Sanctuary Cities Added to Special Session Call
Gov. Rick Perry has added controversial immigration and homeland security measures to the agenda for the special legislative session that began last week. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Redistricting: A Better Way? Many Think So
Tuesday's contentious debate on the state Senate floor over a proposed congressional redistricting map, which passed on a party line vote, was just a hint of why graduate students at Texas A&M University — and even some lawmakers — are studying alternative ways to handle the process. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
82nd Lege Session a Good One for Energy Efficiency
The Legislature passed a handful of energy-saving measures this session, ranging from allowing churches access to an energy-efficiency loan program to recalibrating a statewide efficiency program. Full Story
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Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Special Session Revives Class-Size Debate
Talk of lifting the state's student-teacher class-size ratio has returned after a bill on the matter died in May. As Mose Buchele of KUT News reports, though some say debate on the issue has downplayed the potential harm for students, others call the worries overblown. Full Story
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This Session, One Immigration Bill May Have Bucked the Trend
A bill recently signed into law gives law enforcement agencies and lawyers more power to fight wage theft, to which illegal immigrants often fall victim. As Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports, even in a session dominated by efforts to enact strict immigration legislation, the bill met little resistance. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
GOP-Drawn Congressional Map Sails Out of Senate
A new redistricting map, drawn to promote and protect Republican interests in the U.S. Congress, sailed out of the GOP-led state Senate Monday. The map, approved along strict party lines, would give Republicans a decent chance of retaining every congressional seat they now hold plus a new one they don't. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Video: Teachers, Parents Protest Education Cuts
Teachers and parents gathered today at the state Capitol to protest budget cuts to education funding. Full Story
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For Big Three, Session Ends as It Started: It's Complicated
If you wanted to know where the governor, the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House would stand at the end of the legislative session, you could have seen it all months ago. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
World's Shortest Effective Filibuster
The Legislature finished on Monday and came back on Tuesday to do in a few days what they could not accomplish in 140 Full Story
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With Filibuster, Wendy Davis Talks Herself Into Political Spotlight
State Sen. Wendy Davis' controversial decision to torpedo the 82nd Legislative session with a filibuster has catapulted the Fort Worth Democrat into the spotlight, which she has seized to try to mobilize the state’s downtrodden and outnumbered Democrats. Full Story
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![Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, during her filibuster at the end of the the 82nd legislature on Sunday, June 3, 2011. The action, in opposition to $4 billion in cuts to education, tipped lawmakers into an immediate special session.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson and Grissom on a freshman lawmaker who didn't mind making waves, Aguilar on E-Verify's new lease on life, Galbraith on the state's plodding progress toward solar power, Hamilton on Warren Chisum's exit, Philpott on the remapping of Lloyd Doggett's district, Ramsey on a proposed change to ethics laws for Texas pols, Ramshaw on efforts by the state to take control of Medicaid and Medicare, Root on why a Rick presidential bid shouldn't be underestimated, M. Smith on the unraveling of school finance legislation and Tan and Dehn on the highs and lows of the 82nd legislative session: The best of our best content from May 30 to June 3, 2011. Full Story
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This Time, Budget Bills Sail Through Senate
After last ditch efforts from Democrats to increase funding for schools through closing tax loopholes and tapping the Rainy Day Fund failed, two budget bills quickly cleared the Senate Friday night. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Updated: Senate Panel Approves Map
State GOP leaders want quick action on a new congressional map that would transform the district of Tea Party godfather Ron Paul. Paul says he doesn't feel "targeted" by the proposal. Full Story
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Video: The Week In Politics Recap May 30 - June 3, 2011
Want a quick recap of some of the happenings this week in the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly video rundown of the action under the dome. Full Story
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School Finance Returns to Senate; What Next?
School finance likely hits the Senate floor this afternoon. Will anything change? Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Unfinished Business, and Then Some
Texas lawmakers are back for a special session that started the day after their 140-day regular session. That’s something like sprinting to the finish of a long race and having your coach yell, just as you break the tape, “One more lap.” Full Story
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Interactive Timeline: Rep. David Simpson
Rep. David Simpson, a conservative Tea Party freshman from Longview, stood out in the Texas 82nd legislative session for his principled stance on limited government. His actions stirred criticism, laughs and curiosity from fellow lawmakers. Check out this interactive timeline with links to stories, videos and documents to take a look back at the waves Simpson made in the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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New Lawmaker's Crusade Against Government is a Lonely One
In the just-ended legislative session, freshman state Rep. David Simpson made a name for himself — and not always a nice one — with his passionate push for the “anti-groping” airport bill and his outspoken stance against proposals he believed represented government intrusion into personal freedoms. Full Story
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With Little Help From Austin, Texas' Solar Use Grows — Slowly
Renewable energy companies are looking to this big, sunny state as the next frontier for solar power. But solar is expensive, and once again the Legislature did not pass a statewide solar incentive. Some companies and communities are forging ahead nonetheless. Full Story
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Williams Files Sanctuary Cities, Secure Communities Bill
Three contentious and broad-based immigration and homeland security issues have been rolled into one bill filed today by a Republican state senator. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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