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Texas

Social issues crowd state ballots
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Besides electing a president on Nov. 4, voters in some key battleground states also will face divisive social policy choices, including whether to ban gay marriage in Florida and restrict affirmative action and abortion in Colorado.

Read More
7 universities pitch case for flagship status  Registration Required


Lawmakers on Wednesday took one step closer to anointing a third public flagship by inviting leaders of Texas' seven "emerging" research institutions to pitch a case for why they should become the state's next tier one research university, and how much it would cost the state.
Read More
TxDOT resists requests for wreck data


Officials with the Texas Department of Transportation have sued Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office to prevent the release of records about Texas vehicle crashes.   Read More
Second member of PUC resigns


Julie Caruthers Parsley said Wednesday she will leave the Public Utility Commission on Sept. 2.   Read More
Perry names Andrade as secretary of state  Registration Required


As expected around the Capitol, Gov. Rick Perry named Hope Andrade today to succeed Phil Wilson as the Texas secretary of state.   Read More
Texas inmate executed for slaying Houston-area mom, child  Registration Required


HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Convicted killer Derrick Sonnier was executed Wednesday for the slayings of a woman and her young child at their suburban Houston apartment almost two decades ago.   Read More
Polygamous sect to defend 6 members in court and its practices on Capitol Hill


DALLAS -- Texas Rangers and prosecutors prepared Wednesday to arrest five members of a polygamous sect indicted the day before with their imprisoned leader on charges relating to under-age marriages and bigamy. Also Wednesday, supporters and critics of the sect converged on Washington for a Senate committee hearing on "crimes associated with polygamy."   Read More
Massive flooding feared as Hurricane Dolly hits Texas  Registration Required


BROWNSVILLE, Texas -- Hurricane Dolly hammered the southern tip of Texas on Wednesday, lashing buildings with violent winds, triggering tornado warnings and fueling fears of massive flooding and failed levees along the Rio Grande.   Read More
UT president urges Texas to invest in more top-tier universities  Registration Required


The president of the University of Texas delivered an impassioned plea to state legislators Wednesday to provide the financial and political support for lifting one or two public universities to top-tier status.   Read More
Have power prices hit a peak?  Registration Required


Texas electricity prices may have peaked for the summer after a price drop by some retail providers.   Read More
Nader brings campaign to Houston on Sunday  Registration Required


Ralph Nader's name will be gone from the Texas presidential ballot this year, but he's coming to Houston on Sunday to campaign anyway - with ideas about solving immigration issues with economic policies rather than border barriers.   Read More
Andrade becomes Texas' first Latina secretary of state  Registration Required


Texas' new secretary of state, Esperanza "Hope" Andrade of San Antonio, said Wednesday she feels a particular responsibility to do "an exceptional job" because her appointment is a first for a Hispanic woman.   Read More
Budget gaps triple for '09
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

The drumbeat of bad fiscal news from statehouses is intensifying. States collectively faced deficits of $40.3 billion in writing their current budgets — triple the $13 billion shortfall states weathered the previous year, a new report released July 23 shows.
  Read More
NCSL Conference focuses on floods, energy
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer

As state lawmakers gather in New Orleans this week for a policy conference, they’ll be reminded often of what can  happen if public works are allowed to deteriorate.   Read More
AMBER Alerts on the decline
By Nathaniel Weixel, Special to Stateline.org

AMBER Alerts have become less frequent, and state officials say that's not a bad thing.   Read More
States' hottest laws take on new threats
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer

The mosaic of laws passed by state legislatures this year reveals a country grappling with threats, from a faltering economy and record-high gasoline prices to global warming and lead-tainted toys from China.

For further analysis of the important developments in this year’s legislative sessions, see “Sour economy limits state options in ‘08” and Stateline.org’s exclusive state-by-state summaries of 2008 legislative actions.  
  Read More
States avoid slashing higher ed money
By Pauline Vu, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Despite a tough economic year, several states are attempting to hold the line on college tuition — or at least not let increases get out of control — by avoiding deep cuts to higher education, an area that states have been quick to slash in past years when funds were low.   Read More
States move to regulate senior guardians
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer

As the U.S. population ages and families scatter across the country, the frail elderly increasingly end up relying on court-appointed guardians when they can no longer take care of their personal affairs. California just joined six other states in watching over these professionals charged with protecting society’s most vulnerable adults.
  Read More
Govs turn to fixing infrastructure
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

PHILADELPHIA — Improving the nation’s crumbling bridges, roads and sewage systems is a $1.6 trillion problem that governors intend to explore in the next year.   Read More
Govs celebrate past, look to '09
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

While 70 current and former governors hobnob and reminisce in Philadelphia July 11-14 during the National Governors Association's 100th anniversary celebration, the sitting governors also plan to strategize on how to influence the next president on policies ranging from energy to health care.   Read More
Govs find their popularity might not transfer
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

At a time when the presidential candidates are feverishly trying to flip red and blue states, a group of governors is finding that switching a state’s partisan leaning is no easy matter.
  Read More
Sour economy limits states' options in '08
By Daniel C. Vock, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated 5:38 p.m. EDT, July 17, 2008)

For many states, 2008 will be remembered for record numbers of home foreclosures, $4-a-gallon gasoline and the beginning of a slide into new fiscal woes after two years of overflowing coffers.

