The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
One week ago, Rick O’Donnell’s employment at the University of Texas System came to an abrupt end after 50 days marked by tension and confusion in the higher education community — especially at the University of Texas at Austin. So what happens now that he’s gone? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bb32cac2ccc1f2efa8404242c492233b/DO%20NOT%20USE%20After%20Rick%20ODonnell%2001%202011)
With the Senate set to debate the state budget this week, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports that several outside groups want to shape the conversation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c04504d6dc51a11a9aa2de3962a9d41d/BD%20INC%20Save%20our%20State%2003%202011)
Tom Schieffer is back in the spotlight, this time as the guy who'll oversee day-to-day operations of the Los Angeles Dodgers on behalf of Major League Baseball, which seized control of the team last week. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/112309_tomschieffer_hp.jpg)
One day after the Senate passed its version of the budget for the next biennium, the Texas Public Policy Foundation expanded its media campaign for a "conservative budget." They produced a series of new ads now running on statewide television. The timing appears to be strategic, as the Senate and House prepare to reconcile their spending plans in conference committee. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/RainyDayCommercial.jpg)
The comptroller of public accounts has been ducking responsibility ever since revealing that her agency had put the names and Social Security numbers of 3.5 million people in a publicly available spot on its website. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b8ed19150a7fd85f8c8821b2c9d6480e/BD%20INC%20Combs%2003%20CMS%202011)
At Monday's TribLive conversation, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, explained why President Obama's proposed tax increase on the wealthiest Americans is a "nonstarter." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Cornyn3CMS_2.jpg)
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, reacts to the proposed split of his current district. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/doggett.jpg)
Redistricting can change the odds in legislative and congressional races, but in statewide races, it's all about turnout. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Redistricting_Map_Tweasers.jpg)
If congressional Republicans' proposed solution to cutting health care costs — giving states block grants to fund Medicaid — sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HealthCareCompACT.jpg)
Despite the dramatic tenor of the current debate, there appears to be near public unanimity in support of the broad concept of academic research. Drill down into specific types of research, however, and a deeper split is revealed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/UT-research.016.png)
The House Ways & Means Committee is considering several bills that have the same mission: to make permanent the franchise tax exemption for businesses that report $1 million or less in gross revenue. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/iStock_000001334173Small.jpg)
Expect just about every redistricting decision made this year to center on the state's rapidly growing Hispanic population. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how the search for Hispanic-majority districts could affect the re-election chances of some lawmakers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Redistricting.png)
Expect just about every redistricting decision made this year to center on the state's rapidly growing Hispanic population. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how the search for Hispanic-majority districts could affect the re-election chances of some lawmakers. Full Story
The public version of drawing new congressional maps for Texas started this morning with committee hearings and the unveiling of a proposal from a coalition that insists at least two of the four new districts should have Latino majorities. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/IMG_2835_1.JPG)
Talk has resumed in the Senate — albeit quietly — about a so-called quality assurance fee, a revenue generator that would effectively tax hospitals to prop up the state’s cash-strapped Medicaid program. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c914545c277d910d9d0ff144fc8ebe29/BD%20INC%20Ogden%2006%202011)
These maps visualize the number of years members of the U.S. House of Representatives have served, with darker shades representing longer seniority. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DataApp_CongressSenoiority_b.jpg)
Lawmakers and lobbyists continue to spar over the accuracy of a recent Legislative Budget Board analysis of the effect House Bill 1 could have on jobs in the state of Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/want_ads.JPG)
The Houston builder and Health Care Compact Alliance vice chair on how an interstate compact could fix health care in Texas — and give the state some semblance of local control over what he calls an unsustainable health care system. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/LeoHCC_2.jpg)
After running a gantlet of concerned legislators, Gene Powell, the chairman of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, took steps last week to assuage concerns over his direction of the system. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CornynPowell_Etc_brawl.jpg)
Grissom on threats to re-entry programs for criminals, Hamilton on the tempest over the direction of UT, E. Smith's interview with Joe Straus, Stiles and Chang's new lobbying app, M. Smith and Weber on where state officeholders send their children to school, Aaronson on allowing new nuclear power plants, Aguilar on how Hispanic Republicans are handling immigration issues, Ramshaw talks abortion with Planned Parennthood's Cecile Richards, Tan and Dehn on tapping the Rainy Day Fund and Galbraith on San Antonio and its water: The best of our best content from March 14 to 18, 2011. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/3-14-11tribweek-800x530.png)