House and Senate Adjourn; Special Session to Begin Tuesday
Both the House and Senate have adjourned sine die. But without a school finance deal in the Senate, Gov. Rick Perry is expected to call a special session for 8 a.m. Tuesday. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Summer School Ahead for Texas Legislators
Lawmakers were hoping to get out of Austin with their business done, without the prospect of a special session this summer. Fat chance. Full Story
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The HB 1 Apostates Explain Themselves
Several members of the Legislature bucked their parties Saturday night in voting for or against the state budget. In their own words, here's why. Full Story
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Guest Column: The Case for Family Planning Funding
This session we have seen an all out assault on women's health driven by the erroneous assumption that family planning is synonymous with abortion. Full Story
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Liveblog: A Make-or-Break Day for the Budget
With less than two days left in the legislative session, lawmakers set out to pay for the budget by passing SB 1811. Without it, the budget doesn't balance and lawmakers will be forced to come back in a special session. It passed in the House, but was undone by a Senate filibuster. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
20 Weeks in Which the Budget Held Sway
The 82nd Texas Legislature’s regular session ends as it started, with lawmakers arguing about a shrunken state budget and redistricting. Full Story
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Liveblog: Lege Passes Budget Cuts of $15 Billion
Texas lawmakers passed a two-year state budget on Saturday that cuts $15.2 billion from current spending — most of that in health and human services — but avoids increased taxes and leaves $6.5 billion untouched in the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Crownover: Smoking Ban Dead, Again
Many thought this was the year. But Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, acknowledged on Saturday that a measure establishing a statewide smoking ban in Texas is dead. Full Story
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Guest Column: The Case for Family Planning Funding
Eliminating funds for family planning services is not a responsible or compassionate choice. It will shift the burden of care to our already overloaded local hospitals and leave the women who depend on these services with few options. Full Story
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Guest Column: The Case Against Family Planning Funding
At a time when we are scouring the budget and questioning every expenditure, when funding for essential services like public education must be reduced, it is time to stop subsidizing abortion providers under the guise of "family planning." Full Story
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A Businesslike Budget, After a Fashion
When Texas lawmakers said they wanted to run government like a business, they left out the part about using Enron and Countrywide as their models. Full Story
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Smoking Ban Officially Snuffed?
Hope for a smoke-free Texas seems officially snuffed. State Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, said today that a statewide smoking ban would not live on as an amendment to Senate Bill 1811. Full Story
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Women's Health Program Still Stands, but Questions Linger
The Women's Health Program — long believed to require legislative renewal — lives on, at least for now, in the form of a budget rider. Full Story
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For Some Republicans, Federal Action is Payback
State Sen. Dan Patrick says he knows why the federal government has intervened on two key bills facing Texas lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session: “retribution.” But is it that simple? Full Story
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Budget Notes: School Finance Remains the Key
Lawmakers made progress today on solving the current budget deficit but still haven't solved the major problem in the 2012-13 budget: school finance. Full Story
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Kolkhorst Throws Herself a Life Raft on Heath Care Compact Bill
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst threw herself a life raft tonight, attaching her Health Care Compact bill — a measure that would seek to give Texas control of the purse strings for Medicare and Medicaid — onto a Senate health care bill that the House passed on third reading. Full Story
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Kolkhorst Holding Nelson's Health Bill Hostage
Rep. Lois Kolkhorst is holding Sen. Jane Nelson's health reform bill hostage. Full Story
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For Clients of Perry's Advisers, a Troubling State Budget
Gov. Rick Perry has delivered his fiscal message loud and clear: Balance the cash-strapped state budget with cuts, not with the Rainy Day Fund or new taxes. Yet some of his most loyal advisers, past and future, are representing clients beating a very different drum. Full Story
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State Efforts to Take Control of Medicaid Struggling
Texas’ efforts to take control over Medicaid, the joint state-federal health care program for poor children and the disabled, could be in trouble. Full Story
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Senate Approves Bill on Health Reform Costs
In a mixed-bag swipe at "Obamacare," the Texas Senate approved a bill today that would require state agencies to report the costs — and savings — of implementing federal health care reform. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman/The Texas Tribune
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