CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html>     <html class="no-js">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.texastribune.org:80/about/staff/morgan-smith/","20150429135559","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1430315759"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>Morgan Smith | The Texas Tribune</title> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/favicon.ico"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta charset="utf-8"><script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={}),__nr_require=function(e,n,t){function r(t){if(!n[t]){var o=n[t]={exports:{}};e[t][0].call(o.exports,function(n){var o=e[t][1][n];return r(o?o:n)},o,o.exports)}return n[t].exports}if("function"==typeof __nr_require)return __nr_require;for(var o=0;o<t.length;o++)r(t[o]);return r}({QJf3ax:[function(e,n){function t(e){function n(n,t,a){e&&e(n,t,a),a||(a={});for(var u=c(n),f=u.length,s=i(a,o,r),p=0;f>p;p++)u[p].apply(s,t);return s}function a(e,n){f[e]=c(e).concat(n)}function c(e){return f[e]||[]}function u(){return t(n)}var f={};return{on:a,emit:n,create:u,listeners:c,_events:f}}function r(){return{}}var o="nr@context",i=e("gos");n.exports=t()},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],ee:[function(e,n){n.exports=e("QJf3ax")},{}],3:[function(e,n){function t(e){return function(){r(e,[(new Date).getTime()].concat(i(arguments)))}}var r=e("handle"),o=e(1),i=e(2);"undefined"==typeof window.newrelic&&(newrelic=window.NREUM);var a=["setPageViewName","addPageAction","setCustomAttribute","finished","addToTrace","inlineHit","noticeError"];o(a,function(e,n){window.NREUM[n]=t("api-"+n)}),n.exports=window.NREUM},{1:12,2:13,handle:"D5DuLP"}],"7eSDFh":[function(e,n){function t(e,n,t){if(r.call(e,n))return e[n];var o=t();if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{return Object.defineProperty(e,n,{value:o,writable:!0,enumerable:!1}),o}catch(i){}return e[n]=o,o}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;n.exports=t},{}],gos:[function(e,n){n.exports=e("7eSDFh")},{}],handle:[function(e,n){n.exports=e("D5DuLP")},{}],D5DuLP:[function(e,n){function t(e,n,t){return r.listeners(e).length?r.emit(e,n,t):(o[e]||(o[e]=[]),void o[e].push(n))}var r=e("ee").create(),o={};n.exports=t,t.ee=r,r.q=o},{ee:"QJf3ax"}],id:[function(e,n){n.exports=e("XL7HBI")},{}],XL7HBI:[function(e,n){function t(e){var n=typeof e;return!e||"object"!==n&&"function"!==n?-1:e===window?0:i(e,o,function(){return r++})}var r=1,o="nr@id",i=e("gos");n.exports=t},{gos:"7eSDFh"}],G9z0Bl:[function(e,n){function t(){var e=d.info=NREUM.info,n=f.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(e&&e.licenseKey&&e.applicationID&&n){c(p,function(n,t){n in e||(e[n]=t)});var t="https"===s.split(":")[0]||e.sslForHttp;d.proto=t?"https://":"http://",a("mark",["onload",i()]);var r=f.createElement("script");r.src=d.proto+e.agent,n.parentNode.insertBefore(r,n)}}function r(){"complete"===f.readyState&&o()}function o(){a("mark",["domContent",i()])}function i(){return(new Date).getTime()}var a=e("handle"),c=e(1),u=(e(2),window),f=u.document,s=(""+location).split("?")[0],p={beacon:"bam.nr-data.net",errorBeacon:"bam.nr-data.net",agent:"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-632.min.js"},d=n.exports={offset:i(),origin:s,features:{}};f.addEventListener?(f.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",o,!1),u.addEventListener("load",t,!1)):(f.attachEvent("onreadystatechange",r),u.attachEvent("onload",t)),a("mark",["firstbyte",i()])},{1:12,2:3,handle:"D5DuLP"}],loader:[function(e,n){n.exports=e("G9z0Bl")},{}],12:[function(e,n){function t(e,n){var t=[],o="",i=0;for(o in e)r.call(e,o)&&(t[i]=n(o,e[o]),i+=1);return t}var r=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;n.exports=t},{}],13:[function(e,n){function t(e,n,t){n||(n=0),"undefined"==typeof t&&(t=e?e.length:0);for(var r=-1,o=t-n||0,i=Array(0>o?0:o);++r<o;)i[r]=e[n+r];return i}n.exports=t},{}]},{},["G9z0Bl"]);</script><script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={});NREUM.info={"beacon":"bam.nr-data.net","queueTime":0,"licenseKey":"8636ab2091","agent":"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-632.min.js","transactionName":"ZwZWZ0NWD0VRAE1YCV5MckZfVBVfXw0WUARfFkAdR14EQUNZa1QWXxFAVkNhCFNH","applicationID":"452513","errorBeacon":"bam.nr-data.net","applicationTime":1339}</script> <meta name="author" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta name="copyright" content="© The Texas Tribune"/> <meta name="language" content="EN"/> <meta name="audience" content="All"/> <meta name="publisher" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta name="distribution" content="global"/> <meta name="robots" content="index,follow"/> <meta name="siteinfo" content="http://www.texastribune.org/robots.txt"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://static.texastribune.org/common/images/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="2RECdeH7aeA9-RQoGzkfTpP5i_3Qz4rtBIR-CdCtvus"/> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="3EMut9KLnb_7fohrI_bDaR4py76QIWAt4uPidjagbzI"/> <meta name="p:domain_verify" content="1a464e3e99298d39e0cdaaeeb2c10dfd"/> <meta name="y_key" content="36169ff9ee60f3ab"/> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="DB22C31255557D1E219990CA92192CBB"/> <meta name="medium" content="news"/> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://static.texastribune.org/common/images/apple-touch-icon.png"/> <meta name="apple-mobile-web-app-capable" content="yes"/> <meta name="apple-touch-fullscreen" content="yes"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Morgan Smith's Feed" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/staff/morgan-smith/"/> <meta name="description" content="Morgan Smith's profile"/> <meta name="keywords" content=""/> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="154122474650943"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/"/> <meta property="twitter:url" content="http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/"/>  <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559js_/http://use.typekit.com/brb4jmm.