Stateline.org’s annual state-by-state look at legislative accomplishments, covering 39 states so far, discerns the trends and precedents emerging from state capitals this year.
  Read More
2008 state-by-state summary
By The Stateline.org Staff

(Updated 2:26 p.m. EDT, July 18, 2008)

Here’s Stateline.org's state-by-state rundown of significant legislative action in 2008.
  Read More
State by state, it's still a tight race
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

Finally, the last primary votes have been cast, and Barack Obama and John McCain are jousting with each other. But even as Obama opens up double-digit leads in two national polls, the election is still poised to be decided in a half-dozen toss-up states.
  Read More
Will Obama have coattails in the South?
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

High turnout among African-Americans and younger voters could reshape the Southern political landscape this fall. But Democrats may find gains in statewide contests thwarted by bad timing and a potential conservative backlash.
  Read More
Gay marriage decisions ripe in Calif., Conn.
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated March 6, 2008)

More than four years after its historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in blessing gay marriages — more than 10,000 to date — and its example has spurred no imitators but lots of backlash. All eyes now are on the highest courts in California and Connecticut.
  Read More
Calif. gay marriage ruling sparks new debate
By Christine Vestal, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated 5 p.m EDT, June 12, 2008)
The California Supreme Court reignited a political wildfire with its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the most populous state in the union, but the issue already has burned out in more than half the states.
  Read More
At-risk gubernatorial seats increase
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

After a pair of hard-fought primaries, North Carolina joins Missouri, Washington and Indiana on Out There's list of states where partisan control of the governorship could flip this fall.
  Read More
States worry about dwindling road funds
By Stephen C. Fehr, Stateline.org Staff Writer

(Updated 12:30 p.m. EDT, July 24, 2008)

Drivers are buying less gasoline, draining the federal Highway Trust Fund and jeopardizing thousands of major road and transit projects around the country.
  Read More
Texas still looking for 5 indicted FLDS men


ELDORADO, Texas -- The search continues for five members of the Fundamentalist LDS Church who were indicted by a grand jury here.   Read More
Prisoners' time spent on death row doubles


The time prisoners spend on death row has nearly doubled during the past two decades. Legal experts predict it will rise further as states review execution procedures and prisoners pursue lengthy appeals.   Read More
AMBER Alerts continue decline


The number of AMBER Alerts, public announcements of a child's abduction, is falling as police use them only for kids in the most danger.   Read More
Minimum-wage hike a lift for seniors, too  Audio


The federal minimum wage increases by 70 cents on Thursday to $6.55 an hour. About one quarter of the people who work for a minimum wage are teenagers, but most are adults like 63-year-old Shirley Golliday.   Read More
Gas conservation threatens road funding  Subscription Required


WASHINGTON -- The House passed legislation that would steer $8 billion to highway projects next year, in a prelude to a broader debate over how much to invest in roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure.   Read More
Huge housing bill set to become law  Registration Required


The House yesterday easily approved legislation that seeks to slow the steepest slide in house prices in a generation, rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure and reassure global markets that mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not be allowed to fail.   Read More
States slammed by tax shortfalls  Subscription Required


The stumbling U.S. economy is forcing states to slash spending and cut jobs in order to close a projected $40 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year.   Read More
Housing bill will extend federal role in markets  Subscription Required


WASHINGTON -- A sprawling bill that reaches deep into the U.S. housing industry is close to becoming law, in what will likely stand as the federal government's most expansive effort to stabilize the mortgage and financial markets.   Read More
Jobs are at risk if Congress doesn't fix the Highway Fund
By John Horsley, AASHTO Executive Director

State budgets and nearly 400,000 jobs are at risk if Congress fails to replenish the Highway Trust Fund,  John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, writes in a commentary for Stateline.org.   Read More
Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

For the past several election cycles, the Democrats have been on a roll in legislative elections. This year, the party is well-positioned to hold its majority of chambers — but greatly expanding Democratic control may not be in the cards.
  Read More
'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

The national polls point to a tight presidential race in November. But Democrats have a bit more to cheer about than Republicans do, regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, according to the latest state-by-state electoral-vote projections by “Out There.”
  Read More
Governors pitch ambitious programs
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.
  Read More
Obama's friends in unlikely places
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org Columnist

Barack Obama is striking an unlikely connection with voters in the reddest of red states. However the Democratic presidential contest plays out, the Illinois senator has breathed new energy and resources into several long-forsaken state parties.
  Read More
Commentary: Govs beat White House hopefuls as agents of change
By Gene Gibbons, Stateline.org Executive Editor

This column was published simultaneously by The Politico.
It took a while for most of the presidential candidates to figure out that voters want “change” and action on a variety of issues that affect their lives. They might have gotten it sooner if they had noticed the way that many states, led by innovative governors, are moving forward in areas like health care, immigration and global warming.
  Read More
Democratic mid-term gains affecting policy
By Louis Jacobson, Stateline.org columnist

So complete was the Democratic rout in the 2006 midterm elections that the party even gained legislative influence in Alaska, Idaho, North and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming – states long dominated by the Republicans. And those gains, though small, are translating into policy achievements.   Read More
Governor Photo
Gov. Rick Perry (R)
Elected: November 2002, 2006
Term expires: January 2011

 

State capital: Austin
State nickname: The Lone Star State
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R)
Secretary of State Phil Wilson (R)
Attorney General Greg Abbott (R)
Senate President: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst (R)
House Speaker: Tom Craddick (R)





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for road funding

The U.S. House just voted to divert $8 billion to keep the federal Highway Trust Fund out of the red. Read more about the trust fund’s problems and the perils facing state road building: States worry about dwindling road funds


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