TX Lege

January 21, 2013

20 Sessions

A brief history of every Legislature we’ve ever covered.

By Paul Burka and Nate Blakeslee

January 21, 2013

Hugo Berlanga D–Corpus ChristiTenure: Representative from 1977 to 1999Number of times on the Best list: 3I was the first Hispanic speaker pro tempore in the history of the House. I served under Gib Lewis, and he later told me that the reason he selected me is that…

By Brian D. Sweany

January 20, 2013

Joe Straus’s Desk

The Speaker lets us into his office.

By Kristie Ramirez

January 20, 2013

Between the Lines

Ah, redistricting—that partisan, vengeful, hazardous battle for domination the Legislature fights every decade. Here we go again.

By Texas Monthly

January 20, 2013

Win, Lose, or Draw

Read a Q&A with Patricia Kilday Hart.

By cathysze

January 20, 2013

Let There Be Right

The Republicans whipped the Democrats in November. Now what are they going to do?…

January 20, 2013

Dollars and Sense

When the Legislature meets in January, lawmakers know they won’t be able to cut their way to a balanced budget. Instead, they should do what a certain Republican governor did more than twenty years ago: raise taxes.

By fscottmccown

January 20, 2013

The Eighteen Billion Dollar Man

Texas is facing an unprecedented deficit in the next legislative session, so to help our poor, overworked elected officials, I went ahead and balanced the budget for them. And good Lord! It wasn’t pretty.

January 20, 2013

Business as Usual

Who’s the toughest opponent for Republicans who want to crack down on illegal immigration? Other Republicans.

By Nate Blakeslee

January 20, 2013

A Q&A With Nate Blakeslee

The Democrats will most certainly fight the Republicans over immigration reform legislation this session, but the Republican’s biggest opponents are powerful interests within their own party. Nate Blakeslee talks about grassroot efforts, tea party champions, and why immigration has become one of the most important issues facing our state.

By Jasmin Sun

January 20, 2013

Show Me the Money

Paul Burka talks about cutting $18 billion from the Texas budget, separating the essential from the nonessential, and spending money on bricks and mortar.

By Kevin Sullivan

The Culture |

December 1, 2012

5 Things You’ll Be Talking About in December

1. When Tea Parties Attack! Article III, Section 9, of the constitution of the state of Texas tells us that when a new session of the House of Representatives is seated, its first order of business is to elect a Speaker. What the constitution doesn’t tell us is that the Speaker’s…

By Jeff Salamon

July 31, 2012

Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives

Read this National Magazine Award-winning story about how the Legislature slashed funding for women’s health programs in 2011 and launched an all-out war on Planned Parenthood that has dramatically changed the state’s priorities. The battle continues raging, and the stakes could not be higher.

By Mimi Swartz

June 30, 2012

Right to Strife

In Republican-dominated Texas, the May 29 primary might as well have been the general election. And what it revealed is a party perfectly capable of doing battle with itself, no Democrats required.

February 1, 2012

Mappily Ever After

Once again, redistricting has devolved into a bitter, partisan, confusing, chaotic mess. But take heart, voters! There is a better way.

By Brian D. Sweany

June 30, 2011

Capitol Affair

How architecture changed the balance of power at the Legislature and other observations from my three decades covering Texas politics.

February 1, 2011

Who’s the Boss?

The Speaker’s race in the Texas House wasn’t just about Joe Straus. It was about two competing visions of democracy.