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script> <link href="https://plus.google.com/116406259333166116089/" rel="publisher"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/css/2c1c9bbe6a0c.css" type="text/css"/>  <script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-9827490-1', 'texastribune.org'); ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <script>// var tt = tt || {}; tt.debug = false; tt.media_url = 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/'; tt.facebook = {appId: '154122474650943'}; // Doubleclick integration tt.ads = { // targeting: {}, // addTarget: function(key, value) { if (typeof key === 'undefined'){ // get all attrs return tt.ads.targeting; } else { // set attr tt.ads.targeting[key] = value; } } }; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery || document.write('<script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/jquery/1.7.2/jquery.min.js"><\/script>')</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559js_/http://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jqueryui/1.8.18/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <script>window.jQuery.ui || document.write('<script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/jqueryui/jquery-ui-1.8.18.min.js"><\/script>')</script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/modernizr/modernizr.min.js"></script> </head> <body class=" index reporters"> <script type="text/javascript"> var _qevents = _qevents || []; (function() { var elem = document.createElement('script'); elem.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://secure" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://edge") + ".quantserve.com/quant.js"; elem.async = true; elem.type = "text/javascript"; var scpt = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; scpt.parentNode.insertBefore(elem, scpt); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript">var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()</script> <div class="wrapper-r"> <div id="site_roofline" style="position:relative;"> <div class="hide-for-mobile large_ad_container"> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline1_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline2_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline3_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> <div class="ad adunit tablet standard" data-dimensions="728x90" data-adunit="TexasTribune_Site_Roofline4_ATF_Leaderboard_728x90"> </div> </div> <div class="mobile-only"> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline1_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline2_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline3_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> <div class="ad adunit mobile" data-dimensions="300x100" data-adunit="_TexasTribune_Site_Roofline4_ATF_Leaderboard_300x100"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="greeting"> <ul> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/register/" title="Register for your free Texas Tribune account">Register</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/login/?next=">Login</a> <script> (function(){ var allScripts = document.getElementsByTagName('script'), currentScript = allScripts[allScripts.length - 1], node = currentScript; while (node = node.previousSibling) { if (node.nodeName == "A"){ node.href += document.location.pathname; break; } }; })(); </script> </li> </ul> </div> <header id="site_header"> <nav class="navbar primary"> <ul> <li class="hide-for-mobile navbar-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"> <input id="site_search_q" name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="Search..."> <button type="submit" aria-label="Submit"><i class="icon-search"></i></button> </form> </li> <li class="active hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="dropdown-toggle" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/"> Front Page </a> <div class="mega-dropdown grid" id="sections"> <div class="cell w-3 tab_nav_cell"> <ul id="sidemenu" class="tab-nav"> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </div> <div id="sections-tab-container" class="cell w-9 tab_container" data-content-resource="/esi/components/megadropdown/"> <div style="padding: 1em; font-family: 'LeagueGothicRegular'; font-size:2.1em; color: #999; ">Loading...</div> </div> </div> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/"> Data </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://txlege.texastribune.org/" title="84th Lege Session landing page"> 84th Lege </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/"> Directory </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/events/"> Events </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="multimedia" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/"> Multimedia </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/subscribe/"> Subscriptions </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.tribtalk.org/"> TribTalk </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/tribinvestigates/" title="Trib Investigates"> Investigations </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2016/" title="2016 Presidential Elections"> 2016 </a> </li> <li class="mobile-only active dropdown-toggle"> <a href="#"> Menu<i class="icon-caret-down"></i> </a> <ul class="mobile-dropdown"> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/">Front Page</a> </li> <li> <a class="data" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/">Data</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://txlege.texastribune.org/" title="84th Lege Session landing page"> 84th Lege </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/">Directory</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/events/">Events</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/">Multimedia</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.tribtalk.org/">TribTalk</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/tribinvestigates/" title="Trib Investigates"> Investigations </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2016/" title="2016 Presidential Elections"> 2016 </a> </li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="#"> Sections<i