Texas Republic News Archives

		Capitol Rally Held In Support of Voter ID “It is time the will of 95 percent of Republicans and 80 percent of Democrats is heard by passing Voter ID legislation,” said State Rep. Betty Brown (R-Terrell), the sponsor of the bill in the House. “We must restore the integrity in our elections process by making it easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”
		TPPF, Conservative Coalition Say Stimulus Will “Crowd Out” Private Sector Job Growth "Government spending crowds out private sector spending, diminishing the private economy’s rate of growth. In other words, increased government spending makes citizens poorer because it takes their money now while reducing their future income."
		TRN Exclusive Interview with St. Rep. Linda Harper-Brown State Representative Linda Harper-Brown has been one of the strongest advocates of low-tax conservative government in the Texas House of Representatives. The Irving Republican is not afraid to speak her mind and stand up for her principles.
		Senate Passes $182 Billion Budget | TPPF's Heflin Calls Budget Growth 'Reasonable' The Texas Senate passed a $182 billion budget today, representing an increase that is below the rate of population growth, not including federal stimulus items. The budget includes $81 billion in general revenue spending and $11 billion in federal stimulus dollars.
		House Passes 'Mini' Special Session Option on Gov Vetoes The legislation, HJR 29 by Rep. Gary Elkins (R-Houston) is similar to legislation the House voted out in 2007. That bill never made it out of a Senate committee despite being co-sponsored by 26 out of 31 Senators.
		Compromise Wording Reached in SBOE Evolution Debate The Texas State Board of Education ended months of wrangling over language to teach “strengths and weaknesses” of the theory of evolution by adopting compromise language.
		HB1893 Gets Committee Hearing on Monday Legislation that would allow some students and teachers to carry concealed handguns on campus will get its first big test in the halls of the Capitol this week.
		Best of the Blogs - April 1, 2009 A sampling of the best of the Texas blogosphere...
		Unemployment Insurance Stimulus Funds: Boon for Texas or Taxes “To Infinity and Beyond” Legislators from both sides of the aisle squared off in a debate over the controversial unemployment insurance stimulus funds recently rejected by Gov. Rick Perry. Thursday, the Texas Public Policy Foundation held a policy primer on the issue featuring a debate between three legislators.
		New Driver's License Rules Targeted by Democrats, Minority Groups Major changes in government don’t always happen in the legislature, and not always amid the glare of media attention and fanfare. Administrative law is one of the most important – yet obscure – ways to reform or do mischief.
		Eight Years of Quietly Re-Inventing Government While most state agencies bleed red ink, the General Land Office is doing something most people don’t even know about: it’s generating black ink. As in profits to the state. Video - Part 1 | Part 2
		Best of the Blogs - March 30, 2009 A sampling of the best of the Texas blogosphere...
		Senate Committee Approves Stimulus Funds Including Long-Term Costs Despite a pre-session plea by conservatives to resist the temptation to spend stimulus funding on long-term items that could result in an expansion of government down the road, the Texas Senate Finance Committee agreed to a budget that includes just the same long-term costs that conservatives had railed against.
		Best of the Blogs - March 25, 2009 A sampling of the best of the Texas Blogosphere...
		Best of the Blogs - March 23, 2009 A sampling of the best of the Texas Blogosphere...
		Texas Senate Passes Voter ID Bill Over cries of protest by Democratic lawmakers and claims of “voter suppression” the Texas Senate passed legislation today requiring voters to present a photo ID in order to cast their ballots in Texas.
		Legislative Lunacy - Part III This week, it’s a Republican freshman from Houston, who gets the nod for the silliest legislative idea to come across our desk.
		Daily Reads - Wednesday, March 18, 2009 A sampling of the news content out there today.
		Gambling in Texas - A 4-part Series by James Bernsen Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
		Daily Reads - Tuesday, March 17, 2009 A sampling of the news content out there today.
		Court Upholds Texas’ Moment of Silence Law A federal appeals court today upheld Texas’ law allowing for a moment of silence prior to the beginning of class in Texas public schools.
		TexasRepublicNews Exclusive Interview with Michael Williams The Texas Republic News sat down for an interview with Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams to learn more about his job and his U.S. Senate campaign. Interview Video - Part 1 | Part 2
		TFR Conference Call with Gov. Perry, State Lawmakers & 20,000 Texans Thursday night, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility held a conference call with Gov. Rick Perry, several state lawmakers, and 20,000 Texans to discuss the federal stimulus plan and other issues.
		Perry Rejects Part of Stimulus Package Governor Rick Perry today made good on a threat and rejected part of the federal stimulus plan that would require a change in state law that could encumber the state with future indebtedness in order to pay for it.
		Voter ID Bill set for Tuesday Showdown in Senate Legislation that would require Texans to show a photo ID to vote will face its next big hurdle in the Texas Senate on Tuesday.
