Texas House budget writers put the final touches Thursday on a two-year budget that offers a different approach to boosting funding for transportation from the Senate.
84th Legislative Session
Posted in
Economy
Video: Price and Rawlings on Property Taxes
At our 3/12 conversation, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings reacted to the possibility of the Legislature engineering a cut in property taxes.
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: When Local Control is Remote
A big, central government wants to override laws approved by the people in the provinces. That might sound like the federal government bossing states around, but it’s the Texas Legislature trying to rein in the cities and counties.
Posted in
Health care
Competing Bills Filed Over End-of-Life Care for Pregnant Women
Lawmakers have filed two competing bills about who should have the authority to decide whether to terminate a brain-dead pregnant woman’s life — a preview of what promises to be a fiery legislative battle over end-of-life medical care in Texas.
Posted in
Politics
Video: Price and Rawlings on Local Control
At our 3/12 conversation, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings addressed the prevailing conflict in the 84th session: liberty vs. local control.
Posted in
Transportation
Video: A Conversation With Price and Rawlings
Full video of my 3/12 conversation with Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Topics discussed: transportation, education, guns, same-sex marriage and liberty vs. local control.
Posted in
Economy
Budgetline: A TribCast Series on the Texas Budget
In the first episode of Budgetline, an occasional TribCast series on the Texas budget, Ross and Aman start where state officials started — with the revenue estimate. It sounds simple, but it’s a complicated stew of economics, politics and risky forecasting.
Posted inState Government
How Are Abbott’s Emergency Items Doing?
Gov. Greg Abbott declared five emergency items in his State of the State speech, clearing the way for lawmakers to act quickly on them if they so choose. Here’s a guide to the five items, related bills and where things stand.
Posted in
State Government
Senators Worry State Contracting is Too Decentralized
Senators learned at a hearing Wednesday that the current state contracting system is so fragmented that no one knows the total value of the state’s current contracts.
Posted in
Politics
“Former Fetus” Signs Cause Stir at Capitol
Signs identifying some state lawmakers as former fetuses are generating controversy at the Capitol.