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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The University of Texas Board of Regents chairman on the controversies over higher education and the future of learning.
Senator Donna Campbell puts a new twist on the debate over photo ID: You can't say "I do" until you show the proper form of identification.
Monday, May 13, 2013
When the curtain went up on the 83rd Legislature, I thought the state was poised to have one of the best sessions ever. Then everything fell apart.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Texas's capital was the first stop on the president's new "Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour."
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Central Texas was the first stop on President Obama's "Middle Class Jobs and Opportunity" tour.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
On Monday the Senate passed HB-5, which slashes the number of mandatory tests in Texas high schools, proposes a new way to rate districts, and restructures the high school diploma plans.
In February, Judge John Dietz ruled that the state's current school finance system was unconstitutional. However, the legislature's restoration of some of last session's deep cuts to schools during the 83rd legislative session could be a game changer for the lawsuit.
Monday, May 6, 2013
A Republican judge from Harris County, with the support of the conservative TPPF and the left-leaning TCJC, is working with Democratic lawmakers to reduce the sentences for defendants arrested with trace amounts of illegal drugs. But it takes more than bipartisanship to change people's views on the state's drug laws.
The city held a special place in Lyndon Baines Johnson’s heart, and a number of the places significant in his life there are still around.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
In an interview with Texas Monthly in Washington last week, the freshman congressman from El Paso weighed in on border security, U.S.-Mexico trade, and immigration reform.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum opened today. Americans are still trying to figure out how we feel about that.
Looking back on 43 as the the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum opens its doors.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
After more than a dozen amendments toughening regulations on short-term lenders were added to Sen. John Carona's payday lending bill, he referred to his legislation as an "ugly baby" before it passed out of the Senate. But can it make it out of the House?
Monday, April 22, 2013
The latest data from the Texas Workforce Commission shows that the state actually lost jobs last month. About 4,100. The total employment numbers have changed 0.0 percent. But still!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Sen. John Carona found his payday lending bill met with more opposition on the Senate floor than he had anticipated Thursday, prompting him to suggest that lobbyists were exercising undue influence over some of his colleagues.
Over the past two decades a movement to increase the importance of standardized testing in public schools has swept across the country. It was born in Texas. Is Texas also where it might die?
Acting like a rube used to be the best way to get ahead in politics. Now something crazier is required.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
After the deadliest industrial accident in American history, the people of Texas City were angry—at the government, not the company that caused the catastrophe
After 100 days of relative calm, discord finally erupted in the Senate when Dan Patrick brought up a rare and controversial measure to recall a colleague's bill.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
The latest edition of "Texas on the Brink" shows that for all of its success, Texas has plenty of room for improvement
On Monday, Donna Campbell's resolution to add an amendment to the Texas constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion lead to a discussion about abortion rights, the Westboro Baptist Church, and goat slaughter.
Monday, April 15, 2013
In an exclusive conversation with Texas Monthly, the controversial UT regent opens up about the board, the Legislature, and the future of UT-Austin president Bill Powers.
Friday, April 12, 2013
On Thursday the Texas Senate passed SB2, which would expand the number of charter licenses in the state.
On Thursday the Senate passed SB 21—the drug-testing-for-unemployment-benefits bill—with a couple of modifications from the Democrats, and without much excitement on either side.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Republicans and Democrats agree on drug testing for welfare recipients? Maybe there is something in the water.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Republican State Senator from Houston made what was his third appearance on the show this year to talk guns Tuesday night.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The Senate Criminal Justice Committee unanimously signed off on a measure Tuesday that would require DNA testing of all biological evidence before capital cases go to trial.
The announcement that Google Fiber is coming to Austin means more than just super-fast cat videos.
Friday, April 5, 2013
A bill requiring the state attorney general to take legal action if cities or counties attempt to regulate guns passed the Senate Thursday over the objections of Sen. Royce West.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Don't understand Texas's constitutional spending cap? You've come to the right place.
The Senate Education Committee heard four hours of testimony Tuesday on a bill by Senator Dan Patrick that would require the State Board of Education to sign off on all lesson plans included in the online curriculum management tool CSCOPE.
Whatever happens to the struggling agency, the fallout from the scandal will linger.
Monday, April 1, 2013
The Capitol was the site of two dueling press conferences Monday over what could be one of the signature fights of the 2013 session: Medicaid expansion.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
The Senate takes up the issue of local revenue, and the locals aren’t happy.
"I'd never marry a guy I didn't like," says the man who once covered “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other."
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Why we need to get a grip on all this Second Amendment hysteria.
A key compromise on SB-11 moves the controversial bill to the full Senate.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Polls show that a majority of Texans support legal recognition for same-sex couples, but legalizing marriage equality in Texas would require an amendment to the state constitution.
The Senate's unanimous passage of SB 7 gives a small hint of what a Texas approach to Medicaid might look like.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Has Texas entered a new era in which talking about new revenue doesn't equal certain political death?
Friday, March 22, 2013
This week's debate on the PUC shows why the sunset process continues to shine light on good government.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
One day after the Legislature shows its support for UT president William Powers, the Board of Regents strikes back.
The Democrats in the Texas Senate might not be crazy about this year's budget, but most of them are a lot happier than they were in 2011.
The consultants behind Battleground Texas believe the state is ready to swing back to the Democrats. They could learn a thing or two from the Republicans.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The Senate approved a measure that would allow voters to decide whether to amend the constitution to limit statewide elected officials to two terms.
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Texas Tribune reported Monday that the president of the Fort Bend County Tea Party formerly served as the “director of propaganda” for the American Fascist Party. Listen to a speech Ives gave in September at Tea Party meeting where he hosted Michael Quinn Sullivan.
What's really behind Dan Patrick's bill on graduation requirements at the state's public universities?