08/27/2008
Texas' Leticia Van de Putte finds order in a hectic day
San Antonio state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, one of four co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention, blew through a day that was both a dash and a marathon Wednesday, capping two decades in the political trenches.
08/14/2008
Texas lawmaker pushes to criminalize hallucinogenic drug salvia
Rep. Charles Anderson, a Republican lawmaker from Waco, introduced a bill during the 2007 legislative session to criminalize the drug, but it failed to get out of committee. When the Legislature meets again in January, he plans to introduce a new bill that would at least make it a misdemeanor to possess the drug.
08/19/2008
Dallas City Hall lobbying for range of issues prior to Texas legislative session
Dallas City Hall staffers are identifying 40 different legislative goals they’re recommending the City Council support in hope of improving Dallas’ environment, economy, public safety, governmental operations and educational opportunities.
08/12/2008
Texas Sen. Kim Brimer wants harsher penalties for rogue bus operators
The Fort Worth Republican said Tuesday that rogue operators – like the owner of the bus that crashed in Sherman last week, killing 17 people – should be jailed.
Jacquielynn Floyd: Bus safety crackdown long overdue
07/31/2008
Child Protective Services criticized for lax employee screening
The agency doesn't regularly run criminal background checks on most of its employees, including at least 90 percent of workers who perform sensitive tasks with abused and neglected youngsters. Two key legislators said they'll file legislation to fix the problem next session, which begins in January.
Texas Youth Commission will lose another top official
Officials close to the agency say TYC conservator Richard Nedelkoff, who took the job in December, could leave his job as early as this month. Key state leaders have been frustrated with the pace of progress at the agency, but Mr. Nedelkoff’s assessment is that he has nearly finished the tasks a conservator should focus on.
07/22/2008
Judge allows Brimer's rival to stay on ballot
Mr. Brimer filed a lawsuit this month alleging that Ms. Davis was not eligible to run. The suit said that Ms. Davis was still technically a Fort Worth City Council member when she filed to run against Mr. Brimer.
07/17/2008
State Board of Education to discuss high school athletic credits
The proposal — allowing four years of sports to count for credit instead of two — appears to have the support of several board members who will decide whether to move ahead on the idea.
07/15/2008
Appraisals of Texas commercial property put under microscope; some say land undervalued
Battle lines are forming once again on the issue of whether commercial property in Texas is undervalued for taxing purposes, setting the stage for another showdown in the Legislature next year.
07/24/2008
College money under state program could get harder to obtain
Lower-income college-bound students might have to jump through more academic hoops to benefit from Texas' biggest financial aid program, under changes proposed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. 
Tell Us: Do you support the proposal?
07/12/2008
TEA turmoil boosts push for watchdog office
As problems mount in a watchdog office at the Texas Education Agency, some lawmakers are calling for an independent office to investigate fraud and waste in all major state agencies.
07/07/2008
Texas attorney general tells school districts to pay for teacher benefits
AUSTIN – Attorney General Greg Abbott has sided with the Legislature in a $100 million dispute between the state and school districts over which should pay for teacher benefits stemming from a salary increase approved two years ago.
06/27/2008
Texas' Child Protective Services head Carey Cockerell to retire
ERICH SCHLEGEL / DMN
Department spokesman Patrick Crimmins said Carey Cockerell (pictured) is departing for personal reasons.
State protective services commissioner Carey Cockerell said Friday that he will retire on Aug. 31. A spokesman said the departure wasn't forced and isn't the result of Child Protective Services' much criticized removal of hundreds of children from a polygamist sect's West Texas ranch this spring.
07/14/2008
Texas has hired people with abuse records to care for disabled, audit finds
The state institutions for people with disabilities are failing to find community-based homes for many patients who want them, and have hired 10 state school employees who should’ve been ineligible because of previous abuse and neglect records, according to a state audit released Monday.Â
06/24/2008
Lawmakers tired of Texas homeowners paying highest insurance rates
Members of a House-Senate committee said Tuesday that they are growing impatient with the fact that Texas homeowners pay the highest insurance rates in the nation year after year.
06/13/2008
Texas evangelical Republicans reluctantly back McCain
For religious conservatives at the Texas Republican Convention, even the song list at Friday’s prayer rally suggested dark days ahead for the GOP.
06/27/2008
Poll: Kay Bailey Hutchison is Texans' favorite politician
12:04 PM CT The survey shows the senator is more popular than Gov. Rick Perry -- and that either of them could beat potential Democratic rivals in a governor’s race. The most popular name on the list for Democrats is Chris Bell, a former Houston congressman.
Tell us: Who should be Texas' next governor?
Link: View the poll results
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