The claim: Perry "refused to raise taxes when Texas faced a record $10 billion budget shortfall in 2003," his campaign Web site says. "Instead, he became the first governor since World War II to sign a budget that lowered state...
Good evening readers. For those of you ready to follow the 2009 Legislature Part II, the Transportation Blog has a brief set up for the special session that begins tomorrow morning. Anyone willing to take a guess as how many...
"We worked together. We attacked problems, not people. We disagreed, but we never became disagreeable. On perhaps two of the most important issues, the budget and education, we reached a consensus and we passed legislation without a single no vote....
Session or no session, politics never stops... State Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, talks about his future plans on the Plano Blog today. Is he ambitious? Sure, though his thoughts might surprise you......
Kay Bailey Hutchison says the just-completed legislative session accomplished some things, but largely failed to deal big issues facing Texans. The problem? Failed leadership from the governor's office, she says. In a statement, Hutchison said: "Our state leads the country...
We're still trying to figure out what all these means, but here's the AP's latest report: By KELLEY SHANNON and JAY ROOT Associated Press Writer AUSTIN -- In a last-minute legislative meltdown, the Texas Senate adjourned Monday night without passing...
Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, wants to make voter ID friendlier toward Asian Americans with transliterated names. The freshman lawmaker has proposed an amendment to the contentious voter ID bill that would train poll workers to handle and appreciate...
Today, at the Capitol ... - There are six days left before sine die, and tonight is another major deadline - any Senate bills or joint resolutions not passed on second reading by midnight tonight are off the table....
Today, at the Capitol ... - There are nine days left until sine die. - The House is starting to get pretty crowded, bill-wise, with a long backlog of major state bills that have been postponed until now. First...
Today, at the Capitol ... - It is 10 days until sine die, when it's all over for the 81st Legislative Session. - The House has three bills on the major state calendar, including an effort to limit and...
Today, at the Capitol ... - It is 11 days until sine die, when the sun sets on the 81st legislative session. - The House has five bills on its major state calendar, and two of them have ties...
Today, at the Capitol ... - There are 12 days left in the 81st Session. - The House has four bills on today's major state calendar, including a Republican rebuke of Gov. Rick Perry's rejection of $555 million in...
Today, at the Capitol ... - It is T-minus 13 days to sine die, otherwise known as the end of the line for the 2009 Legislative session. The clock will reach zero just after 11:59:59 p.m. on June 1st,...
Today, at the Capitol ... - The House has officially moved on to Senate bills. On the major state calendar today are efforts to improve living conditions for mentally disabled Texans living in state facilities, as well as a...
Today, at the Capitol ... The House reached a milestone last night - any House bill not passed on second reading by midnight last night is off the table for the rest of the session. They have until midnight...
Today, at the Capitol ... A line is being drawn in the sand this evening - any House bill not approved on second reading by midnight tonight goes into limbo. No legislation is ever really "dead" in the House,...
Today, at the Capitol ... - There's a list of major state calendar bills on the House docket today. Among them are a sunset bill on the Department of Public Safety, as well as efforts to exempt volunteer fire...
Spent some time in the Senate this morning, and saw first hand the famous differences between the two chambers. Senate votes, though, still confuse the life out of me. The House, historically, is louder and more crowded than the Senate....
Today, at the Capitol ... There are only four bills on the House docket today - all major state calendar initiatives on second reading. But the House also has a long backlog of scheduled bills that have been postponed...
Today, at the Capitol ... - The House will consider a range of legislation leftover from last week when it convenes this morning. The most high-profile bills include legislation requiring principals to designate high school "deputy registrars" during elections,...