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January 17, 2023
Breaking! A Democrat and a Republican Have a Nice, Substantive Conversation
Senfronia Thompson and Tom Craddick are two of the longest-serving Texas legislators—and two of the most collegial . . . usually.
148 Articles
Politics & Policy
January 31, 2013
Getting Serious
Behind the humor of Ann Richards’ Democratic keynote address lay the calculation of an ambitious politician.
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2013
It’s Rick Perry’s Party Now
Sophisticated, likable politician? Arrogant, not-ready- for-prime-time player? Rick Perry is both—as well as the presumptive next governor of Texas.
News & Politics
January 20, 2013
25 Stories About Bob Bullock
He’s gone but not forgotten—particularly now, when leadership is in such short supply. Friends and colleagues recall why the late lieutenant governor was one of a kind.
News & Politics
January 20, 2013
Capital Campaign
Why the Bush campaign is good for the Texas economy.
Politics & Policy
March 2, 2011
Squeezing a balloon
A giant billboard on MLK Blvd in Austin on the periphery of the University of Texas campus essentially offers students a job: "Want to teach? When can you start?" Apparently the organization paying for the message hasn't heard about the drama unfolding a few blocks away at the State Capitol,
Politics & Policy
February 21, 2011
Other Than Mexicans
Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw testified before Senate Finance today, sharing his concern that crime in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio is very much connected to Mexican drug cartels, operating though the potent prison gangs Texas Syndicate and Texas Mafia. For most, that’s not particularly “new” news.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2011
TMA opposes sonogram bill?
Wendy Davis just read a letter from the Texas Medical Association opposing the sonogram bill as a violation of the patient-doctor relationship. Dan Patrick is claiming there is no patient- doctor relationship, based on the testimony of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood employee profiled by Texas Monthly.
Politics & Policy
February 16, 2011
Dewhurst’s Secret Budget Plan
Today, House Appropriation’s overflow room was overflowing. Concerned citizens were lining up, some in wheelchairs, to testify about the pain that the proposed budget cuts would inflict. In January, when Chairman Jim Pitts laid out his draconian budget proposal, he called it “a starting point.” But as the days wear
Politics & Policy
February 14, 2011
Is Republican Tax Collector an Oxymoron?
Over the weekend, Gov. Rick Perry essentially threw fellow Republican Susan Combs under the bus when he second-guessed her decision to try to collect sales taxes from Amazon, which has a big distribution center in Irving. In case you missed the story, here’s one version: Perry disagrees with Combs’ decision
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2011
Howard Wins!
This just in from Will Hartnett’s office: Representative Will Hartnett, Master of Discovery for the Election Contest for Texas House District 48 releases the following statement: “After a thorough review of the numerous challenged ballots, I have concluded that Donna Howard won the House District 48 election by 4 votes.
Politics & Policy
February 10, 2011
Senate Finance Divided by Two
Senate Finance chairman Steve Ogden announced today he was dividing his committee in two — at least for half a day — to tackle the budget’s biggest challenges: public education and health and human services. The two subcommittees will meet in public, with agendas posted in advance. Sen. Jane Nelson
Politics & Policy
February 10, 2011
It’s Complicated
Gov. Rick Perry may talk about the Texas budget picture with an Aggie yell leader’s positive gusto (all smiles and rah-rah, though we’re down 28 in the fourth quarter), but his appointee to the top position at the Health and Human Services Commission did not dispel the discouraging tone of
Politics & Policy
February 8, 2011
Back to the Future
One of the most startling passages in Gov. Rick Perry’s State of the State address was his promise that Texas college students will be able to attain a bachelor’s degree for only $10,000…books included! Right on! thought this parent of a Texas college student. With today’s tuition rates of approximately
Politics & Policy
February 4, 2011
False economies
The challenge for Steve Ogden, Jim Pitts and their lieutenants this session is to produce a budget with real, not imagined, fiscal responsibility. Given the anti-government-spending fervor in the political landscape, it will be very tempting to zero out touchy-feely-sounding things like community mental health services and go home and
Politics & Policy
February 3, 2011
Howard-Neil contest update
The outcome of Special Master Will Hartnett’s mini-recount (of about 250 votes) in the House District 48 election contest favored Donna Howard: it proved the original recount correctly removed four votes from her vote total. Attorneys for Dan Neil hoped to cast doubt on the four votes to further whittle
Politics & Policy
February 2, 2011
