federal Court to Texas Election Officials: Wait
State officials in Texas can hold off on election preparations, a federal court said Thursday, but with Texas' political maps still in limbo, they also didn't get a new set of deadlines to help them get ready for the 2012 elections. Full Story
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Hartnett Confirms He Won't Seek Re-election
State Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas, said this afternoon that he won't seek another term in the Texas House. Full Story
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U.S. Supreme Court Won't Reinstate Abortion Sonogram Law
The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to let Texas enforce its new abortion sonogram law while the measure is under appeal, following a similar ruling from a federal appeals court on Wednesday. Full Story
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Anticipating Budget Cuts, State Agencies Shrink
The numbers prove it: State government is shrinking. Many attribute the drop in state jobs to the budget cuts lawmakers passed last legislative session. But agencies had been preparing for the deficit by dropping employees for more than a year. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Protesters Gather for Boehner Reception
Protesters gathered outside the Headliners Club in Austin to urge U.S. House Speaker John Boehner and Congress to pass the American Jobs Act. Boehner was in Austin to attend a reception with several GOP congressmen from Texas. Full Story
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Harris Won't Run Again; Vandergriff's In
State Sen. Chris Harris, R-Arlington, won't seek another term in the Texas Legislature, he said Monday, and he encouraged Victor Vandergriff to get into the race. UPDATE: Vandergriff says he's in. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Campaign Chatter
Rep. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, will run for Steve Ogden's Senate seat. Ogden isn't running, and Williamson County has become the 300-pound gorilla of that district in terms of population. Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, won't run. Full Story
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In the Map Rooms
The Justice Department didn't find fault (put an asterisk here) with the Senate and State Board of Education redistricting maps from Texas, but told a federal court in Washington, DC, that it thinks the maps for the congressional delegation and for the Texas House go backwards in minority representation. Full Story
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Higher-Octane Partisans
Partisan changes in the Legislature are on ice for now. The more important game to watch is for which kinds of Republicans and Democrats are coming to Austin every two years. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Higher Ed Oversight Committee Revisits "Solutions"
At today's hearing of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency, experts weighed in on how — and how not — to make universities in Texas more accountable and transparent. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Born Out of Controversy, New Higher Ed Committee Gets to Work
Today brings the latest step in the state's ongoing higher education debate: the inaugural hearing of the Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Texas Weekly Index: March Fights, November Peace
General elections in Texas will be less competitive than ever under the redistricting maps approved by the Legislature earlier this year. The political threats to incumbents, if any, will come in primaries and not in general elections. Full Story
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Ogden Won't Seek Another Term
The Texas Senate's chief budget writer — Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan — won't seek re-election, he announced this morning. Full Story
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Feds: Proposed Texas Maps Undermine Minority Voting Rights
The U.S. Justice Department said Monday that new political maps for the Texas House and the state's congressional delegation don't protect the electoral power of the state's minority populations as required by the federal Voting Right Act. Full Story
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Video: Tea Party Demands Perry Act on "Sanctuary Cities"
A group of Tea Party activists pushing for stricter immigration laws Monday asked Gov. Rick Perry to leave the presidential campaign trail and call the Legislature back into session to tackle a ban on so-called sanctuary cities. Full Story
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Shapiro Won't Run Again; Others Jump In
After two decades in the Texas Senate, Plano Republican Florence Shapiro said this afternoon that she won't seek re-election. State Rep. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, starts as a strong replacement candidate. Full Story
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Video: Wimberley High School Adopts New Concussion Rules
Nationwide, about 60,000 concussions occur on high school fields every year. The Tribune visited Wimberley High School to find out how it is preparing for new state laws to prevent head injuries in student athletes. Full Story
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