Mar 11th - 5:28 pm

Posted by Aaron Franco in 83rd Legislative Session

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State Board of Education Chair Barbara Cargill has chosen a committee that will oversee changes to a controversial teaching tool known as CSCOPE.

The committee includes four SBOE members: Republicans Marty Rowley, Pat Hardy and Tom Maynard, as well as Democrat Mavis Knight. Three members of the CSCOPE governing board will also serve on the committee. According to a message on the Texas Education Agency website, the committee’s job is to appoint review panels made up of teachers, parents and “curriculum specialists” to examine lesson plans available through CSCOPE. The panels would also include “business professionals and other stakeholders.”

The move follows months of discussion, a Senate hearing and at least two TV appearances by Senator Dan Patrick drawing attention to CSCOPE. Conservative groups have accused the program of being anti-American, based on lesson plans that teach students about Islam and Socialism. The program’s governing board has responded to the complaints, saying both were part of larger lessons on religion and forms of government.

CSCOPE was formed through an agreement by 19 regional education service centers representing school districts across the state. It was meant to provide teachers with a way to create lesson plans that comply with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards. According to CSCOPE, more than 70 percent of school districts now use the program.

Mar 7th - 8:48 pm

Posted by Aaron Franco in 83rd Legislative Session

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Mar 6th - 4:48 pm

Posted by Sarah Grady in Obama Administration

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Some Republican lawmakers are taking issue with the Obama administration’s decision to close the White House doors to visitors. Citing the sequester, the visitors’ office announced yesterday that due to staffing issues tours would be put on hold indefinitely, starting Saturday. The move comes as Congress was unable to compromise on a budget deal and the spring tourism season is about to hit full swing in Washington, D.C.

In an email statement today, U.S. Rep Roger Williams called the closure “deeply troubling and disturbingly ironic.”

Today, U.S. Congressman Roger Williams (TX-25) made the following comments regarding the White House’s decision to cancel all public tours blaming the federal spending cuts, known as the sequester.  Williams said:

“For many Americans a family or school trip to our nation’s Capitol is a once-in-a-lifetime event.  To cancel all public tours, essentially closing the doors of the White House, is wrong.  This is nothing more than a publicity stunt, as it requires minimal federal dollars to allow the public access to the White House.  If the President was serious about cutting spending, he would negotiate in good faith with Congress to find more desirable solutions.

“I want to let those who are planning a trip to Washington, D.C. know that the Capitol will remain open.  My office is happy to continue arranging tours of the Capitol and many other historical landmarks regardless of any reductions in our office budget.”

In addition, Rep. Louie Gohmert, who represents parts of east Texas, is looking to keep the president off the links until the doors of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. are back open to the public. The Hill is reporting he filed an amendment stating ”None of the funds made available by a division of this act may be used to transport the President to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House tours resume.”

Mar 6th - 1:03 pm

Posted by Sarah Grady in Sen.Ted Cruz

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Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder exchanged heated words over the hypothetical use of drone strikes in the United States. The grilling came during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington today.

Senate Republicans have been pressuring the White House to provide information used by the Justice Department to justify the use of lethal drone strikes against terror suspects overseas. Today, the focus was on the possibility that the military might use drone technology to target suspects on American soil.

In a letter to Sen. Rand Paul earlier this week, Holder said the military has never carried out a drone strike on U.S. soil and has “no intention of doing so.” Holder stopped short, however, of ruling out the possibility. He pointed out that a president might be prompted to take such action in an extraordinary circumstance like the Pearl Harbor or September 11th attacks.

During testimony today, Sen. Cruz pressed Holder on the issue. He posed a hypothetical question to the Attorney General: “If an individual is sitting quietly at a cafe in the United States, in your legal judgement does the constitution allow a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil to be killed by a drone?”

You can view Holder’s response and the full exchange in the video below:

Mar 5th - 8:10 pm

Posted by Greg Burnam in 83rd Legislative Session

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More than a thousand Texans gathered at the Capitol Tuesday, asking lawmakers to accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Although Gov. Rick Perry has said he’s against expanding Medicaid in its current form, Democratic Rep. Lon Burnam has a proposal modeled after Arizona’s plan that could gain bipartisan support.

Impassioned testimony

A proposed bill aimed at reducing the number of wrongful convictions in Texas drew emotional testimony at a House committee hearing Tuesday. The bill would establish a review commission to investigate the role prosecutors and judges play in the process.

Where do Texans stand on gun control?

James Henson with the Texas Politics Project joined Paul Brown to discuss recent polling numbers on gun control. The poll looks at where Texans stand on high-capacity magazines, semi-automatic weapons and gun laws in general.

Mar 5th - 1:34 pm

Posted by Aaron Franco in Gov. Rick Perry

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The Department of Public Safety is ending a policy requiring background checks for lawmakers entering the Governor’s Mansion.

During a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, DPS Director Steve McCraw described the policy as “stupid” and said it has since been re-evaluated.

The mansion was heavily damaged in a 2008 fire caused by an unknown arsonist. Since its reopening in July, lawmakers have complained about the new security measures, which include waiting for state troopers to screen them before entering. Tuesday’s committee meeting began with testimony on the policy.

The new exemption only includes current elected state lawmakers and congressional members. All other visitors still have to submit to background checks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mar 5th - 1:33 pm

Posted by Sarah Grady in 83rd Legislative Session

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A bill to ban texting while driving cleared its first major legislative hurdle Tuesday. Rep. Tom Craddick announced the House Transportation Committee voted in favor of HB 63. The legislation will now go to the calendars committee to be considered for full floor debate.

