Politics & Policy
June 27, 2013
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick?
The candidacy of Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor could be a seminal moment in Texas politics.
Burka Blog
Politics & Policy
June 27, 2013
Two Thirds? Or Not Two Thirds?
With another special session set to begin on July 1, the issue arises of how the Senate will handle the two-thirds rule. Will there be a blocker bill? Will the tradition be honored?The history is that in 2003, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst made the decision that the two-thirds rule would
Politics & Policy
June 27, 2013
The Supremes, Round Two: Shelby County v. Holder
In the epic flood of news these past few days, I wanted to return to a U.S. Supreme Court decision from earlier in the week. After ruling on Fisher, a more far-reaching case came down: Shelby County v. Holder, in which the justices decimated the Voting Rights
Politics & Policy
June 26, 2013
What the Filibuster Means
The obvious question about whether the Democrats have a candidate in Davis who has the potential to break the party's long losing streak in statewide races is hard to answer.
Politics & Policy
June 25, 2013
The Supremes, Round One: Fisher v. University of Texas
The U.S. Supreme Court made the right ruling yesterday in Fisher v. University of Texas by remanding the case to a lower federal court.
Politics & Policy
June 24, 2013
The Abortion Debate in the House
The abortion debate in the House yesterday strengthened my longstanding conviction that this issue has done more harm to American politics than any other. It's where our politics began to jump the rails because it is a fight that cannot be resolved.
Politics & Policy
June 24, 2013
Williams v. Patrick
In the ongoing sniper fire that is taking place between Senate Finance chair Tommy Williams and Education chair Dan Patrick, I am in total agreement with Williams. If you are appointed to the Finance committee, you are obligated to support the committee’s work. This has been the practice
Politics & Policy
June 20, 2013
One More Post About Perry’s Future
Perry told Bloomberg News that he would announce his decision about whether he would seek a full fourth term as governor by July 1. Why is he holding off on his reelect announcement?
Politics & Policy
June 18, 2013
UT/TT Poll on Perry, Cruz, and Abbott
The latest approval numbers aren't terribly surprising.
Politics & Policy
June 17, 2013
Immigration, Border Security, and the Rio Grande Valley
The battle over securing the border has shifted from Arizona to Texas, according to the New York Times.
Politics & Policy
June 15, 2013
Grading the Perry Vetoes
Perry's vetoes did very little damage to the record of the Eighty-third Legislature.
Politics & Policy
June 13, 2013
Discussing Our Best/Worst Legislator List on Trib Live
Brian D. Sweany, Erica Grieder, Sonia Smith and I joined Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune to talk about our picks for the 2013 Ten Best/Ten Worst Legislators list.
Politics & Policy
June 12, 2013
The Best and Worst Legislators 2013
The legislators that shaped the Eighty-third Legislative session, for good and bad.
Politics & Policy
June 12, 2013
Opening the Call
Governor Rick Perry on Tuesday added abortion and juvenile sentencing to the special session call.
Politics & Policy
June 11, 2013
The Debate Over Accountability and Rigor
Governor Rick Perry deserves praise for being on the right side of the rigor debate.
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2013
Regarding the Redistricting Op-Ed by Perry and Dewhurst
Governor Perry and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst published an op-ed piece on redistricting in today’s Houston Chronicle. Here is an excerpt:Following every federal census, the Texas Constitution requires the Texas Legislature to draw new district boundaries for the Texas House of Representatives, Texas Senate and U.S. Congress, which the Legislature did
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2013
Sine Die for the 83rd Legislature
The 83rd Legislature was the best session in many years, going back to at least 2003, when Republicans completed their sweep of Texas politics by securing a majority in the House of Representatives.
Politics & Policy
May 25, 2013
The Deal
The sticking point in the budget negotiations between the House and Senate was the System Benefit Fund.
