The Evening Brief: April 9, 2013
Your evening reading: Senate panel hears impassioned debate over school choice bill; Perry urges Obama to press Mexico to release water to Texas; Cornyn, McCaul file border security measure Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Perry to Obama: Press Mexico for Water
In a letter to President Obama on Tuesday, Gov. Rick Perry urged the federal government to press Mexico to release more water to Texas under the terms of a 1944 treaty. Full Story
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![Rio Grande as seen from Chapeno, Starr Co.]()
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Fight Over Information Security Could Jeopardize "Michael Morton Act"
A fight over what defense lawyers could do with information about their clients in criminal cases after prosecutors turn it over to them is threatening to stymie the “Michael Morton Act.” Full Story
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The Brief: April 9, 2013
With the budget fight largely over, attention in the Capitol has moved back to other contentious issues, like school choice and gambling. Full Story
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![The Texas Senate on the opening day of the 83rd legislative session on Jan. 8, 2013.]()
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Seliger: Perry Should Address UT System Tensions
Amid mounting tensions between the University of Texas System and the Legislature, Senate Higher Education Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, is calling for Gov. Rick Perry to step in and calm the waters. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Evening Brief: April 8, 2013
Your evening reading: prospects dim for bill that would cut early-voting period; Carona touts gambling measure ahead of committee hearing; Craddick says he meant to vote against anti-voucher amendment Full Story
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Carona Sets the Stage for Hearing on Gambling Measure
"You never really know when a major issue like this will find a break or an opportunity to be passed," state Sen. John Carona said Monday of proposed legislation that could lead to the legalization of casino gambling in Texas. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Bill That Cuts Early-Voting Period Likely to Be Pulled
A bill that would slash the number of days allowed for early voting is likely to be pulled after scathing testimony Monday from opponents who said the bill was discriminatory and retrogressive. Full Story
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Credit: Amy Qualls-McClure -
Texas Roads Paved With Taxes, Tolls and Debt
Voters want better roads. Lawmakers want happy voters. Roads require taxes, tolls, debt or some combination of the three, which is why conservative officeholders are using those three dirty words. Full Story
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Credit: Bill Jacobus -
The Medicaid Expansion Merry-Go-Round
Republican legislators who want to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars are struggling to find common ground between the Perry administration in Texas and the Obama administration in Washington. But they're trying. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Four UT System Regents Call for Special Meeting
Amid heightened tensions with state lawmakers, four University of Texas System regents have called for a special meeting of their board, likely to be held this week. Full Story
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The Playlist: We Can Work It Out
This week's news-inspired playlist is entirely dedicated to Thursday's budget debate in the Texas House. To set the stage, we begin with Stevie Wonder singing "We Can Work It Out." Full Story
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Texas Weekly Newsreel: Medicaid Expansion, the Budget and CPRIT
This week in the Newsreel: Gov. Rick Perry says no again to Medicaid expansion, the Texas House starts debate on a new state budget and the Senate approves CPRIT reform legislation. Full Story
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Video: Grant Recipients Monitoring CPRIT Debate
A proposed overhaul of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has made it through the state Senate. It’s not clear whether the House is ready to do the same for the agency. Those who have seen the benefits of CPRIT firsthand are closely watching what happens. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
For Budget Vote, House Had a Women's Health Negotiator
One lawmaker is getting much of the credit for restoring family planning funding to the House budget without the usual floor fight: state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place. Full Story
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![Texas State Representative Sarah Davis listens to speaker of the house Joe Straus introducer her at a fundraiser in a private home in Houston Wednesday, October 3, 2012.]()
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A House Less Susceptible to Political Stampedes
In 2011, state lawmakers fresh from a Tea Party election surge were hypersensitive to the opinions of and instructions from conservative activists. But as Thursday's House budget debate showed, this session isn't quite the same. Full Story
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Agenda Texas: Behind the Scenes of the Budget Debate
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: While there was plenty of action on the floor as the House debated a budget bill on Thursday, we took a look at the work being done outside of the chamber. Full Story
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![Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, has left the House, and would-be successors are lining up.]()
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Reluctance to Expansion of Health Care in Texas Has a Familiar Ring
If the state government's resistance to expanding Medicaid sounds familiar, it's because something like this happened when George W. Bush was governor, and conservatives were wary of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
El Paso Power Plant Draws Opposition
Citing the need for more power to meet the demands of a burgeoning community, El Paso Electric plans to build a natural gas power plant. But a legislator has joined forces with a coalition of residents intent to fight the project. Full Story
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![Seen is the Longhorn Pipeline petroleum tank storage terminal in the Montana Vista community in far East El Paso, Texas on April 1, 2013. El Paso Electric plans to build a natural gas power plant that will be able to provide electricity to 80,000 homes in the area.]()
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The Brief: April 5, 2013
A few bursts of drama punctuated an otherwise tame day of debate over the House budget on Thursday. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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