Texas Legislature Coverage
The 83rd Texas Legislature is underway, and we’re keeping a keen eye on everything happening in the House and the Senate. Check The Texas Observer for daily updates on our Lege blog, “Floor Pass,” and for in-depth analysis pieces written by our reporters and Lege interns.
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Water, MUD and Beer: Recipe for an Explosive Hill Country Development Fight
In hindsight, perhaps Greg LaMantia, a scion of a South Texas family who made its fortune as a regional Budweiser distributor, shouldn’t have named his 5,000-acre spread near Wimberley “Needmore Ranch.”
Payday Loan Reform Faces Uphill Battle in House
Late into the night, the payday loan industry strutted its stuff before a very friendly House committee. The hearing came just a week after the Senate passed a surprisingly tough bill that the industry insists would shut down most of Texas’ 3,400 payday and auto-title storefronts. Even though the legislation aired last night is a faint shadow the Senate bill, it got a rough treatment from six of the seven committee members.
El Paso Becomes Second City to Indict Employer for Wage Theft
In 2011, Austin-based Workers Defense Project successfully lobbied for the wage theft code amendment, authored by Senator Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso), that made it harder for employers to get away with stealing workers’ wages. The amendment to the Texas criminal code closed a loophole which allowed employers to get away with paying employees only partially for their work without facing criminal charges. El Paso has become the first city outside of Austin to indict an employer for stealing wages.
Payday Loan Industry Divides and Conquers at Capitol
Consumer advocates and Democrats are divided over a Senate bill that would impose light regulations on payday and auto-title lenders.
Hundreds Rally in Support of Planned Parenthood, Women’s Health
In contrast to the Planned Parenthood bashing at Tuesday’s Senate Education Committee hearing, hundreds rallied at the Capitol on Thursday morning to support the non-profit.
State Government Hoarding, Not Spending Clean-Air Money
Budget-writers at the Capitol leave the vast majority of the money unspent in special accounts while the underfunded air quality programs languish.
Perry at Pro-Life Rally: Ideal World Is One Without Abortion
The 83rd Texas Legislature is underway, and we’re keeping a keen eye on everything happening in the House and the Senate. Check The Texas [...]
Legislators to Watch
Meet the promising newbies and the veterans in bigger roles during the 2013 Texas Legislature.