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2013
Regarding David Dewhurst
Poor David Dewhurst. He occupies what was once widely considered to be the most powerful office in the state. Now he is reduced to begging Rick Perry to help him pass his pet legislation so that he can have something to take to the voters. Dewhurst has had plenty of
Burka Blog
May 23, 2013
The Budget Moves Forward
They should have stamped “fragile” on the House budget package. That is how tricky it was to assemble. Chairman Pitts tried to explain to the tea party members that there was no money in SJR 1; it’s just a vessel for moving future payments into the Rainy Day Fund for
Politics & Policy
May 22, 2013
About Last Night
Haven’t we seen this picture before? Speaker Straus performs well for most of the session, but when crunch time comes, he can’t close the deal. His team has no cohesion (except for Geren), and there doesn’t appear to be a strategy. So Straus falls back into his old persona of
Politics & Policy
May 21, 2013
Confirming the New UT Regents
UPDATE: The Nominations Committee has approved all three nominees the UT System Board of Regents. The full Senate will take up nominations next.I walked in the east door of the Capitol yesterday with Senator John Whitmire. He asked if I was going to nominations. I said I was.
Politics & Policy
May 18, 2013
Elements of the Budget Deal
These were the final elements of the budget deal that was reached yesterday: –Add $200 million to the Foundation School Program –Use a portion of TRS funding to get to $3.9 billion, the Democrats’ target amount for restoring the school cuts The major point of disagreement arose over the System
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2013
Williams, Perry, and the Budget
This morning I wrote about the prospects for a budget deal, the topic du jour that is uppermost in everyone’s mind. The post contained, among other comments, this line: “House Democrats complained that Senate budget chief Tommy Williams had ‘misled’ them.” That is what I was told by
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2013
Things Fall Apart
As we tweeted last night as events were rapidly developing, the hopes for a budget deal that would send everyone home happy appeared to evaporate yesterday. House Democrats complained that Senate budget chief Tommy Williams had “misled” them. Dewhurst showed up in the House chamber and disappeared into the back
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2013
The Non-session Session
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.
Politics & Policy
May 9, 2013
“Responsible” Funding for Transportation
UPDATE: REP. DARBY HAS PULLED DOWN HIS BILL, AND IN DOING SO SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE TAKEN UP IN A SPECIAL SESSION.Michael Quinn Sullivan is at it again. Writing on the Empower Texans website, he assails the House leadership for scheduling a bill raising fees for transportation.
Politics & Policy
May 8, 2013
Disorganization in the House
Yesterday’s scene at the end of the floor session in the House was all too familiar. The proceedings limped to a close. Members milled about in the aisles. A major tax-cut bill, HB 500, was on the calendar but hardly anyone knew what was in it. Or cared. This scene
Politics & Policy
May 6, 2013
Remember the School Finance Case?
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.
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2013
What Is Going on With Calendars?
How could Chairman Todd Hunter allow HB 1076, by Steve Toth — the “nullification” bill — to get on the general state calendar? Calendars is not a charity booth for clueless tea party members. It’s serious business. This is the worst breach of the way Calendars is supposed
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2013
Abbott and Domestic Partner Benefits
Senator Dan Patrick and Attorney General Greg Abbott have teamed up to try to prohibit Texas employers from providing domestic partnership benefits to their workers. Patrick got the ball rolling when he discovered that Pflugerville ISD offered domestic partnership benefits to employees. Abbott made his ruling through an
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2013
How the Water Bill Dried Up
It was a wild night in the House yesterday as Democrats and Republicans battled over their respective priorities: water, for Republicans and education, for Democrats. The leadership could not get the votes for taking money out of the Rainy Day Fund for water—even though Perry came out for doing
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2013
Water, Water, Everywhere?
Today is the pivotal moment of the session—a vote on HB 11, the funding bill for the water plan. The vote was preceded this afternoon by a meeting of the House Republican caucus, at which Rick Perry was in attendance. Afterward, he told reporters that the prudent
Politics & Policy
April 26, 2013
The Opening of the Bush Center
The opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center went smoothly, complete with blue skies and warm feelings. There were a few protestors with signs on the SMU campus, but they were stationed a long distance from the area occupied by the presidents–and out of their sight. The best description
Politics & Policy
April 24, 2013
The Legacy of George W. Bush
Looking back on 43 as the the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum opens its doors.
