State Rep. Byron Cook confirmed that he does not plan to schedule a vote on legislation that would end automatic payroll deductions for union and non-union dues of most public employees.
Byron Cook
Posted inState Government
Ethics Bill Hits Dark Money, Secret Recording
An ethics overhaul package, dramatically reworked, now takes aim at people who secretly record lawmakers inside the Texas Capitol. It also would require certain politically active nonprofits to disclose large donations.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 20, 2015
House and Senate negotiators are down to one final challenge: working out the timing on their complicated tax cut dance.
Posted in
Politics
Analysis: Conservatives See Payroll Deduction Bill as Key on Two Fronts
A Senate bill that arrived in the House less than two weeks ago would let Republicans put the hurt on unions and on Democrats, if it can move through the legislative gauntlet this late in the legislative session.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 14, 2015
The long hours this week are a direct result of one of the first big end-of-session deadlines that hits today. The House has until the end of today to take initial action on any bill or resolution coming out of that chamber.
Posted in
Politics
Lawmaker Slams “Superficial” Senate Ethics Reform
The already tortuous path for ethics reform at the Texas Capitol took another sharp turn Wednesday when a powerful House leader criticized the package passed by the Senate and praised by Gov. Greg Abbott two weeks ago.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: May 5, 2015
Early voting in the San Antonio mayoral election wraps up today ahead of Election Day on Saturday. And the gloves have come off in the increasingly rough-and-tumble election.
Posted in
Health care
Coerced Abortion Bill Sent Back for Rewrite
The craftsmanship of a measure by state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, intended to address coerced abortions was met with skepticism on Wednesday by the chairman of the House State Affairs Committee.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: April 2, 2015
The blowback experienced by Indiana over its religious freedom law has Texas’ largest business organization worried about efforts this session to update this state’s law on the subject.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: March 23, 2015
As you read these words over your morning coffee, Ted Cruz is already a candidate for president. He announced about 11 p.m. Texas time via Twitter.