The Brief: Feb. 16, 2015
Bipartisan appears to be a dirty word in a couple of the special election contests set to be finally decided on Tuesday. Full Story
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![State Reps. José Menéndez (left) and Trey Martinez Fischer, both Democrats from San Antonio, are seeking the Texas Senate seat vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for mayor of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
As State Ages, Families Face Caring for Elderly
Eva Bonilla's story is one version of an oft-told tale. When her ailing, elderly father had nowhere else to go, she quit her job and brought him into her home. As Texas ages, more children will do the same, and experts worry that their skills and resources will be tested. Full Story
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![After her father was injured in a fire, Eva Bonilla took him into her home and cared for him until his death in 2010.]()
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The Brief: Feb. 13, 2015
The Kroll report, which looked into the admissions process at UT-Austin and whether some well-connected people had too much influence on that process, surfaced on Thursday. Full Story
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![Regent Wallace L. Hall, Jr. of the University of Texas System at the regular meeting of the Board on May 15, 2014]()
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Alabama Ruling May Clear Way for Gay Marriage in Texas
Citing recent court decisions legalizing gay marriage in Alabama, plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage are asking a federal appeals court to clear the way for marriages in the state. Full Story
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Democrats Push to Repeal Abortion Waiting Period
They acknowledge they're pushing a boulder up a hill in the conservative Texas Legislature. But three House Democrats remain laser-focused on repealing the 24-hour waiting period for abortion imposed by the state’s 2011 sonogram law. Full Story
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![Abortion rights activists march through downtown Austin on July 1, 2013.]()
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Virtual Doctors Are Making Medical Board Really Nervous
In the emerging field of telemedicine, doctors diagnose symptoms and prescribe drugs without ever meeting patients face-to-face. The Texas Medical Board doesn't believe that is a good idea. Full Story
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The Brief: Feb. 12, 2015
The debate over the expansion of rights to carry guns onto university campuses and openly with a permit moves from rallies outside the Capitol to legislative hearings inside the building today. Full Story
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![Almost forgotten in the midst of Texas Muslim Capitol Day, an open carry advocate displays his gun and the Israeli flag on Jan. 29, 2015.]()
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After Texas Ebola Cases, Bill Seeks to Fix Outbreak Response
Months after three people in Texas were diagnosed with Ebola, several key state lawmakers on Wednesday proposed ways to prepare the state for the next disease-related emergency. Full Story
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![Dr. Brett Giroir, center, head of the Texas Task Force on Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response, speaks at a press conference on Oct. 6, 2014, with state Sen. Charles Schwertner, left, and Gov. Rick Perry, right.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Feb. 11, 2015
The Tribune's Terri Langford has uncovered a new problem with the no-bid Medicaid fraud software contract awarded to 21CT by the Health and Human Services Commission. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Was 21CT Contract Built on Lie to Federal Agency?
When the Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked the federal government for $18 million to foot most of the bill for new Medicaid fraud tracking software, it assured Washington counterparts the deal had been competitively bid. That was not true. Full Story
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![Former HHSC Inspector General Doug Wilson, left, and his former second-in-command, Jack Stick.]()
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Stick's Investigators Got Badges, and Taxpayers Got the $36,000 Bill
Emblems of Jack Stick’s days as the state health agency's deputy inspector general remain: roughly 300 high-dollar badges he designed and ordered for his investigators at a cost to taxpayers of $36,000. Full Story
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![A photo of one of the $80 badges ordered by Jack Stick (left) when he was HHSC deputy inspector general.]()
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Texas Has High Stakes in Lawsuit Over Health Law
Texas and the 33 other states that refused to set up their own insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act are especially vulnerable to an impending U.S. Supreme Court decision. Full Story
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The Brief: Feb. 10, 2015
A handful of former HHSC employees are suing for wrongful termination in the aftermath of revelations over the awarding of a no-bid Medicaid fraud contract. Full Story
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![Irene Williams, CEO of 21CT, and Jack Stick, a top attorney at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
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The Brief: Feb. 9, 2015
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz talked presidential politics and foreign policy in a pair of appearances on Sunday morning talk shows. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz speaks during the 2014 RedState Gathering at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in Fort Worth on Aug. 8, 2014.]()
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Texas Republican Calls for Limiting Vaccine Exemptions
State Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, said Friday he will propose legislation to eliminate "conscientious exemptions" because of the re-emergence of diseases like measles attributed to growing numbers of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. Full Story
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![Rep. Jason Villalba R-Dallas, files the Protection of Texas Children Act on February 6th, 2013.]()
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The Brief: Feb. 6, 2015
Rick Perry had some choice words in an interview Thursday with the Tribune and the Washington Post on what separates him from Ted Cruz. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz]()
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See Vaccine Exemptions in Texas by School District
More than 38,000 Texas students — about 0.75 percent of the state's overall school-age population — had nonmedical exemptions to school immunization laws in the 2013-14 school year, according to state data. Search our table to see the totals for your district or private school. Full Story
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![The Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County in Fort Worth.]()
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Drug Testing for Welfare Benefits Back on the Table
After a few failed legislative attempts, Republican lawmakers are once again working to make drug testing mandatory for some Texans who receive state welfare benefits. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
The Brief: Feb. 5, 2015
House Speaker Joe Straus leaned toward the familiar in filling open spots at the top of the chamber's top-tier committees. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, in the Texas House of Representatives, Feb. 8, 2011.]()
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Senator Talks of "Lost Confidence" in Health Agency Watchdog
At the Senate Health and Human Services Committee's first meeting of the legislative session, Chairman Charles Schwertner shared some tough criticism of the Health and Human Services Commission's Office of Inspector General. Full Story
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![Sen. Charles Schwertner R-Georgetown, at a February Texas Tribune event.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera