Senate keeps rules
The Texas Senate is debating its operating rules for the 2011 session. The big issue is whether to dilute or get rid of the Senate rule requiring two-thirds of the members to agree to bring up a bill...
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Lawmakers looking to kill driver surcharge program
Two Texas lawmakers who rarely see things the same way are teaming up in an effort to repeal the controversial Driver Responsibility Program. More than 1.2 million Texans have seen their driver’s...
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Senate committee approves no-compromise school funding plan
A school funding plan approved by the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday included a warning for House friends at the other end of the state Capitol. “We need to avoid, as best we can, compromise on...
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Whitmire: ‘Enough is enough’ on last meals for death-row inmates
Photo by Nolan Hicks, Houston Chronicle Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John Whitmire, D-Houston, wants to end the practice of providing death-row inmates with whatever they’d like for...
View ArticleNo more meal choices for death-row inmates headed to their executions
Death-row inmates headed to their executions will no longer be able to pick what they’d like for their last meal. Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, issued...
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Exoneree takes star turn in Austin
Michael Morton, recently exonerated after spending 25 years in prison for the 1986 murder of his wife, Christine, is taking a star turn this week in Austin. An aptly-named film, “An Unreal Dream,” is...
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Payday loan debate postponed after heated argument
The Senate sponsor of a bill regulating payday loans agreed to delay his proposal, but not before suggesting that some fellow lawmakers were acting as “shills” for the short-term credit industry. Sen....
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Senators concerned about name confusion at polls (Updated)
Harris County clerk Stan Stanart says he has adequately addressed any potential voting problems by matching Harris County’s voting rolls against a Department of Public Safety database. Voters whose...
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Patrick winnows Democratic committee chairs to 2
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick AUSTIN — Making good on a campaign promise, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday further scaled back Democratic influence in the Texas Senate with his announcement of committee...
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