A leading candidate for the most outrageous bill of this year’s legislative session in Texas is HB 649, filed today by state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, who is valiantly sticking up for a big corporation’s refusal to comply with the law and, while he’s at it, intruding in a woman’s private medical decisions. This all […]
Texas Legislature
Epic Fail for Voucher ‘Expert’ in Texas School Finance Lawsuit
On Tuesday the lawsuit trial in Austin over how Texas finances its public schools featured one of the national leaders of the private school voucher movement. Testimony from Joseph Bast, the president and CEO of the pro-voucher Heartland Institute, should be instructive for Texas legislators preparing for battle over vouchers in the current session. That’s […]
Right-wingers Fail Again to Replace Joe Straus as Texas House Speaker
The Texas House of Representatives started the 2013 session today the same way it ended 2011 — with state Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, as speaker. This represents the third session in a row in which far-right groups like Texas Eagle Forum and Liberty Institute/Texas Values along with Tea Party activists have failed to keep […]
Colbert Takes on Texas State Rep
Here we go again. Will Texas ever go, say, an entire year without becoming fodder for the likes of Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert? Another Texas lawmaker became the punchline last night on Colbert’s Comedy Central show. This time it was state Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and his use of an ethnic slur during a […]
2011 Lege Wrap Up: No Mo’ Lowe
The frustration of Texas legislators with the State Board of Education‘s continuing efforts to drag public schools into the culture wars was so high that the confirmation of Gov. Rick Perry’s appointment of Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas, to another term as board chair this year never made it to the Senate floor. In fact, the Senate […]
