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Day 128 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“I cannot allow the voting rights of hundreds of thousands in my district to be trampled.”
Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, during yesterday’s Senate redistricting debate that ended with passage of a map that threatens her seat

OBSERVED
Yesterday, the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee piled a handful of controversial amendments to the already contentious Senate Bill 9, the homeland security omnibus bill by Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands. While the legislation doesn’t have a House sponsor yet, representatives still added E-verify, southbound checkpoints and “asset forfeiture legislation” to it. 

BEST OF THE REST
Yesterday, state Comptroller Susan Combs raised her initial state revenue estimate by $1.2 billion. Though that additional money may help bridge the gap between the House and Senate budgets, there’s still a long way to go before both chambers can agree on a budget. As the Austin American-Statesman reports, key steps include passing a fiscal matters bill in the House today, as well as passing a school finance reform bill. 

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
It’s going to be a busy day in the House as representatives debate major “fiscal matters” bills that generate revenue to help balance the budget—and may be a carrier for school finance legislation. A Senate committee will consider the infamous sanctuary city bill this morning, while the full Senate may debate the eyewitness identification reform bill. 


is an Observer reporter (and former intern) covering women's health, reproductive health and health care access across the Lone Star State. Before joining the Observer, she was a staff news writer at the San Antonio Current. She holds an MA in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and BA in journalism and Spanish from UT-Arlington, where she worked for three years on her college newspaper. After graduate school, she dipped her toe in public policy communications at the Center for Public Policy Priorities. When she's not at work, she's probably training for her next marathon. You can contact her at [email protected].

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