The Evening Brief: Jan. 7, 2013
Your evening reading: Combs delivers improved state budget news; Huffman to lead Senate Republican Caucus; Cornyn calls Hagel "profoundly wrong" on national security issues Full Story
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Host of Issues Awaits Texas Lawmakers
With the 83rd Texas legislative session beginning Tuesday, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune looks at the priorities and challenges facing legislators as they head into the 140-day lawmaking scramble. Full Story
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New Legislature Faces a New Set of Priorities
With improving fiscal conditions and redistricting in the rearview, lawmakers are approaching 2013 with pressing policy questions, from whether to introduce private school vouchers to whether to implement key provisions of federal health reform. Full Story
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Fiscal Cliff Deal Could Benefit Austin's Formula One Track
A little-noticed piece of the fiscal cliff deal approved by Congress this week could mean a windfall for the new Formula One racetrack in Austin. The so-called NASCAR tax credit allows racetracks to potentially write off millions of dollars in costs. Full Story
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Once Again, Legislating Will Interrupt Politicking
It feels like the 2013 legislative session, which gets under way Tuesday, is a five-month interruption of the election season. At some point, elections expanded to fill all of the space between the biennial sessions. Full Story
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![The March 1 primary ballot will feature 18 open seats in the Texas Legislature – two in the Senate and 16 in the House.]()
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Clearing Texas Rape Kit Backlog Will Cost Millions
It could cost Texas up to $11 million to clear the backlog of some 20,000 untested rape kits in police agencies statewide. If Congress doesn't come through with funding, lawmakers here in Texas will search for funds to help solve the crimes. Full Story
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State Officials Seek End to Federal Election Oversight
The U.S. Supreme Court may determine the fate of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that became an Achilles' heel for Republican lawmakers this year. That could free Texas from federal oversight in election laws. Full Story
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State of Mind: Valley Physicians Push for Medicaid Reforms
The Rio Grande Valley became one of the last regions to operate under Medicaid health maintenance organizations last year. Now, many doctors there say the red tape in the new system has taken the joy out of practicing medicine. Full Story
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Year in Review: The Hot Seats Across Texas
For more than a year, Evan Smith has traveled all over Texas to interview state legislators back home, in their districts, in front of hundreds of their constituents. At university campuses from Corpus Christi to Tyler and in between, lawmakers talked about issues that affect every one of us in Texas, from education and health care to water and immigration. Full Story
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Inside Out in the House Speaker's Race
Third parties — outsiders — can't vote in the race for Speaker of the House. But the lawmakers who will actually elect the speaker next month are listening, and acting, on what's going on outside. Full Story
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Cancer Institute Appoints Interim Executive Director
The embattled Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas on Friday appointed Wayne Roberts, the vice president of public policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, to serve as interim executive director. Full Story
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Texas Unemployment Drops to Lowest Level Since 2008
In November, for the third month in a row, the Texas unemployment rate dropped, falling to its lowest level since December 2008. Full Story
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Railroad Commissioners Grilled on Fundraising Limits
Lawmakers took a close look at the state's Railroad Commission during a hearing this week, focusing many of their questions on proposals to limit gas and oil companies from giving political donations to commissioners. Full Story
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A Show of Strength, Either Way it Goes
A successful challenge to House Speaker Joe Straus would be a serious show of strength for outside activists. A big defeat, however, could undermine their influence just as the 2013 session begins. Full Story
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At Texas Railroad Commission, a Flurry of Rulemaking
A veritable flurry of rule-making is under way at the Texas Railroad Commission, involving everything from how oil and gas wells are drilled to the recycling of fracking water. Full Story
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At Hearing, Lawmakers Question CPRIT Officials
Lawmakers on Thursday condemned grant policies at the state's cancer institute that left room for potential conflicts of interest, and criticized a lack of transparency at the CPRIT Foundation. Full Story
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Lawmakers to Discuss Future of CPRIT Funding
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday will hear the testimony of officials from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and address whether the state should fund the embattled cancer institute in the future. Full Story
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Interactive: Fewer Bills Filed Before 83rd Session
Ahead of the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers have filed nearly 200 fewer bills than they had filed at the same point two years ago. Use our bill tracker to follow the process, learn more about the proposals or see what your representative has filed so far. Full Story
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State Leaders Want a Halt on Grants by Cancer Research Institute
State leaders on Wednesday called for a moratorium on grants issued by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. They also want the institute's oversight board to immediately address concerns about its grant-making process. Full Story
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As Fallout From Scandal Continues, El Paso ISD Looks to Aid Dropouts
As the El Paso school district continues to reel from a testing scandal, one district program is focusing on the students who dropped out as a result of pressure from school officials. Full Story
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