Hot List: day 102

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Day 102 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“I picked up more support. He may think he won, but he’s lost.”
State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, on Rep. David Simpson’s derailing of her so-called “puppy mill bill” yesterday

OBSERVED
Yesterday a Senate panel passed its version of the budget, which spends nearly $12 billion more than the House plan. Still, while it restores some funding to public education, health and human services and public safety, Alexa Garcia-Ditta writes it’s still not enough to meet Texas’ needs.  

BEST OF THE REST
The Texas House postponed hearing a controversial education deregulation bill yesterday so lawmakers could head home early for the Easter holiday. The legislation would give school districts more flexibility over class sizes and teacher salaries. Gary Scharrer of the San Antonio Express News outlines what teachers and school administrators think of the bill, scheduled now to be debated Tuesday. 

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Today and Monday will be quiet under the pink dome as lawmakers headed home yesterday for the Easter holiday. But things will pick back up starting Tuesday. The Senate is expected to bring its version of the budget to the floor next week. 

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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