As Special Session's End Approaches, Key Goals Remain Unfinished
With six days left, all of the goals of the special session — redistricting, transportation funding, abortion legislation and criminal justice reform — remain unfinished. Full Story
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Aman Batheja
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Aman Batheja was a political reporter and editor for the Tribune from 2012 to 2019. Previously he worked for eight years at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, most of that time covering state and local politics. A native of Cedarhurst, New York, he has an undergraduate degree in journalism and psychology from New York University and a master's in economics from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Past Contributions
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Credit: Phil Sonpott -
Perry Issues More Than Two Dozen Vetoes
Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Full Story
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![The Texas Tribune Festival 2012 Opening Session: A Conversation with Gov. Rick Perry and Evan Smith, Sept. 21, 2012.]()
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Senate Backs Interim Maps Over Democrats' Objections
Though Senate Democrats argued that their objections and the testimony from public hearings were being ignored, the Texas Senate approved redistricting maps Friday. Full Story
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Budget Chiefs Accuse Wall Street Journal of "Fuzzy" Math
The Legislature's top budget writers have penned a letter to The Wall Street Journal questioning the figures in a recent editorial that urged Gov. Rick Perry to veto the state budget. Full Story
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Roads Funding Plan Draws Debate on State's Piggy Bank
Two days after Gov. Rick Perry added transportation funding to the special session agenda, the Senate Finance Committee debated a bill that would increase road dollars by slowing the flow of money into the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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![August 29th Senate Committee on Finance with newly appointed Chair Sen. Tommy Williams R-The Woodlands]()
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House and Senate Hoping to Quickly Find Money for Roads
With transportation funding added to the special session call, lawmakers are already planning hearings and considering different proposals. The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday. Full Story
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A Dead End for Road Funding at the Capitol?
Gov. Rick Perry's interest in keeping the special session on issues where he can expect success suggests transportation funding won't be included. The chances for any transportation funding proposal in a special session are mixed at best. Full Story
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Bullet Train Plan Sparks North Texas Turf War
A private firm's plan to develop a high-speed rail line between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston is being closely watched by officials in North Texas, where there are varying opinions as to where the first station should be built. Full Story
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![The JR Central N700 Series, a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train developed by two railway companies in Japan.]()
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TxDOT Outsourcing IT Operations to Private Firm
The Texas Department of Transportation has announced that a private firm will take over most of its information technology operations. Full Story
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![Traffic congestion on Interstate 35 in Austin. The freeway through central Austin is among the state's most congested road segments, according to a TxDOT study.]()
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Fix for Roads in Shale Counties Might Be Short
Lawmakers allocated $450 million this session to repairing roads destroyed by truck activity related to a drilling boom. The Legislature likely isn't done with the issue, though, because the amount is less than advocates said was needed. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / KUT
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