Top Stories
- Perry: "No Faith" In LBB; Leave Rainy Day Fund Alone – Thanh Tan, Texas Tribune
See related Budget Debate stories below. - Puppy mill bill passes House as critic warns of "dog Gestapo" – Aman Batheja, PoliTex
- Texas House OKs measure on online sales tax collection – Barry Harrell, Austin American-Statesman
So far, there’s no Senate sponsor. Let’s hope it stays that way. - $8.2 million isn’t big money for what Texas got in return – Corpus Christi Caller-Times
The Caller-Times agrees with us that the lege shouldn’t demagogue the TRS bonuses. As they note, these were deferred bonuses for several years that TRS outperformed the market. Not paying the bonuses could be a very expensive move in the long-run for Texas’s teachers, considering that most TRS employees could probably make more elsewhere even with the bonuses. - Reforming Texas’ State and Local Pension Systems for the 21st Century – TPPF
Look for these sensible reform proposals to provoke an outcry from special interests, amplified by attentive media coverage.
Budget Debate
- Comparing House and Senate Budgets – James Quintero, TPPF
- Dewhurst says he disagrees with, and was surprised by, Finance Cmte's use of rainy day fund – Jason Embry, Austin American-Statesman
Kudos to Embry for posting the entire transcript of Dewhurst’s availability with reporters. - Swingers in the Senate – Nate Blakeslee, BurkaBlog
Is Sen. Patrick playing budget games? In possibly related news, Texas for Fiscal Responsibility has put voting against the Senate’s budget on its scorecard. - Perry skeptical of claims that House's cuts could close half of nursing homes – Robert Garrett, Trail Blazers Blog
“Sky is falling” assertions from special interests merit some degree of skepticism. - Perry stands firm against another dip into rainy-day fund – Peggy Fikac, San Antonio Express-News
- Rep. Darby’s Green Energy Subsidies bad for Texas – Weston Hicks, AgendaWise Reports
As suggested previously, this proposal appears to be a stealth wealth transfer that would benefit special interests and the affluent at the expense of average home and business owners.
Recommended
- Perry hopes for a law school at A&M – Ralph Haurwitz, Austin American-Statesman
Will South Texas College of Law and A&M finally come to an agreement or are we looking at an entirely new program? - Notable professor, attorney to lose job over budget cuts – Ahsika Sanders, Daily Texan
Perhaps there should be some reconsideration of the value of popular teaching professors at universities that prioritize research? Sadly, the UT higher ed establishment and a great deal of one-sided reporting squelched that discussion before it really got started. - Profile of Galveston Citizen of the Year Larry Taylor – TJ Aulds, Galveston County Daily News
The House Republican Caucus Chair rides goofy. “Righteous, dude.” - The market that never powered up – Loren Steffy, Houston Chronicle
- Watch the TPPF’s ads – Evan, Texas Iconoclast
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