Panel Considers Decriminalizing Homosexual Conduct
A House panel today considered bills that would decriminalize homosexual sex in Texas. Full Story
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Pitts Talks, Gently, of Adding Money to Budget
Less than two days after approving a state budget that cuts $23 billion from current spending, Rep. Jim Pitts says House leaders are already talking among themselves about how much more money they'd be willing to spend. Full Story
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GOP Lawmakers Push New Voter Integrity Bills
Fresh off its voter ID victory last month, the majority party in the House made good on its promise to go beyond that controversial measure to combat what it alleges is serious voter fraud with several new proposals. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
O'Donnell Elaborates on Research Stance
Much has been made about higher education reformer Rick O'Donnell's opinions on academic research. The controversial UT System adviser recently elaborated on them himself in a letter he wrote to a UT regent. Full Story
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House Takes Testimony on Groundwater
The House Natural Resources Committee is taking testimony today on a controversial groundwater bill that would give landowners "a vested ownership interest" in water below their land. Full Story
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MALC Files Redistricting Lawsuit
There aren't any maps yet, but now there are two Texas redistricting lawsuits. The Mexican American Legislative Caucus has filed suit to block the use of what it calls flawed census data in drawing new political maps for legislative, congressional and State Board of Education districts. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: Top Texas Headlines for April 5, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Supreme Court stays first execution set to use new drug; Senate rejects House's voter ID bill; Leppert cites "positive conversations" with Cornyn Full Story
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Bill May Boost Bond Rating for Charter Schools
The Senate approved a bill today that would help charter schools borrow money by allowing them to use the state’s Permanent School Fund as a bond guarantee Full Story
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Senate OKs School Guidelines for Food Allergies
A bill that would create a committee of experts, school officials and parents to develop guidelines for schools to use to craft food allergy protocols passed the Senate today. Full Story
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Update: The Texas Budget Cycle
Confused about the state's budget process? Trust us — you’re not alone. Check our flow chart to help understand where we are in the process (highlighted in yellow) and what steps are next (highlighted in gray). Full Story
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House Gives Helmet Safety Bill Early Approval
With a football helmet in hand, Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-San Benito, won preliminary approval from the House today for a bill to ensure school districts keep close tabs on how often helmets are checked and repaired. Full Story
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Supreme Court Stays First Pentobarbital Execution
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a 30-day stay for death row inmate Cleve Foster, who was scheduled tonight to become the first Texas inmate executed using the state's new three-drug lethal injection cocktail. Full Story
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Texplainer: Are All Committee Meetings Televised?
Generally, committee meetings are open to the public and recorded — one way or another. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Study: Health Reform's Effects On Texas
If federal health care reform stays on the books, it will help 5 million Texans get health insurance and increase state health care spending by roughly 10 percent in the next five years, according to the RAND Corporation. Full Story
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The Brief: Top Texas News for April 5, 2011
The gulf between the House and Senate over budget cuts may be widening. Full Story
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Doctor Legislation Raises Safety Concerns, Questions of Motive
Are Texas doctors hamstrung by unfounded complaints? Reps. Bill Zedler and Fred Brown think so. But the bills they've filed to address the issue are largely opposed by the state's biggest physician organization. Full Story
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Fight Brewing Over Seized Drug Money
The Texas Department of Public Safety says it has seized as much as $140 million of the $28 billion that moves annually from the U.S. into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Mario Carrillo of KUT News and ReportingTexas.com reports on what happens to that seized money and how some would like to see it used. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Updated: Hospitals, Advocates at Odds Over Preemie Bills
Lawmakers agree that curbing elective inductions of labor and so-called “convenience” cesarean sections would prevent premature births and save the state money. But how best to do it has left child welfare advocates and hospitals at odds. Full Story
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![Natasha and Mark Rosen, of Austin, with baby Matthew, who was born 3 months premature, in Seton Medical Center Austin's neonatal intensive care unit. Texas lawmakers are looking for ways to curb prenatal births and the high costs they present for the state's Medicaid program.]()
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Senate OKs Renaming, Shrinking RR Commission
The Senate approved a bill today that would change the name of the Railroad Commission to the Texas Oil and Gas Commission and reduce the size of the commission from three elected members to one elected commissioner. Full Story
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House Gives "Pork Chopper" Bill Early OK
The aptly nicknamed "pork chopper" bill — which authorizes hunters to shoot feral hogs and coyotes from helicopters — passed a preliminary vote in the Texas House today, 137-9. Full Story
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Credit: Eddie Seal
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