State news in Texas
State
Incoming State Rep. Kerwin Introduces Measure to Limit Harmful Chemicals in Fertilizer
In lockstep with ranchers and state prosecutors who have raised the alarm, Kerwin’s measure seeks new restrictions over harmful PFAS chemicals.
Ken Paxton Steps In to Stop ‘Show Hearing’ With Convicted Murderer in the Capitol
Robert Roberson was convicted of killing his two-year-old daughter, Nikki, in 2002 in Palestine, Texas.
Texas Library Association To Teach Librarians How To Protect Obscene Books
Additional topics include advocating for social justice and gender confusion in children’s literature.
Report: School Districts Caught Electioneering Need Stronger Penalties
The Texas Public Policy Foundation recommends that lawmakers make electioneering-related criminal violations a state jail felony.
State Archive
Transportation Diversions Are the Enemy of Transparency
Lazy politicians maintain that Texans should pay higher taxes, fees and tolls if we hope to meet roadway demand spurred by population growth. However, they fail to mention the gas tax revenue we already pay is diverted to unrelated programs with billions more spent by...
THSC Looks To Score On Access
While most states allow home school students to access athletic programs in their local schools, Texas does not. Saying that those taxpaying parents should be allowed to access the extracurricular programs offered through the schools, the Texas Home School Coalition...
Straus v The Truth (And Perry)
Numerous reports came in last week and over the weekend from activists saying that the calcium-challenged supporters of Joe Straus — knowing their man has been categorically rejected by GOP and conservative activists around the state — are now actually telling...
Texas Citizens: “We’ll Be Watching You”
What happens in Austin no longer stays in Austin, with Texans more engaged than ever in their government. And those citizens have a simple message for those in public office: "we'll be watching you." Lyrics: Every hand you shake, Every cent you take, Every vow you...
Straus Leadership Team Too Far Left for Wendy Davis Consultants
Recently the Austin media published internal campaign memos from the Wendy Davis campaign depicting the dysfunction amongst Davis’s campaign staff leading up to her historic loss. In a January 2014 memo, Davis’s political consultants clashed with her campaign manager...
Straus to Whistleblower: Resign or be Indicted
In a stunning revelation of potentially illegal influence peddling, House Speaker Joe Straus promised that an indictment effort and other actions against whistleblowing UT Regent Wallace Hall Jr. could be stopped if Hall just resigned office and dropped his...
How Straus Secretly Killed Campus Carry
In Austin, as it is in Washington, DC, there is an overriding, cynical culture that suggests campaign promises are merely a tool one uses to get elected, to be tossed aside at the first convenience. But while those who are more interested in self-promotion than...
When Moderates Win, Democrats Win
Democrats are lamenting their setbacks in a recent election that witnessed a clear mandate for conservative leadership. One of their biggest complaints: the loss of moderate Republicans. A major example outside of Texas sheds light on how Democrats rely on...
Speech Regulation at the Eleventh Hour
During the most recent legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill – SB 1773 – requiring a joint committee of senators and state representatives to examine our state’s so-called ethics laws and determine whether they are fulfilling their purposes or in need of...