class="icon-caret-down"></i> </a> <ul class="mobile-dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"><i class="icon-search"></i></a> <div class="mobile-dropdown mobile-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"> <input name="q" type="text" value="" placeholder="SEARCH"> <button type="search" alt="Do Search"> <i class="icon-search"></i> </button> </form> </div> </li> <li class="mobile-only active" id="mobi_join"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/join/"> Support Us </a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="ad last"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/join/" title="Contribute Today" style="display: block; padding-top: .5em"> <div style="background:url(//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/membership/TT-supportus-flag.png) no-repeat; width: 120px; height:60px; background-size: 120px 60px;"></div> </a> </div> <div class="below_nav"> <h1 id="logo"><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/logo.png" alt="The Texas Tribune"></a></h1> <time datetime="2015-04-29T08:55:57.695372">Wednesday, April 29, 2015</time> </div> </header> </div> <div class="wrapper content-wrapper"> <div id="site_content" class="content "> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-8 main_column"> <header class="auxiliary content_header"> <ul class="actions"> <li class="rss"> <a type="application/rss+xml" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/staff/morgan-smith/">RSS <span></span></a> </li> </ul> <h1>Morgan Smith <span>Reporter</span></h1> </header> <div class="intro"> <div class="media headshot_portrait"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Morgan_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox inline"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/Morgan_jpg_131x197_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""/> </a> </div> <p> <strong>Morgan Smith</strong> reports on politics and education for the Tribune, which she joined in November 2009. She writes about the effects of the state budget, school finance reform, accountability and testing in Texas public schools. Her political coverage has included congressional and legislative races, as well as Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign, which she followed to Iowa and New Hampshire. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for "Death of a District," a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor's degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C. </p> <ul class="social_links"> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ea879987839e82aa9e8f928b999e9883889f848fc485988d"> <i class="icon-envelope"></i> <span><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9bf6e8f6f2eff3dbeffee3fae8efe9f2f9eef5feb5f4e9fc">[email protected]</span><script cf-hash="f9e31" type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */!function(){try{var t="currentScript"in document?document.currentScript:function(){for(var t=document.getElementsByTagName("script"),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute("cf-hash"))return t[e]}();if(t&&t.previousSibling){var e,r,n,i,c=t.previousSibling,a=c.getAttribute("data-cfemail");if(a){for(e="",r=parseInt(a.substr(0,2),16),n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)i=parseInt(a.substr(n,2),16)^r,e+=String.fromCharCode(i);e=document.createTextNode(e),c.parentNode.replaceChild(e,c)}}}catch(u){}}();/* ]]> */</script></span> </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/tel:512.716.8620"> <i class="icon-phone"></i> <span>512.716.8620</span> </a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://twitter.com/MorganSmith" target="_blank"> <i class="icon-twitter"></i> <span>@MorganSmith</span> </a></li> </ul> </div> <section id="contributions"> <a name="contributions"></a> <h2>Recent Contributions</h2> <div class="contributions"> <nav class="pagination"> <ul class="pagination"><li class="disabled"><span class="disabled prev"><span>&lsaquo;</span> previous</span></li><li><span class="current page">1</span></li><li><a href="?page=2#contributions" class="page">2</a></li><li><a href="?page=3#contributions" class="page">3</a></li><li><a href="?page=4#contributions" class="page">4</a></li><li><a class="disabled">…</a></li><li><a href="?page=46#contributions" class="page">46</a></li><li><a href="?page=47#contributions" class="page">47</a></li><li><a href="?page=48#contributions" class="page">48</a></li><li><a href="?page=49#contributions" class="page">49</a></li><li class="last"><a href="?page=2#contributions" class="next">next <span>&rsaquo;</span></a></li></ul> </nav> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-panel-tackles-school-accountability-f-grades/">Reluctant House Panel Approves A-F Grades For Schools</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-panel-tackles-school-accountability-f-grades/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/22/7C2A1241_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock R-Killeen at January 22nd Conversation at the Austin Club"> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/22/7C2A1241_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock R-Killeen at January 22nd Conversation at the Austin Club" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock R-Killeen at January 22nd Conversation at the Austin Club</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 28 Apr 2015 22:51:16 -0500" title="2015-04-28 22:51"> April 28, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-panel-tackles-school-accountability-f-grades/comments/"><span class="value">7</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p>A plan to give public schools A through F grades cleared a Texas House panel Tuesday night — but not without other changes in accountability standards reducing the role student assessments play in measuring public school performance.