Countless right wingers could do the attorney general's job more effectively, but none would so reliably serve the interests of one faction in the Texas GOP's civil war.
Texas can change the status quo if our elected leaders engage in a good-faith debate over gun safety.
In the pantheon of lawmaker-involved squabbles, what happened at the J.W. Marriott hotel in Austin on Wednesday night probably doesn’t rank higher (lower?) than the time Borris Miles whipped out a gun at a party, or the time Bob Bullock pulled a gun on
These two state legislators just might hold the key to the coming legislative session.
House speaker Joe Straus asks President Trump to stop the policy, while State Representative César Blanco asks Abbott to cease National Guard deployment.
Retiring House Speaker Joe Straus helped finance business backlash against social conservatives.
Abbott and Patrick are bringing the power of incumbency to bear against a Rebellion of educators, business leaders and moderate Republicans.
Dan Patrick’s defense of state education spending is also a pretty good argument for an income tax.
Dan Patrick’s Scorched-Earth Potty Politics.
In jab at Senate, House budget proposal makes $1.5 billion in property tax relief contingent on school finance overhaul.
House Speaker warns that transgender restrictions could cost San Antonio $243 million.
Speaker wins fifth term unanimously, sort of.
Can lawmakers invest in the future of Texas children with $2.8 billion less to spend?
Jeff Judson should be praying for Joe Straus to win tomorrow.
The Legislative Budget Board is correct about the limits of the line-item veto—but Governor Abbott has plenty of power.
He tipped his hand by backing the governor over the Lege.
Governor Greg AbbottOf all the leaders entering the legislative session, the biggest question mark centered on Greg Abbott, the first new governor in Texas in fourteen years. The attorney general since 2002, he led the Republican ticket last November and walloped Democrat Wendy Davis in the
They’re in a thankless position in the Lege these days.
No offense to Michael Quinn Sullivan, but he’s never even won a Republican primary runoff, has he?
The Senate has already lost the fight over tax cuts.
On fiscal issues, at least, they have a unified front.
If the 2012 GOP primary results between Ted Cruz and David Dewhurst are any indicator, tea party strength in the Texas Legislature has peaked.
The Lieutenant Governor’s Internet Commenters Council is misreading history, and the Pre-K bill.
A contentious breakfast between the state leadership today ended with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declaring he was tired of Governor Greg Abbott and Speaker Joe Straus “picking on me.”
It’s hard to argue with results of the House debate over the budget bill.
Joe Straus’s picks for the 84th session include lots of new chairs and not much drama.
On the first day of the Eighty-fourth Legislature, the Texas House voted for order.
Despite all the exits and entrances around him, House speaker Joe Straus plans on staying right where he is.
How Erica Grieder learned to stop worrying and look forward to the Eighty-fourth Legislature.
The Tea Party’s pursuit of purity is particularly damaging in Texas
John Boehner’s re-election shows that national conservatives should have been paying attention to the Tea Party’s travails in the Texas House.
The news that Speaker Joe Straus has become the Vice Chair of the Republican Legislative Campaign should be the final nail in the coffin of Michael Quinn Sullivan and Empower Texans. Of course I know it won’t. But it should end any speculation that Straus has any political worries whatsoever;
Some questions about Barack Obama's explanation for his executive action on immigration, announced last week.
On Thursday, the president said that Congress had left him no choice but to act alone. Conservatives can argue otherwise.
The border surge, extended. Immigration action, executed. Hispanic voters, considered. And more!
Joe Straus is safe--and he always was.
The false criticism of Joe Straus.
Rick Perry and the House appear to be on a collision course. The chatter is increasing around the Capitol that if the Transparency Committee continues on its course to impeach Wallace Hall, the governor will call the Legislature into a series of special sessions this summer, presumably on transportation.I don’t
The voters have spoken (loudly) in the primary election. Where do we go from here?
Joe Straus’s enemies are out in force once again, trying to make a mountain out of a molehill — namely, the issue of diverting gasoline tax revenue to other uses. Let me state unequivocally that diversions are a phony issue. They are not an affront to transparency. The only diversion
What does the math of a speaker's race show? Joe Straus is nearly impossible to beat.
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
Last Thursday Joe Straus announced the hiring of Lindsey Parham as a senior adviser, a move that suggests he may have long-term ambitions beyond this session and, perhaps, beyond the speakership.
AP Photo | Eric GayJoe Straus said at the beginning of the session that he was going to put the House to work on the state’s biggest problems, and he is making good on his vow. On Tuesday the House passed HB 5, a major public education bill that
During a speech Monday, the governor laid out a five-point, budget-cutting pledge for no new taxes. But what was he really saying?
Emergency U.S. Supreme Court case? Delayed March primary? The reactions to the federal panel of judge’s interim map pour in.
The Speaker lets us into his office.
The Republicans whipped the Democrats in November. Now what are they going to do?
After the members of the House took the oath of office this afternoon, they heard from two of the state’s leaders. One was Joe Straus, who had just won a third term as speaker, this time by acclamation. The other was Rick Perry, who is presumed to be running for
Last week Michael Quinn Sullivan posted a story on the Empower Texans web site headlined “Toxic Joe.” The reference, of course, is to Joe Straus, the speaker of the House, whom Sullivan has tried to remove from power, with nothing to show for his efforts. The Sullivan-imposed nickname
