The Evening Brief: March 5, 2013

New in The Texas Tribune

•    Senate Sends $6.6 Billion Budget Bill Back to House: "The Texas Senate on Tuesday sent a $6.6 billion supplemental bill back to the House after Democrats in the upper chamber were assured that efforts to restore some funding to schools will be considered later."

•    House Republicans File Fetal Pain Bill: "Two House Republicans filed a 'fetal pain' bill on Tuesday that would ban abortions 20 weeks after conception. Gov. Rick Perry has publicly expressed support for the measure."

•    Video: At Rally, Texans Urge Lawmakers to Expand Medicaid: "Texans rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday, hoping to persuade Gov. Rick Perry and other Texas lawmakers to expand Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act."

•    DPS Changes Security Policy at Governor's Mansion After Lawmakers Complain: "Calling the old policy 'stupid,' the head of the Department of Public Safety said Tuesday that congressional and state elected officials will no longer have to endure a background check to access the Governor's Mansion."

•    In Letter to Perry, Napolitano Discusses Impact of Sequestration on Texas: "In a letter to Gov. Rick Perry, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano laid out the effects of federal budget cuts on agencies in Texas. The letter discusses increased wait times at at land ports and a loss of emergency management grants."

•    Report Backs Push for Board to Oversee Prisons: "The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition has released a report calling on lawmakers to approve several bills that would increase supervision over the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which oversees the state’s prisons and has not been subject to measures like prison inspections since 2002."

Culled

•    Anti-abortion advocates push to get Planned Parenthood out of schools (The Dallas Morning News): "The latest assault on Planned Parenthood was launched Tuesday with a committee hearing a proposal to ban the organization from teaching or supplying materials about sex education to schools. Dozens of people showed up to support a bill by Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, whose bill also would mandate schools notify parents when any outsider presents information regarding human sexuality."

•    Texas Sen. John Cornyn demands Mexico provide water (The Associated Press): "U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has demanded an international commission intervene to ensure that Mexico diverts Rio Grande water to Texas, as it is obligated to do under a longstanding treaty."

•    Ted Poe fears the U.S. is moving toward 'Mexico model' on gun control (Houston Chronicle): "Texas Rep. Ted Poe warned gun control activists in Congress if they want to see the results of restrictive gun control laws, just look south of the border. 'The only ones who would have guns would be the government and, of course, criminals; who ignore gun laws,' he said in a speech on the House floor on Tuesday."