</p> <p> </p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-panel-tackles-school-accountability-f-grades/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/patrick-and-straus-top-20-priority-bills/">A Look at the Priority Bills for Straus and Patrick</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/patrick-and-straus-top-20-priority-bills/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/StrausPatrick_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/StrausPatrick_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> <div class="photo_caption">House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a>, <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> and <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/becca-aaronson/">Becca Aaronson</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 28 Apr 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-04-28 06:00"> April 28, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/patrick-and-straus-top-20-priority-bills/comments/"><span class="value">19</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p>Here's an updated breakdown of House Bills 1-20 and Senate Bills 1-20, showing where House Speaker <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a> and Lt. Gov. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/dan-patrick/">Dan Patrick</a> are placing their priorities for the 84th legislative session.</p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/patrick-and-straus-top-20-priority-bills/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/21/seniors-who-fail-state-exams-may-have-chance-diplo/">Seniors Who Fail State Exams May Have Chance at Diploma</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/21/seniors-who-fail-state-exams-may-have-chance-diplo/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/TexasEducation_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/TexasEducation_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>graphic by: Todd Wiseman</cite> </div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 21 Apr 2015 14:14:46 -0500" title="2015-04-21 14:14"> April 21, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/21/seniors-who-fail-state-exams-may-have-chance-diplo/comments/"><span class="value">7</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p>Thousands of high school seniors who haven't passed the required state exams are close to getting a chance at a diploma anyway under a measure advancing in the Texas Legislature. </p> <p> </p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/21/seniors-who-fail-state-exams-may-have-chance-diplo/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/20/senate-gives-initial-ok-school-scholarship-plan/">Senate Gives Initial OK to School Scholarship Plan</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/20/senate-gives-initial-ok-school-scholarship-plan/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/Seats_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/Seats_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Mon, 20 Apr 2015 19:14:01 -0500" title="2015-04-20 19:14"> April 20, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/20/senate-gives-initial-ok-school-scholarship-plan/comments/"><span class="value">26</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span>Scholarships funded by state business tax credits would help some low-income parents send their children to private schools under a measure tentatively approved by the Texas Senate Monday.  </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/20/senate-gives-initial-ok-school-scholarship-plan/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/open-carry-gets-initial-approval-texas-house/">Open Carry Wins Initial Approval in Texas House</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/open-carry-gets-initial-approval-texas-house/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/17/_BDB8756final_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="Chairman State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, sponsor of HB 910 open carry legislation, just before final passage of the bill April 17, 2015 by a 96-35 House vote."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/17/_BDB8756final_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Chairman State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, sponsor of HB 910 open carry legislation, just before final passage of the bill April 17, 2015 by a 96-35 House vote." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Chairman State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, sponsor of HB 910 open carry legislation, just before final passage of the bill April 17, 2015 by a 96-35 House vote.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 17 Apr 2015 18:07:04 -0500" title="2015-04-17 18:07"> April 17, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/open-carry-gets-initial-approval-texas-house/comments/"><span class="value">82</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span>After a debate that stretched for more than five hours, <span>the Texas House passed a bill allowing the open carry of handguns in public places</span><span> 96 to 35.</span></span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/open-carry-gets-initial-approval-texas-house/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/after-misfire-house-takes-another-shot-open-carry/">After Misfire, House Republicans Reload Open Carry</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/after-misfire-house-takes-another-shot-open-carry/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/14/DSC_8302_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, held an impromptu press conference to explain the postponement of his open carry bill after House Democrats raised a point of order on April 14, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/14/DSC_8302_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, held an impromptu press conference to explain the postponement of his open carry bill after House Democrats raised a point of order on April 14, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, held an impromptu press conference to explain the postponement of his open carry bill after House Democrats raised a point of order on April 14, 2015.