Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
Down-Ballot Races Surprise
Upsets! Runoffs! Drama! The U.S. Senate race wasn't the only contest worth watching Tuesday night.
Rob Eissler
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2011
School finance deal reached: part Eissler, part Shapiro
This is an exact quote from the working paper of a senior adviser to Straus: Option 1 Year 1–50% reduction from target revenue & 50% reduction from regular program Year 2–50% reduction from target revenue & 50% reduction from regular program Provisions sunset 8/31/2-13 Interim Committee to study school finance
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2009
Dueling Education Debates
First, here’s an update from Abby Rappaport on the House: Dawnna Dukes just lost the most exciting battle thus far on her amendment to eliminate school closures. Dukes spoke at length about the troubles at Webb Elementary School and argued that some school districts don’t mind school closure. “That just
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2009
Accountability bills will be debated today in both houses
By Abby Rapoport Given the amount of prep work Rob Eissler has done to make HB 3 acceptable to the potential critics, today's debate on education accountability may well breeze along. But if the sparks start to fly, here are some fires to watch out for: Career and Technical Standards
Politics & Policy
April 22, 2009
Accountability bill clears committee; emphasizes college readiness; ends high-stakes testing
This post was written by by Abby Rapoport, Texas Monthly intern--PB HB 3, Rob Eissler’s school accountability bill, passed out of committee with only one “no” vote—no easy feat given the opposition he faced from many school groups and minority lawmakers when he laid out the bill a month ago.
Politics & Policy
March 5, 2009
TxDOT under fire
Yesterday (Wednesday) was a tough day for TxDOT. After the usual routine of resolutions congratulating this and that, and welcoming these and those, the House session ended with a resolution aimed squarely at the transportation agency. Dunnam, Coleman, and other lawmakers are unhappy that TxDOT rushed to decide how to
Politics & Policy
January 19, 2009
Let the speculation begin
Committee appointments will be the first real test of the Straus speakership. How many of the 149 members can he satisfy? Here are some of the problems he will face: —Straus has said that there will be no retaliation against Craddick loyalists. Good luck in keeping that promise. The ABCs
Politics & Policy
January 8, 2009
A Suggestion for Straus
Before election day, when it still seemed as if Tom Craddick might win reelection as speaker, Terral Smith told me about what he hoped to do with committee assignments. Rather than use vice-chairmanships as a reward for loyal team members, Smith wanted to replicate the relationship between Rob Eissler and