On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: What’s it like being a freshman lawmaker in the Texas Legislature? We talked to state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, about her first session under the dome.
83rd Legislative Session
Posted in
Health care
For Budget Vote, House Had a Women’s Health Negotiator
One lawmaker is getting much of the credit for restoring family planning funding to the House budget without the usual floor fight: state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place.
Posted in
Transportation
TribLive: A Conversation About Transportation
Full video of Aman Batheja’s 4/4 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman.
Posted in
Energy
Texas Deer Breeders Want Fewer State Regulations
Texas deer breeders say that excessive oversight from Texas Parks and Wildlife is constraining their industry. Supported by the Texas Deer Association, several bills would make major changes to deer breeding across the state.
Posted inState Government
House OKs Budget, Nixes School Vouchers and Medicaid Expansion
Despite tense votes on vouchers and a setback for lawmakers who want to expand Medicaid, the Texas House passed its budget with overwhelming support after 12 hours of remarkably civil debate.
Posted in
Public Education
A Voucher Showdown During Budget Debate
After a brief but heated debate, a measure from state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Corpus Christi, that would ban the use of public dollars for private schools passed the House 103-43 with bipartisan support.
Posted in
Health care
House Members Pulling Women’s Health Amendments
Amid Thursday’s budget debate in the House, some Democratic and Republican members of the House have agreed to pull some divisive amendments related to women’s health.
Posted in
Politics
Teachers Group Not Endorsing Amendments From Freshmen
The Texas Retired Teachers Association says it does not endorse any of the controversial budget amendments filed by freshman House Republicans that would put more money into the teachers’ health insurance fund.
Posted in
Economy
Zerwas: House Medicaid Reform Bill Will Incorporate Williams’ Plan
UPDATED: Rep. John Zerwas confirmed Wednesday that he will incorporate into his own Medicaid reform bill a proposal by Sen. Tommy Williams to use premium tax revenue to subsidize private health policies for the uninsured.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Data App: Ethics Explorer
With the addition of more than a dozen statewide elected officials to our Lawmaker Explorer — including Attorney General Greg Abbott and Comptroller Susan Combs and the state’s railroad commissioners and Supreme Court justices — we’re renaming it the Ethics Explorer.