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-mccrimmon/">Ryan McCrimmon</a> and <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 17 Apr 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-04-17 06:00"> April 17, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/after-misfire-house-takes-another-shot-open-carry/comments/"><span class="value">28</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span><span>After a bit of a Democratic gamesmanship shot down a major gun debate before it started, a measure that would allow gun owners with a concealed handgun license to carry their weapons openly in public is back on the House schedule Friday.</span></span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/17/after-misfire-house-takes-another-shot-open-carry/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/parent-trigger-school-bill-clears-texas-senate/">"Parent Trigger" School Bill Clears Texas Senate</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/parent-trigger-school-bill-clears-texas-senate/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/Seats_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/Seats_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 15 Apr 2015 17:10:58 -0500" title="2015-04-15 17:10"> April 15, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/parent-trigger-school-bill-clears-texas-senate/comments/"><span class="value">32</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span>If a public school isn't getting the job done, parents would have greater power to demand changes under legislation passed by the Texas Senate on Wednesday. </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/parent-trigger-school-bill-clears-texas-senate/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/school-finance-plan-gets-house-hearing/">School Finance Plan Praised in Capitol Hearing</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/school-finance-plan-gets-house-hearing/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/31/HS055Aycock_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="House Public Education Committee chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on the floor during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/31/HS055Aycock_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="House Public Education Committee chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on the floor during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">House Public Education Committee chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on the floor during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 15 Apr 2015 06:31:10 -0500" title="2015-04-15 06:31"> April 15, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/school-finance-plan-gets-house-hearing/comments/"><span class="value">9</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span>A plan to overhaul the state’s public education funding system from a top House lawmaker received largely favorable reviews from school districts during a marathon legislative hearing that ended late Tuesday night.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/15/school-finance-plan-gets-house-hearing/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/14/open-carry-bill-poised-clear-texas-house/">After Delay, House to Take up Open Carry Bill on Friday</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/14/open-carry-bill-poised-clear-texas-house/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/14/_BDB8222TMFCMS_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="San Antonio Democratic Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, c, confronts State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, with a Point of Order on HB 910 that delayed the open carry gun bill on April 14, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/14/_BDB8222TMFCMS_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="San Antonio Democratic Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, c, confronts State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, with a Point of Order on HB 910 that delayed the open carry gun bill on April 14, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">San Antonio Democratic Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, c, confronts State Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, with a Point of Order on HB 910 that delayed the open carry gun bill on April 14, 2015.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> and <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-mccrimmon/">Ryan McCrimmon</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 14 Apr 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-04-14 06:00"> April 14, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/14/open-carry-bill-poised-clear-texas-house/comments/"><span class="value">150</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><strong>UPDATED:</strong> <span>After a technical error caused the Texas House to delay its debate on open carry legislation Tuesday, the legislation is now cleared to go back to the full House floor on Friday.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/14/open-carry-bill-poised-clear-texas-house/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/10/senate-plan-private-school-scholarships-takes-shap/">Senate Shapes Plan for Private School Scholarships</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/10/senate-plan-private-school-scholarships-takes-shap/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/25/PatrickDanSB8cms_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick listens to debate on SB 8 franchise tax reform measure during Senate action March 25, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/25/PatrickDanSB8cms_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick listens to debate on SB 8 franchise tax reform measure during Senate action March 25, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick listens to debate on SB 8 franchise tax reform measure during Senate action March 25, 2015.