The Evening Brief: June 27, 2013

New in The Texas Tribune

•    Perry Says Davis Didn't Learn From Own Example: "Gov. Rick Perry went after rising Democratic star Wendy Davis on Thursday, saying the Texas senator’s fierce advocacy of abortion rights shows that she did not 'learn from her own example’' as a single mother. The surprisingly personal criticism of Davis, delivered at the National Right to Life convention in Dallas, came two days after she waged a now famous filibuster of a restrictive abortion measure in the state Senate."

•    U.S. Senate Passes Immigration Reform Bill: "The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed its version of the comprehensive immigration reform bill that would pave the way for citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the country. The 68-32 vote occurred after the body stopped debate and invoked cloture on the sweeping overhaul bill, S 744, by the bipartisan group of senators called the 'Gang of Eight.'"

•    Coming Out Swinging, Patrick Announces for Lieutenant Governor: "Citing the need for 'authentic conservative leadership' in Texas, state Sen. Dan Patrick announced on Thursday that he would run for lieutenant governor against incumbent David Dewhurst. 'Today begins roughly 18 months of hard work,' said Patrick, a Houston Republican who was joined by his wife at the news conference. 'I think the people in Texas sense that it is a time for change. 2014 is going to be a change election.'"

•    U.S. Supreme Court Tosses Texas Election Cases: "In the wake of its decision to strike a section of the Voting Rights Act earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court sent two Texas cases on voter ID and redistricting back to the lower courts."

•    Democrats Win Battle, but Perry Determines the War: "Republicans in the state Senate looked like tourists who wandered into a hostile neighborhood after liberal activists helped derail an abortion bill. But they are still in the driver's seat, and now that Gov. Rick Perry has called a new special session, passage of the legislation is all but certain."

•    Texas Hopes to Compete for Data Center Business: "Texas once dominated the data center industry — the housing and storage of major corporate computer systems. But in recent years, other states have chipped away at its foothold. … The state intends to jump back into contention with the passage of House Bill 1223, a set of tax incentives for data centers that invest $200 million or more in a Texas location."

Culled

•    Abortion tables may turn in Texas on Monday (Politico): "Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a message for those hailing new liberal icon Wendy Davis for bringing down a restrictive state abortion measure: Enjoy it while it lasts. Come Monday, the Texas Legislature will reconvene in special session, and enacting far-reaching abortion limits is a top Perry priority."

•    West hearing: "No one had to get hurt" (The Dallas Morning News): "In a testy exchange at a hearing into the deadly fertilizer blast in West, a key senator demanded the EPA add the chemical that detonated to a list of hazards requiring more oversight. That recommendation was issued 11 years ago, and Sen. Barbara Boxer, chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, called adoption of that 'critical safeguard' long overdue."

•    Mayor Castro Says Texas Should Legalize Gay Marriage Now (WOAI Radio): "San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro says now is the time for Texas to overturn [its] eight year old Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage, saying as gay marriage is legalized across the country, Texas' law will begin to hurt the state's economy."