WEEKLY REPORT
January 27, 2012
Supreme Court Nixes Judge-Drawn Redistricting Maps
The U.S. Supreme Court threw out court-drawn Texas redistricting maps on Friday morning, saying a panel of federal judges should have used the Legislature’s maps as their starting point.
(View complete article here.)
Courts Moving Too Slow for April Primary Elections
The state is asking federal judges in San Antonio to speed up their schedule and try to get new political maps in place by the end of the month, so that the political parties can proceed with primary elections on April 3.
(View complete article here.)
Texas again facing possibility of two primaries
Texas could soon be facing the possibility of having its primaries split into two elections, a federal judge said Monday.
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Recent editorials from Texas newspapers
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Conservative groups disagree on gambling
A Texas conservative policy organization sent a letter to state lawmakers last week telling them that gambling is not the answer to the state’s budget woes.(View complete article here.)
TX Medicaid combats overuse of kids’ braces
Poor youngsters in Texas who were put into braces courtesy of taxpayers saw their orthodontist an average of 22 times in fiscal 2010, state Medicaid chiefs said in testimony they were to give to a legislative panel Tuesday.
(View complete article here.)
EDITORIAL: Straightening out Texas Medicaid’s dental program
Anywhere there’s public money to be had, there are people ready to take advantage — especially when state regulators aren’t doing their jobs properly.
(View complete article here.)
State hospital reforms help Texans in need
Officials responsible for the management of state hospitals and the patients who live there took another positive step toward protecting that most vulnerable population.
(View complete article here.)
BLOG: Judge gives little hope for sonogram law opponents
U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks made it clear today that opponents of the state’s new pre-abortion sonogram requirement have little hope of overturning the law in his court.
(View complete article here.)
The revelation last year that the Texas state hospital system employed three doctors with a documented history of inappropriate behavior has lawmakers again investigating alleged abuse within the much-maligned system.
(View complete article here.)
Education officials decry ‘over-testing’ in Texas
State Board of Education members pressed the Texas education commissioner on Thursday about whether an abundance of high-stakes standardized testing is warping classroom teaching to ensure students spend more time preparing for the exams then actual learning.
(View complete article here.)
Texas cities are low on annual literacy list
Texas has routinely topped the national growth charts, but the Lone Star State’s biggest cities are behind the curve in an annual ranking of literacy rates.
(View complete article here.)
Allbaugh Caused Campaign Tensions, Perry Advisers say
When Joe Allbaugh walked into his first staff meeting at the headquarters of the Rick Perry presidential campaign on Oct. 24, the governor of Texas had already blown his once formidable lead in the polls. But there was still hope that he could rise again, and campaign manager Rob Johnson introduced the physically imposing Allbaugh, former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as a key part of the rescue effort.
(View complete article here.)
Texas Windstorm Insurance Association Review is OK’d
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association board today unanimously approved a proposal from a third-party firm to conduct a financial review of the insurer of Texas’ coastal residents — despite avid opposition from state Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, the co-chairman of the Windstorm Insurance Legislative Oversight Board.
(View complete article here.)
State allows 75 mph limit on 1,500 more miles of interstate
The Texas Transportation Commission approved Thursday raising the speed limit to 75 mph on about 1,500 miles of interstate highways in the state.
(View complete article here.)
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