Two Texas lawmakers said Sandra Bland should have never been arrested after watching the video of the traffic stop taken from the Texas Department of Public Safety trooper’s car that was shown in a closed door meeting before being released to the public.
Royce West
Posted inState Government
Lawmakers Lend an Ear to Concerns Over Payday Loans
Lawmakers from both chambers gathered Wednesday to lend support to a range of bills that would limit the loan size and number of installments offered by payday and auto title lenders.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Inside Texas Politics: Breakfast Blowup
On this week’s edition of WFAA-TV’s Inside Texas Politics, host Jason Whitely, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Bud Kennedy and Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey talk about last week’s “breakfast blowup.”
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Lawmakers Skeptical of Body Cameras for Police — for Now
State Rep. Ron Reynolds made his case on Thursday for requiring cops in Texas to wear body cameras, citing the fatal police shooting of an unarmed man in South Carolina. But police advocates were skeptical.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Lawmakers to Consider Body Cameras for Police
As a bystander’s video of a South Carolina cop shooting and killing an unarmed black man reignites a national debate over police brutality, Texas lawmakers are set to discuss police body cameras in a public hearing.
Posted in
State Government
Property and Business Tax Cut Measures Head to Full Senate
The Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to send proposals cutting property taxes and business taxes to the full Senate, though some senators questioned whether the property tax cuts could be better spent in other ways.
Posted in
Public Education
Senators Share Concerns About A-F Grades for Schools
During a Senate Education Committee hearing Thursday, lawmakers questioned whether A-through-F ratings for schools would provide a clear picture of a school’s performance.
Posted in
Economy
Senators Show Interest in Ditching Margins Tax
As a key Senate committee prepares to hear public testimony on tax cut proposals Wednesday, senators expressed strong interest in repealing the state’s unpopular margins tax on businesses, which has raised $4.7 billion annually.
Posted in
Politics
Video: The House vs. the Senate in the 84th Session
Here’s video of our 84th Legislature preview session on the relationship between the House and the Senate. Panelists included state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, state Sen. Royce West, state Rep. Charlie Geren and state Sen. Larry Taylor.
Posted in
Politics
Liveblog: Public Ed at The Texas Tribune Festival
We’re liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival’s Public Education track. The sessions include panels on education reform, the new math requirements for high school graduation, early college high schools, and insight from superintendents.