WEEKLY REPORT
October 14, 2011
State tax revenues on the rebound
Texas tax revenues have bounced back to levels nearly equal to pre-recession levels, indicating that the economy is in recovery, the state’s chief revenue estimator said Wednesday.
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State sales tax receipts grew nearly 12 percent in September
Texas’ main source of revenue, the 6 1/4-cent state sales tax, grew again at a double-digit pace in September, Comptroller Susan Combs said Wednesday.
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School districts sue state over finance system
A coalition of Texas school districts has sued the state, arguing that the school finance system is unfair, inefficient and unconstitutional, according to the filing announced Tuesday.
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Will Texas Mapping Fight Create Electoral Confusion?
The redrawing of political district lines — which ideally happens just once a decade after a federal census — could create a series of crazy election cycles for Texas voters and candidates.
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In State Leadership Changes, Timing is Everything
Like a pack of conniving relatives whispering around the deathbed of a rich man, Texas senators and political strategists are closely watching Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s bid for the U.S. Senate and Gov. Rick Perry’s bid for the presidency.
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Texas Senate turnover comes at crucial time
With four veteran committee chairs announcing they won’t seek re-election, the Texas Senate is poised for significant turnover after next year’s elections.
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Report: Texas’ tort law has failed to reduce health costs, attract doctors
A national report released Wednesday says the 2003 Texas law that limited damage awards in malpractice suits has caused health care spending to rise and has not significantly increased the number of doctors in Texas.
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Karl Rove vs. the Koch brothers
Karl Rove’s team and the Koch brothers’ operatives quietly coordinated millions of dollars in political spending in 2010, but that alliance, which has flown largely under the radar, is showing signs of fraying.
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Senator Ellis requests more info on how voter ID law affects minorities
State Sen. Rodney Ellis is asking the state demographer to make up for what Democrats say was an inadequate response by the state to federal requests regarding Texas’ new voter ID law.
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Lawmakers back away from public-private partnership process
Two state lawmakers who wrote legislation creating a public-private partnership process now say they want state and local authorities to stop accepting unsolicited proposals under their law until a group of Texas officials can weigh in.
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Educators dig into complexities, unknowns, anxieties of STAAR
Question after question darted through the Victoria school district board room, as school board members attempted to make sense of the state’s new academic assessment, the nuances of which remain elusive.
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Districts not enough info to prepare for new tests
Amarillo metro-area school district leaders say the Texas Education Agency hasn’t given them enough information to prepare students for new standardized tests that will be administered this spring.
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New initiative tackles child hunger in Texas
Throughout her 39 years as a teacher for the Austin Independent School District , Elbom has seen plenty of students come to school without breakfast. And it usually shows. They are sleepy, unfocused and occasionally belligerent, and they often have a much shorter attention span, she said.
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Some feel insurance is not in good hands
Insurers say that dropping or decreasing certain coverage allows them to control costs and in turn, keep a handle on the rates they charge customers.
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State funding doesn’t cover prisoner health care costs, officials say
In a new sign that Texas’ state budget crisis is far from over, officials drafting a new contract to provide medical care for Texas’ 153,000 imprisoned criminals acknowledged publicly Wednesday that the approximately $900 million allocated by the Legislature will not cover the cost.
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Pharmacies Feeling Pressure of Reduced Medicaid Fees
In Rio Grande City, Rene Martinez’s Starr Pharmacy has one line for Medicaid patients and another for non-Medicaid patients.
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