Capital Tonight: Calls for Medicaid expansion growing
More than a thousand Texans gathered at the Capitol Tuesday, asking lawmakers to accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Although Gov. Rick Perry has said he’s against...
View ArticleBills address veterans’ tuition program concerns
Two bills have been filed to address concerns raised by some Texas universities over the expense of the state’s veteran higher education financial aid program known as Hazlewood. State Rep. Chris...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Testing the limits of education reform
The path toward public education reform A proposal to reduce the number of tests needed to graduate in Texas came up before the Senate Education Committee Tuesday. It would reduce the number of tests...
View ArticleSenate Finance Committee approves 2014-15 budget
The Senate Finance Committee today unanimously recommended its new budget for the next two years. The proposal includes $94.1 billion dollars in general revenue. According to committee chair Tommy...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Lawmakers mull drug testing for benefits
Lawmakers are considering a bill requiring drug testing of those receiving unemployment benefits. Both sides gave testimony this week about the bill’s effect on those receiving unemployment. Reporter...
View ArticleFull Senate considering budget draft
The first budget bill of the legislative session is on the Senate floor, today. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the $195.5 billion dollar plan. The bill calls for $94.1 billion dollars in general...
View ArticleSenate approves two-year state budget
The Texas Senate approved a $195.5 billion budget for 2014-2015 by a vote of 29-2 this afternoon. The dissenting votes came from Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) and Sen. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston). Both...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Bills get moving out of House, Senate
State Senators are now a step closer to passing the one bill that’s required each session. In a vote of 29-2, the Senate version of the 2014-2015 budget was approved late Wednesday afternoon. But even...
View ArticleHouse budget calls for $2.5 billion education funding increase
The Texas House Appropriations Committee approved its 2014-15 budget today. The $193.8 billion spending plan includes a $2.5 billion increase for the Foundation School Program. That’s in addition to...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: The Week in Review
Reporter Roundtable Christy Hoppe from The Dallas Morning News, Scott Braddock of the Quorum Report and Jay Root of The Texas Tribune sat down with Paul Brown to discuss this week’s events in politics,...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: House budget battle stretches into evening
Endless Amendments As of 9 p.m. Thursday, House lawmakers were still busy debating the state’s budget bill. The $193.8 billion package would fund the state’s finances over the next two-year budget...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Revisiting vouchers, CPRIT and more
School Vouchers Republicans and Democrats sparred once again over school vouchers Tuesday — including whether or not a newly proposed law counted as a voucher at all. A bill filed by Sen. Dan Patrick...
View ArticleCommittee approves plan to use $6B from Rainy Day Fund
The Senate Finance Committee has approved a plan that would use $6 billion from the state’s Economic Stabilization (or “Rainy Day”) Fund to pay for water and transportation infrastructure, but only if...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Reversing course on ‘rainy day’ money
There’s been a lot of talk about it, and now state lawmakers appear ready to finally dip in to the state’s Rainy Day Fund this session. The Senate Finance Committee voted to take 6 billion dollars out...
View ArticleDewhurst names Senate budget conference committee members
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced his appointees to the Conference Committee on the state budget, Thursday. These are the members who will help bridge the differences between the Senate and House...
View ArticleSpeaker Straus names House budget negotiators
The list of 10 lawmakers who will likely decide the final shape of the next two-year budget is complete. Monday, House Speaker Joe Straus named his appointees to the conference committee on Senate Bill...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Water, guns and education
Planning for Growth The need to fund water infrastructure has been at the forefront of the legislative session this year, especially with the growing population in Texas. A plan to draw out $2 billion...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: Straus sets up showdown over water funding
A showdown could be brewing between the House and Senate over funding for the state’s water plan. In an interview with Peggy Fikac of the San Antonio Express-News, House Speaker Joe Straus revealed he...
View ArticleCapital Tonight: House gives tentative approval to tax relief bill
Democratic Rep. Harold Dutton put his criticism in the form of a parliamentary inquiry, as the House debate over cuts to the franchise tax dragged into sunset. “Is there anything left in the treasury?”...
View ArticlePerry lays out special session scenario
Gov. Rick Perry is threatening to call a special session if lawmakers don’t find a way to cut $1.8 billion in taxes. He made those comments to reporters at the State Capitol today. The governor’s...
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