A recount of the recount
Questions over four paper ballots in the Dan Neil-Donna Howard squeaker prompted Special Master Will Hartnett to order a recount of about 250 paper ballots in the West Austin state representative race. An official recount in December put Democratic incumbent Howard 12 votes up over Neil, but testimony in a
Politics & Policy
February 1, 2011
Well-timed CASA day at the Capitol
As Senate Finance members came to terms Tuesday with how the budget shortfall would effect abused and neglected children, it was CASA Day at the state Capitol. Regular Capitol visitors understand that hundreds of special interest and non-profit groups hold what are essentially lobby days to tell the story of
Politics & Policy
February 1, 2011
An appeal to Texas business
Can it get any more depressing than hearing the word “triage” applied to foster children? That’s what the Senate Finance Committee is hearing this morning about the effects of impending budget cuts on children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse. Yes, the same class of children who,
Politics & Policy
February 1, 2011
Sam Kinch succumbs to pancreatic cancer
Last night, Texas lost one of the most provocative and thoughtful journalists ever to walk the halls of the state Capitol. Sam Kinch, a veteran of the Dallas Morning News and founder of Texas Weekly, died last night after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. I met Sam when I was
Politics & Policy
January 31, 2011
Pray for an oil boom
Mid-way through a day of bleak testimony in Senate finance about impending cuts in the $10 billion range to public education, Sen. Florence Shapiro lamented that “the stars” are completely un-aligned with regards to Texas schools: state general revenue has dropped, property tax values have dropped — and the number
Politics & Policy
January 27, 2011
Peña forms legislative Hispanic Republican Conference
State Rep. Aaron Peña of Edinburg, who recently changed the D after his name to an R, is forming a legislative Hispanic Republican Conference, which he hopes will “inject a dose of realism” into some of the session’s most divisive issues. Before everyone jumps to the comments section to be
Politics & Policy
January 26, 2011
Tax exemption review possible
Senate Finance chair Steve Ogden says that Senate leaders are considering naming a subcommittee of Finance to review tax exemptions. “In order to get to 21 votes, I’ve got to look at everything — including cuts, using the Rainy Day Fund and finding non-tax revenue,” he said today. “”Before it’s
Politics & Policy
January 25, 2011
A 23-month budget
Sen. Steve Ogden has been candid that the budget bill he proposed is not attractive: he says there’s no way he could get 21 votes to pass it. But the reaction to the Senate proposed budget filed this week has been met with a lot less anxiety than the House
Politics & Policy
January 25, 2011
Office Pool….
Yesterday, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said he had an office pool going over how long the public testimony on Voter ID would last. I’d like to propose another pool: How many times will Voter ID sponsor Troy Frasier decline to answer his colleague’s questions and refer them to “expert witnesses”
Politics & Policy
January 24, 2011
Scheduling conflicts in the Senate
The Voter ID debate will not happen today because (pick your favorite explanation): someone forgot that the Senate had already planned an hour-long ceremony honoring wounded warriors, there is a Democratic fundraiser tonight, or one side or the other couldn’t get their witnesses lined up, what with the short notice
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2011
A Speaker’s Race in the East Wing
On Dec. 28, 2000, the Texas Senate elected one of its own to take Rick Perry’s place as lieutenant governor and Bill Ratliff was sworn in immediately. The brief ceremony, I wrote in the Febuary, 2001 issue of Texas Monthly, was the culmination of: “two years of intense, behind-the-scenes wrangling
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2011
Selling School Finance Cuts
Speaking today with school finance experts, it’s clear that the proposed education budget cuts will wreak havoc on the current finance mechanism — but they also create a seemingly unsolvable political problem for those who hoped to pass a new school finance law. As Burka noted in his earlier post
Politics & Policy
January 19, 2011
House budget shocks and awes
If the purpose of the House budget bill was Shock-and-Awe, it achieved maximum success: House Democrats wasted no time identifying the many, many Doomsday scenarios that would result if state programs are cut to fit available revenue. No room for grandma at the nursing home. No financial aid for worthy
Politics & Policy
January 14, 2011
Getting Serious About Open Government
Sen. Kirk Watson’s proposal to add transparency to the budget process by laying out the conference committee report for five days has gotten some traction. Lots of ideas are floating around about how to achieve the same result without adopting different deadlines from the House, for instance, laying out the
Politics & Policy
January 12, 2011
More sunlight on budget?
