If the Legislature's in Town, Bills Aren't Dead
The legislative session is in its last month and most bills will die. But setbacks for the big stuff — water, transportation and the like — are usually temporary. Full Story
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Interactive: Tracking Abortion Legislation
Abortion is usually a contentious issue in the Texas Legislature, but this session, lawmakers have had relatively few public debates on it. Use this Tribune interactive to track the progress of bills related to abortion. Full Story
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Video: Campus Carry, School Marshal Bills Get Final House Approval
A handful of gun rights expansion bills debated over the weekend received final passage in the House Monday, including two measures that could impact how students of Texas colleges, universities and public schools see firearms carried and used on campus. Full Story
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The Playlist: Month of May
We have reached the "Month of May," which, in addition to being the final month of the Legislature's 83rd regular session, is the title of a song by Arcade Fire. It leads off our latest playlist inspired by the Texas political news of the week. Full Story
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Texas Weekly Newsreel: Money, Explosions and Deadlines
In the latest Newsreel: The House fights over whether and how to tap the Rainy Day Fund, lawmakers hold hearings on the explosion in West and Gov. Rick Perry says there is plenty of time left in this session to get things done. Full Story
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The Polling Center: Planned Parenthood and the Women’s Health “Equation”
The marginalization of Planned Parenthood probably makes the discussion of women’s health care less contentious — among Republicans, anyway. Full Story
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TribuneFest: The State of Women's Health
At the Trib's April 25 symposium on health care at the University of Texas at Austin, Emily Ramshaw talked about the state of women's health in Texas with state Reps. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, and Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola; Amy Hagstrom Miller of Whole Woman's Health; and Joe Potter of UT-Austin's Population Research Center. Full Story
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Proposed Tax Break Has Some Singing Praises, Others Singing the Blues
A House bill would cut the tax on mixed beverage sales for clubs that prove they’re using the savings to present live music. Advocates for some Texas cities and counties say the proposal would rob their coffers of much-needed tax revenue. Full Story
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![Lindsey Sunflower serves drinks at The Parish, a popular music venue in Austin, Texas. State Rep. Mark Strama is pursuing a bill that would cut the tax on mixed beverages charged to bars if they prove they are using the savings to present live music.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
For Fire Departments, More to State Budget Than Numbers
Budget decisions revolve around numbers, but talking about money is just a way to talk about policy. Consider the case of volunteer fire departments. Full Story
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TribLive: Staples on Paying for the Water Plan
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples explained his strong reluctance to use money from the Rainy Day Fund to jump-start the state water plan. Full Story
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Public, Private Hospitals to Negotiate Financing With Dewhurst
UPDATED: Officials from more than a dozen hospital systems will gather at the Capitol with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Friday to try to iron out a solution to how they are reimbursed for uncompensated care. Full Story
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University Looks to Land Spot in Drone Program
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, with the support of the governor's office, is applying to the FAA to become part of a program that aims to significantly expand the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Full Story
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![Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi engineering student Adam Ersepke and lab coordinator Jack Edward Esparza prepare for the take off of the University’s RS-16 unmanned aerial vehicle, otherwise known as a drone, for a test flight over the Kennedy Ranch near Sarita, Texas on January 18, 2013.]()
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House OKs R&D Tax Credit
A $250 million franchise and sales tax exemption for business research and development won tentative approval from the House on Wednesday. A similar exemption expired in 2006. Full Story
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Video: Lawmakers Want Answers on West Explosion
A dozen officials from six different state agencies came before the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday to reflect on what worked and what didn't in the West fertilizer plant explosion. Full Story
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Lawmakers Want Answers on West Explosion
While not downplaying the devastation of the deadly fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, the head of the state's emergency management operations told lawmakers on Wednesday that "the system worked." Full Story
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![Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd testified before the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee Wednesday about the response to the deadly April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX.]()
Credit: Illustration by Marjorie Cotera -
TribuneFest: Texas and the Affordable Care Act
At the Trib's April 25 symposium on health care at the University of Texas at Austin, Becca Aaronson talked about federal health reform with state Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, John Davidson of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Anne Dunkelberg of the Center for Public Policy Priorities and former deputy comptroller Billy Hamilton. Full Story
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Guest Column: Let Voters Decide on Rainy Day Spending
The best way to finance Texas' pressing water and transportation needs — and to supplement spending on public education — is to let voters decide whether to use the state's Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Disclosure Bills Get Little Love From Top Leaders
With just four weeks remaining in the legislative session, there has been little to no pressure from the top — including key committee chairs — to pass measures that would force greater transparency upon Texas’ elected officials. Full Story
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Interactive: Tracking Texas' Ethics Legislation
State lawmakers have talked a big game this year on transparency and ethics, but with less than a month to go in the 83rd legislative session, the bills they’ve filed haven’t made much progress. Use our interactive to see where they stand. Full Story
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Video: What's Next for Water Infrastructure Funding
The day after the leading measure to fund state water projects stumbled in the House, legislators shifted their focus to a bill that some members hope will also include money for education. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman / Guillermo Esteves
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