If passed, HB 63 would amend the Texas Transportation code to ban the “use of a wireless communication device to read, write or send a text-based communication while driving, except when a vehicle is stopped.”

“I am elated that the ban on texting while driving bill has been reported favorably by the committee and is one step closer to increasing public safety of our Texas roadways,” Rep. Craddick said. “I appreciate the time, attention and effort that Chairman Larry Phillips and the members of the Transportation Committee put into considering The Alex Brown Memorial Act.”

This is the second time Rep. Craddick has pushed for tougher distracted driving laws. In 2011, a similar meausre passed in both the House and Senate but fell victim to Gov. Rick Perry’s veto pen. There’s no indication the law will earn the governor’s support this time around, either.

In a statement to Capital Tonight last month, a spokesperson for Gov. Perry said:

“Gov. Perry continues to believe texting while driving is reckless and irresponsible, and as he noted last session, current law already prohibits drivers under the age of 18 from texting or using a cell phone while driving. The key to dissuading drivers from texting while driving is information and education, not government micromanagement.”

Mar 5th - 12:48 pm

Posted by Sarah Grady in Capital Tonight

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Term Limiting Lawmakers

The idea of term limits for Texas politicians is gaining traction at the State Capitol. “Texans for Term Limits” launched a statewide effort Monday to eliminate so-called career politicians. The group aims to put a cap on how long an elected official can hold office. “We have an obligation to make sure we elect citizens who want to serve, not politicians looking to build a career,” said George Seay, with Texans for Term Limits.

Republican Lyle Larson sponsored the bill. In addition to capping term limits, the measure would require state officials to resign their post if they decide to run for a higher office. Larson pointed to the state’s top two lawmakers as examples. Both Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Gov. Rick Perry have been in office for more than 10 years. In addition, Perry spent much of 2011 campaigning for President. ”We have folks going across the country, across the state, they essentially vacate their office and we need to have people who are running the state’s business in those offices,” Larson said. 

Similar legislation has been proposed in the past, but never made it past lawmakers. In the video below, Capital Tonight’s LeAnn Wallace explains why it might have more traction this legislative session.

Perry vs. Abbott

A new University of Texas / Texas Tribune poll pitting Gov. Rick Perry against Attorney General Greg Abbott offers some interesting insight into the hypothetical primary race. The poll shows Gov. Perry with 49 percent support over Abbott’s 17 percent among voters who consider identify themselves with the Republican party.

The more telling data, however, comes when you examine the results of the approval questions within the poll. Those samples show even voters who support Gov. Perry still have a favaorable view of Abbott.

James Henson from the Texas Politics Project joined us Monday to break down the data. Click the video link, below, to hear why this poll could actually be good news for both potential 2014 contenders.

On the Agenda: Medicaid Expansion

House republicans made it clear today at the State Capitol they are following the Governor’s lead on Medicaid reform. The GOP caucus voted against expanding the program in its current form, but they are leaving the door open for other options.

Several other Republican governors have brokered state-specific deals with the federal government. The details vary, but most involve accepting more federal dollars and include more people in the program. Some Texas lawmakers have said they’d be interested in exploring similar alternatives. Governor Rick Perry, though, hasn’t said if he’d consider a compromise.

In the video below, Harvey Kronberg from the Quorum Report offers his commentary on the possibility of compromise.

Mar 4th - 11:33 am

Posted by Sarah Grady in Gov. Rick Perry

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Gov. Rick Perry would easily beat Attorney General Greg Abbott, if the two were to face off in a hypothetical primary race, according to a new University of Texas / Texas Tribune poll. The poll shows Perry with 49 percent support over Abbott’s 17 percent among voters who consider themselves Republican. The margin is smaller among all voters. In that scenario, Perry would get 27 percent to Abbott’s 14 percent.

In a statement on the University of Texas’ website, Daron Shaw, one of the poll’s directors, said there is good news for both Perry and Abbott.  “After 12 years in office, Governor Perry remains in good standing with Republican voters. Attorney General Abbott is less well established in voters’ minds but has a very favorable rating to build on in the future if he so chooses,” Shaw said.

The poll released today shows a drastically different scenario than a Public Policy Polling survey released in January. That poll only gave Gov. Perry a slight 41/38 percent lead over Abbott. According to the PPP analysis, the poll was especially troublesome for Perry given Abbott’s sizable war chest and lack of name recognition.

Of course, the likelihood of this matchup is still questionable. Both Gov. Perry and Abbott have said they wouldn’t make any decisions about their political futures until after the legislative session. Perry also reportedly told several Dallas media outlets that he and Abbott have agreed that Abbott would not challenge Perry if he decides to seek reelection.

Mar 2nd - 12:40 pm

Posted by Greg Burnam in Capital Tonight

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Despite an hour-long meeting at the White House Friday, no deal was reached to avoid an automatic $85 billion in automatic spending cuts.

Paul Brown sat down with Scott Braddock from the Quorum Report, Ben Philpott fromKUT and Jonathan Tilove from theAustin American-Statesman to talk about the failed negotiations, along with Medicaid expansion, education funding and more. 

Rep. Paul Workman

As a member of several committees dealing with business, manufacturing and economic development, Republican Rep. Paul Workman is well suited to talk about industry in Texas. The Austin-area lawmaker stopped by the studio to talk about his goals for the session.

Ashes and taxes

Democratic Sen. Carlos Uresti has introduced a new bill to raise the legal buying age for cigarettes to 21. Click the image below to see the full story.