		Legislative Update - March 10, 2009 State School Reform Bill Passes Senate | Bill Allowing Concealed Handguns on Campus Gains Steam | Top 10 Percent Rule Reform Passes Senate Committee | House Democrat Proposes Toll Road Bill of Rights | Military Custody Legislation Advances in Texas Senate
		An Interview with St. Sen. Dan Patrick The Texas Republic News sat down with State Senator Dan Patrick and heard a forceful defense of his principles. Interview Video - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
		Dem Diagnosis of Border Disorder: It's America's Fault In a telling exchange, Rep. Richard Raymond (D - Laredo) has placed the blame on America for the violence on the border with Mexico. We beg to differ.
		Texas Independence Day and the History of Texas - The Alamo Principles - James A. Bernsen - Texas Independence - Michael Q. Sullivan, Empower Texans (w/video) - Celebrate Texas History in March - Commissioner Jerry Patterson
		Legislative Update | March 2, 2009 Senate looks to increase oversight at Texas state schools | Increasing Regulation, Decreasing Regulation | The State of Texas’ Housing Market | Reforming Homeowners’ Associations
		“We Didn’t Stimulate Anything With That Bill Except the Growth of Government.” The Texas Republic News sat down with Congressman Paul recently and held a wide-ranging interview on liberty and government.
		Lt. Gov. Dewhurst Weighs in on Stimulus Funds Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst weighed in Wednesday on the federal stimulus funds and how they should best be leveraged by Texas.
		Pro-Life Activists Rally at Texas Capitol Supporters of stronger legislation to reduce the number of abortions in Texas rallied this week at the Texas Capitol.
		Legislation in Texas House Would Re-affirm State Sovereignty Texas legislators are jumping onto a growing bandwagon across the country of states re-affirming their constitutional rights under the 10th Amendment.
		Conservatives at the Crossroads - Part II Texas Conservatives are getting more pro-active and unifying in the wake of several down election cycles which have seen the number of Republicans in the Texas House dwindle from 88 to 76.
		Legislative Update Conservative Coalition outlines fiscal priorities | TPPF: Free Nurse Practitioners to Practice | Governor Ron Paul?
		Pro-Lifers Mobilizing for 81st Session Despite electoral setbacks that saw the Republican majority in the Texas House dwindle, pro-life forces are getting behind an ambitious series of bills designed to reduce the number of abortions in Texas.
		When the US-Mexico Border Resembles a 24 Episode Texas State Senator Dan Patrick made an appearance on the Glenn Beck show on FoxNews yesterday to discuss the situation on the border.
		Putting The Brakes On State Spending Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) and Rep. Ken Paxton (R-McKinney) headlined a February 18 press conference for their bills to limit state spending growth to the rate of the State’s population growth plus inflation.
		TexasOnline Web Contractor files for Bankruptcy Bearing Point Inc., a major contractor with the State of Texas, filed for bankruptcy today in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
		Can You Digg It? The Austin American Statesman announced its top 25 Texas Social Media Award finalists today. Two prominent Texas conservatives were on the list:
		TRN Blog Review - 02.16.2009 A bailout that you can’t refuse... | Breaking down the House Committee Assignments... | Committee Assignments – The View from the Left | Bashing Tuition Increases
		Straus Announces House Committee Assignments Committee Assignments have been named. Texas Republic News Staff provide a detailed analysis of each committee and the new chairmen.
		The Scariest Unread Document in Texas State Government US Military Planners Cast Wary Eye South of the Border
		Welcome to the Texas Republic News Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Texas Republic News: your newest source for the latest news and opinion from the Lone Star State.
		Conservatives at the Crossroads - Part I A recent Gallup Poll came up with the surprising finding that Texas appeared to be a competitive state. Gallup found that the split between Republicans and Democrats was now leaning Democrat at 2 percent.
		Legislative Update Gambling Lobby Out in Force | Empower Texans Offers Taxpayer Alerts | Speaking of Empower Texans | Business Margins Tax Draws Opponents | Texas State Rifle Association Highlights Its Legislative Agenda
		Taxpayer Advocates Urge Legislative Restraint Virtually every major taxpayer advocacy group in Austin joined together on Wednesday to issue a call for the legislature to pull the reins tight on state budget spending.
		Legislative Issues - Part I Generally when the legislature meets at the beginning of session, there are several weeks of partying and pageantry that must be endured before our elected officials actually get down to work.
		Legislative Issues - Part II Here are some of the key issues and trends to keep an eye on in the realm of Texas Health and Human Services this session.
		Where is the Money Going? – Update on the Franchise Tax The Texas Public Policy Foundation recently held their popular Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature.
		A Great Campaign Speech Here’s a quick rundown of Governor Rick Perry’s State of the State address to a joint session of the Texas Legislature on January 27.
		Kelo Case Haunts Legislature Five Years Later The Texas Public Policy Foundation kicked off its 7th Annual Public Policy Orientation in late January with a discussion of eminent domain and the dangers of out-of-control governments abusing constitutionally delegated powers.