Politics & Policy
April 24, 2013
Perry’s Response to West
Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that spending more state money on inspections would not have prevented the deadly explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. plant that was last investigated by Texas environmental regulators in 2006. Excuse me for asking, but … how would Perry know? You
Politics & Policy
April 22, 2013
The House Calendars
Has anyone else noticed how innocuous the daily House calendars have been? General State is short and filled with bills of little consequence; debate proceeds at a snail’s pace, maybe six bills covered in a day. Major State is primarily for Sunset bills.I do not believe this is happening by
Politics & Policy
April 19, 2013
Perry’s Tax Cut
At a press conference on Monday, Governor Perry called for $1.6 billion in business tax cuts–including 5 percent off the margins tax–in an attempt to make good on his promise for “tax relief” this session. What does this prove? That Perry never seems to run out of bad ideas.In fact,
Politics & Policy
April 18, 2013
The Tea Party, Rick Perry, and Debt
I seldom find myself in agreement with the tea party, but they are dead right in their skepticism of debt. This is why you can make the argument that Rick Perry is not a true conservative. He won’t raise taxes, but he doesn’t mind going deep into debt–and retiring debt
Politics & Policy
April 17, 2013
The Battle for UT Is Far From Over
In October 2012, I wrote a cover story about the battle over UT. That battle, which matched regents appointed by Rick Perry against the leadership of UT-Austin, has not abated. I’m going to discuss portions of Brian Sweany’s recent interview with regent Wallace Hall as well
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2013
An Easy Ethics Fix
I have to admire the Tribune‘s Ross Ramsey. If you have to adopt a cause, you might as well make it a hopeless one. In Ramsey’s case, it’s ethics reform. I’m going to make a small suggestion that might spur the Ethics Commission to action. Two high-profile cases
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2013
The Legacy of Bob Perry
Bob Perry, the Houston homebuilder and mega contributor to Republican causes and, in the 2004 presidential race, the Swift Boat Vets, passed away at him home this weekend at the age of 80.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2013
Potential Fallout Over Travis County DA’s DUI Arrest
The DUI arrest of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg could have far-ranging consequences.
Politics & Policy
April 12, 2013
Road to Somewhere?
At last, Rick Perry has decided to back more spending on transportation. His plan, which was developed by a group of trade associations (Realtors, Texas Association of Business, Texas Oil and Gas Association, and Texas Motor Transport Association) and announced today at a meeting of the Texas Lyceum, calls for
Politics & Policy
April 12, 2013
Perry: Due for a Comeback?
Wayne Slater has a piece in the Morning News today that touts Rick Perry’s viability for a political comeback. His thesis is that Americans love a good comeback story, and he cites the examples of former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and former New York congressman Anthony Weiner.
Politics & Policy
April 11, 2013
Return of Super-PAC
The Hill reported on April 9 that the anti-incumbent super-PAC Campaign for Primary Accountability is back, and it will once again target long-serving lawmakers. Why should this concern us in Texas? It so happens that one of the targets of is Lamar Smith, of San Antonio.I trust that
Politics & Policy
April 10, 2013
The Difficult Question on Vouchers
The main bill up for discussion was Dan Patrick’s SB 23, which would establish the Texas Equal Opportunity Scholarship Program. It would allow certain organizations to award scholarships to pay educational expenses for eligible students in public elementary or secondary schools to attend private or parochial schools. To
Politics & Policy
April 10, 2013
Being Tested on Testing
UPDATE: This post has been corrected to accurately reflect the graduation requirements under HB 5.Yesterday I wrote about the Washington Post’s editorial on the changing graduation requirements that are working their way through the Legislature. I received a call yesterday from Tom Luce, who had read my post
Politics & Policy
April 9, 2013
The Washington Post Weighs in on Testing
It isn't often that a major national newspaper shines a light on a state's educational system, but this is what the Washington Post's editorial board did on April 7.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2013
Area 51
The first day of debate over the House Appropriations bill is typically one of the most consequential events of a legislative session. Last Thursday’s debate was no exception. The highlight was a school vouchers amendment by Democrat Abel Herrero, of Corpus Christi: The language of Herrero’s amendment read, “Use