Enviros to Shapiro: Don't Be a Pest
A bill filed by state Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, has an unusual group turning out to education committee meetings: environmentalists. Full Story
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LiveBlog: Budget Writers Weigh Tapping Rainy Day Fund
We're liveblogging the House Appropriations Committee hearing, where lawmakers are expected to consider whether to tap into the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
TribLive: Straus on the Rainy Day Fund
At today's TribLive conversation, Speaker Joe Straus stopped short of supporting the tapping of the Rainy Day Fund to cover the current biennium's $4.3 billion deficit, but he left the door open. Full Story
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New Day Rising: The Changing Public Policy Landscape
At the Tribune's New Day Rising symposium on Feb. 28, four public policy experts talked about criminal justice, education, health care and other issues and the impact of the coming Hispanic majority. Full Story
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Bill Would Make Restroom Peeping a Felony
State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a bill today that would make it a state jail felony to "lewdly violate" a person's privacy in a place like a public restroom. Full Story
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![State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, at the 2010 Texas Democratic convention in Corpus Christi, Tex. on June 26.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Liveblog: TribLive with House Speaker Joe Straus
This morning's TribLive event is a return engagement: House Speaker Joe Straus on stage with Tribune CEO and Editor-in-Chief Evan Smith. Full Story
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Video: Lawmakers Unswayed by Pleas to Fund Family Planning Services
Hundreds rallied this week to preserve funds for Planned Parenthood's family planning services, but their pleas did not sway conservative lawmakers. “They can expect less or even zero funding for their organization this session," says state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville. Full Story
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The Weekly TribCast: Episode 70
This week's TribCast features Evan, Reeve, Ben and Emily discussing the holdup with abortion sonogram legislation, cuts to public education, and bickering in higher education. Full Story
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Senator Asks Ag Commissioner to Pull Website
State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, today asked Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples to take down the border website his office launched last week, protectyourtexasborder.com, saying it has become a “forum for promoting violence.” Full Story
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![State Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso, on June 26, 2010, at the Texas Democratic Convention in Corpus Christi.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
New Day Rising: Four House Members on the 82nd Session
At the Tribune's New Day Rising symposium on Feb. 28, four members of the Texas House talked about the issues affecting the Hispanic community — and all Texans — during the 82nd Legislative Session. Full Story
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Family Says No Text Message Is Worth a Life
At the Capitol today, the family of a young girl who died in a car accident caused by texting and driving urged lawmakers to ban the practice. Full Story
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Execution Set for April, but State Out of Key Drug
The next execution is scheduled to take place April 5 — less than a month from now — but the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has not yet decided which drug it will use to replace sodium thiopental, one of three used in the state's execution protocol. Full Story
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Craddick's Collapse Not Serious, His Office Says
Former House Speaker Tom Craddick collapsed in the Capitol this morning while laying out a bill before the House Transportation Committee. His office said EMS doesn't consider the situation serious. Full Story
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On State Website, Calls for Vigilante Justice
Texans advocating extreme solutions to secure the border — including land mines and booby traps on Texas farmland along the Rio Grande — have a new forum to share their views: a website operated by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
What $9.8 Billion in Public School Cuts Looks Like
School districts won't know exactly what nearly $10 billion in state cuts means to them until lawmakers pass a new school finance bill. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune takes a look at the first bill of the session that gives districts an idea of what to expect. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
What $9.8 Billion in Public School Cuts Looks Like
School districts won't know exactly what nearly $10 billion in state cuts means to them until lawmakers pass a new school finance bill. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune takes a look at the first bill of the session that gives districts an idea of what to expect. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Hundreds Rally For Planned Parenthood
Hundreds rallied at the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday to protect Planned Parenthood's health and family planning services. The organization faces a firestorm of legislation from conservative lawmakers. Full Story
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Lucio: High School Athletes at Risk
State Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-San Benito, voiced concern for the safety of high school athletes to a House Committee on Tuesday afternoon. "I saw a few heartbreaking stories … on high school athletes that had stellar careers ahead of them," said Lucio, who has filed two bills on athletic safety. Full Story
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Stubbornness, Turf War Could Hold Up Abortion Sonogram
The biggest hurdle getting an abortion sonogram bill passed this session may be good old-fashioned stubbornness. Full Story
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Senators Debate Productivity Center, Class Size
During Tuesday's Senate Education Committee meeting, senators considered legislation that could dramatically change the way school districts operate — including two bills that target the dreaded "unfunded mandates." Full Story
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![State Sen. Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, on July 20, 2010.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge
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