The Senate postponed its rules debate until next week over two issues: setting a special order for Voter ID and Kirk Watson’s proposal to require a 5- day layout of the conference committee report on the budget. Apparently, the Senate sees the wisdom of actually knowing what is in the
Politics & Policy
January 11, 2011
Day One: A Tale of Two Styles
Today’s Senate session cast in stark relief two different leadership styles: those of Governor Rick Perry and of Senator Steve Ogden, who was elected Senate president pro tempore today. Perry expressed his belief that the Legislature could produce a balanced budget with no additional revenues, noting that the public had
Politics & Policy
January 11, 2010
Day One: A Tale of Two Styles
Today’s Senate session cast in stark relief two different leadership styles: that of Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Steve Ogden, who was elected Senate president pro tempore. Perry expressed his belief that the Legislature could produce a balanced budget with no additional revenues, noting that the public had spoken loudly
Politics & Policy
June 4, 2009
Sine Die treachery
Lost in all the controversy over the Senate’s decision to adjourn Sine Die was the death of Sen. Judith Zaffirini’s SB 42. The bill addresses whether “proportionality” should be used in determining state contribution to community college retirement plans. It’s the sort of issue that makes your eyes glaze over,
Politics & Policy
May 31, 2009
Threat of Senate filibuster postponed; TxDOT rumored to be DOA
HB 3827 almost touched off a Senate filibuster, but Sen. Bob Duell pulled down consideration until tomorrow. The issue is over immunity for underground storage tank leakage; Democrats feared it would give manufacturers of MTBE immunity for contamination of ground water and the cost of clean-ups would be borne by
Politics & Policy
May 31, 2009
Equal time for Hegar
Today, State Senator Glenn Hegar issued the following statement: “I am extremely proud of the work of the conference committee on HB 300—the Texas Department of Transportation Sunset legislation—and I am very disappointed by the unfair attacks made by Senator Carona against the committee, the process that we employed to seek a
Politics & Policy
May 31, 2009
Hinojosa responds to Carona
Sen. John Carona’s statement earlier today questioned an amendment to the TxDOT sunset bill advocated by Sen. Juan Hinojosa. Hinojosa has released to the Senate (and public) a letter in response to Carona. “My amendment to HB 300 contains the entirety of SB 1572, a bill I authored in response
Politics & Policy
May 31, 2009
Carona explains filibuster intentions
Here is the statement his office released today: Why I Will Filibuster the TxDOT Sunset Bill, by Senator John Carona There is an old Italian saying: Dai nemici mi guardo io, dagli amici mi guardi Iddio. It means "I can protect myself from my enemies; may God protect me from
Politics & Policy
May 31, 2009
Time now the enemy of CHIP
The legislation that would allow families to buy in to CHIP has been tucked into the conference committee report on HB 2080, which was filed last night at 11:56 p.m. Since the report must lay out for 24 hours before it can be adopted, time could easily run out before
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2009
Carona considering filibuster
State Sen. John Carona, still smarting from the death of his local-option gas tax plan, is considering a filibuster of the adoption of the Texas Department of Transportation sunset bill. The local option tax was stripped by a conference committee report that was not shown to Transportation Chair Carona or
Politics & Policy
May 28, 2009
McLeroy nomination fails
As expected, Senate Democrats — with Eddie Lucio present, not voting — blocked the confirmation of Bryan dentist Don McLeroy as chair of the State Board of Education. At least, everyone seemed to expect it but Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who announced after the vote that McLeroy was confirmed, until
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2009
Averitt optimistic about CHIP expansion bill
Sen. Kip Averitt says he is optimistic that he will be able to amend his CHIP expansion bill to House a bill still waiting for Senate approval — but says he is waiting to see if the House moves first. While he says he has not spoken directly to Dewhurst
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2009
“Black helicopter” caucus in Senate targets needle exchange
Sen. Bob Deuell almost found a ride for his needle exchange bill, until its addition to a bill by Sen. Royce West threatened to kill West’s bill. Deuell reluctantly took off the amendment, but urged his Republican colleagues to start “looking at facts” and quit looking for “black helicopters” when
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2009
Who’s killing CHIP?
The CHIP bill sponsored by Rep. Garnet Coleman and Sen. Kip Averitt does not have to fall victim to the genocidal slaughter occurring in the Texas House. There are lots of ways it could be revived, including, of course, a vote by two-thirds of the House to take it up
Politics & Policy
May 25, 2009
Smokeless tobacco users to pick up tab for tax cut
Interesting play in Senate Finance this morning: The committee approved Sen. Juan Hinojosa’s bill which changes the method of taxing smokeless tobacco to a weight-based system. The new method raises $105 million biennially, which will fund a program paying off student loans for doctors who work in under-served areas. Next
Politics & Policy
May 22, 2009
From the best political writers in the U.S….
Enjoy the latest take on Rick Perry’s secessionist leanings from the national “media.”
Politics & Policy
May 21, 2009
Follow the money
At today’s post-Senate session press avail, Sen. Steve Ogden says the final budget document approved by conferees shapes public policy in several big ways, including: 1. “A dramatic shift in policy in how we serve mentally retarded Texans” represented by a $500 million increase in total funds for community services
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2009
Resurrection Day
I declared on a recent Friday podcast that Don McLeroy’s confirmation as chairman of the State Board of Education was officially dead this session, but this afternoon Senate Nominations sent the controversial Bryan dentist’s confirmation to the Senate floor for a vote. So, to quote Billy Crystal’s character in “The
Politics & Policy
May 19, 2009
House prevails on stem cells
Sen. Steve Ogden just announced that his rider banning use of state funds for embryonic stem cell research will not appear in the new state budget. “We really couldn’t come to a consensus” so the bill will be silent on the stem cell issue, Ogden announced in this morning’s conference
Politics & Policy
May 14, 2009
Ogden passes stem cell study bill
Sen. Steve Ogden won Senate passage of a bill requiring all state agencies to file a public report detailing any research involving human embryonic stem cell research. There was little debate, thanks to an amendment by Sen. Kirk Watson. Watson, who is on record saying he favors a public database