Kolkhorst Holding Nelson's Health Bill Hostage
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst is holding Sen. Jane Nelson's health reform bill hostage. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Updated: Texplainer: Is TSA "Groping" Bill Junk Legislation?
Hey, Texplainer: Can Texas really stop the TSA from touching my privates when I go through airport security? Short answer: No. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: May 25, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Perry wants lawmakers, not courts, to draw congressional maps; Simpson blocks salvia bill; Texas vs. feds fight centers on a lizard Full Story
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The Latest Texas vs. Feds Dispute? A Tiny Lizard
Could a brown, beady-eyed, two-and-a-half-inch lizard really threaten millions of barrels of Texas oil? West Texas lawmakers are worried that adding the sagebrush lizard to the endangered species list would do just that. Full Story
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Credit: Steve Jurvetson -
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 81
On this week's episode, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben talk about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune polls, continuing speculation about Gov. Rick Perry's presidential plans and the end of the legislative session. Full Story
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Data App: 27 New Entities, 30 Updated in Public Salaries Database
We've added 27 new entities — including university systems, transit authorities, and appraisal and school districts — to the Tribune's government employee salaries database and updated 30 others, bringing the total number to 129, with salary data for 660,000 public employees. Full Story
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The Brief: May 25, 2011
One of the state budget's most notoriously complicated components has lawmakers — just five days from the finish line — clamoring for a fix. Full Story
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Immigration and Economy Top Concerns in UT/TT Poll
The most important problems facing the country are economic, while immigration and border security are the most important problems facing the state, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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For Clients of Perry's Advisers, a Troubling State Budget
Gov. Rick Perry has delivered his fiscal message loud and clear: Balance the cash-strapped state budget with cuts, not with the Rainy Day Fund or new taxes. Yet some of his most loyal advisers, past and future, are representing clients beating a very different drum. Full Story
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Senate Blocks Sanctuary Cities Bill
The state’s contentious sanctuary cities bill failed to move out of the Senate late Tuesday — a move some senators said effectively killed one of the most controversial measures the Texas Legislature has considered this session. Full Story
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Video: On Fox News, Perry Talks Border Security, Bashes Feds
Gov. Rick Perry appeared on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta van Susteren" Tuesday night to discuss border security. Of course, he also took a few swipes at the federal government for not doing more to help curb illegal immigration. Full Story
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Federal Threat Shuts Down TSA "Groping" Bill
A threat from the federal government to shut down Texas airports or cancel flights may have killed legislation by Tea Party conservatives in the Capitol to prohibit federal agents from conducting "invasive searches." Full Story
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Once-Stalled Education Bills Live On as Amendments
Legislation on textbook funding approved by the Senate today breathed new life into left-behind education bills, including three languishing charter school measures. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Outcomes-Based Higher Ed Funding Measure Passes Senate
A bill that could alter the state's formula funding for institutions of higher education to allow some of it to be based on outcomes such as graduation rates rather than simply enrollment has cleared the Senate. Full Story
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State Efforts to Take Control of Medicaid Struggling
Texas’ efforts to take control over Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for poor children and the disabled, could be in trouble. Full Story
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House Votes Not to Change Primary Date
After a testy exchange, House lawmakers gave an initial OK to a voting bill that would push up the election filing period in order to give military voters more time to get absentee ballots. Full Story
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Senate Approves Bill on Health Reform Costs
In a mixed-bag swipe at "Obamacare," the Texas Senate approved a bill today that would require state agencies to report the costs — and savings — of implementing federal health care reform. Full Story
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Special Session Hinges on School Finance Fix
The Legislature has just a few days to get the state budget, the most important bill of the session, passed and to the governor's desk. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on the final items needed to send lawmakers home on time. Full Story
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Chairman of A&M Regents Responds to Faculty Concerns
Last week, Texas A&M University System Board of Regents chairman Richard Box received a letter from five Texas A&M University professors concerned about his intended direction for the system. Today, he responded, saying, "We are all in this together." Full Story
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Senate Approves Anti-Cockfighting Bill
“The roosters are crowing and it’s time to go noodling,” said Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, today before the Senate passed a bill to crackdown on cockfighting rings. Full Story
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Credit: Brandi Grissom
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