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:44:00 -0500" title="2015-04-10 17:44"> April 10, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/10/senate-plan-private-school-scholarships-takes-shap/comments/"><span class="value">45</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p>In its quest for school choice legislation, the Senate is backing away from traditional vouchers and heading toward a plan that would use donations to fund scholarships for low-income students trying to get out of weak schools. </p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/10/senate-plan-private-school-scholarships-takes-shap/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/09/tesla-bill-losing-momentum/">Is the Tesla Bill Losing Momentum?</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/09/tesla-bill-losing-momentum/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/15/UP9A0772_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="Tesla vehicle on display outside the Texas Capitol on January 15th, 2015"> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/15/UP9A0772_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Tesla vehicle on display outside the Texas Capitol on January 15th, 2015" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Tesla vehicle on display outside the Texas Capitol on January 15th, 2015</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a>, <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> and <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/julian-aguilar/">Julián Aguilar</a></li><li><time datetime="Thu, 9 Apr 2015 23:04:00 -0500" title="2015-04-09 23:04"> April 9, 2015 </time></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <span class="txweekly-icon"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/txweekly-summary-icon.png" alt="Texas Weekly" title="Texas Weekly"> </span> <p>Also, the latest maneuverings on repealing the Dream Act as well as rejiggering the funding systems for schools and roads.</p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/09/tesla-bill-losing-momentum/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/house-conservatives-mount-charge-against-prek-bill/">Spurning Tea Party Opposition, House Passes Pre-K Bill</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/house-conservatives-mount-charge-against-prek-bill/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/03/26/_01F0435_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="Rep. Dan Huberty R-Humble, votes on one of the 165 amendments to House Bill 5 on March 26, 2013."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/03/26/_01F0435_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Rep. Dan Huberty R-Humble, votes on one of the 165 amendments to House Bill 5 on March 26, 2013." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Rep. Dan Huberty R-Humble, votes on one of the 165 amendments to House Bill 5 on March 26, 2013.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 8 Apr 2015 15:52:59 -0500" title="2015-04-08 15:52"> April 8, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/house-conservatives-mount-charge-against-prek-bill/comments/"><span class="value">42</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span>Key early education legislation backed by Republican Gov. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a> overwhelmingly passed the House Wednesday after surviving multiple challenges from Tea Party-backed representatives. </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/08/house-conservatives-mount-charge-against-prek-bill/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/07/aycock-presents-details-school-finance-plan/">Aycock Presents Details of School Finance Plan</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/07/aycock-presents-details-school-finance-plan/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/31/HS055Aycock_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt="House Public Education Committee chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on the floor during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/31/HS055Aycock_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="House Public Education Committee chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on the floor during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>photo by: Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">House Public Education Committee chair Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, on the floor during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015.</div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 7 Apr 2015 17:14:48 -0500" title="2015-04-07 17:14"> April 7, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/07/aycock-presents-details-school-finance-plan/comments/"><span class="value">6</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p>Most Texas school districts would see increased funding under proposed changes to the state's public education funding system, House Public Education Chairman <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/jimmie-don-aycock/">Jimmie Don Aycock</a>, R-Killeen, said Tuesday.</p> <p> </p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/07/aycock-presents-details-school-finance-plan/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/03/houston-dallas-would-become-largest-cities-allow-o/">Houston, Dallas Would Be Largest Cities to Allow Open Carry</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/03/houston-dallas-would-become-largest-cities-allow-o/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/04/16/MP3_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/04/16/MP3_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a>, <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jolie-mccullough/">Jolie McCullough</a> and <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-mccrimmon/">Ryan McCrimmon</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 3 Apr 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-04-03 06:00"> April 3, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/03/houston-dallas-would-become-largest-cities-allow-o/comments/"><span class="value">54</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p>A Tribune analysis of gun laws nationwide shows passing "open carry" legislation would make Texas an outlier among states with large urban populations. Many of the nation's biggest cities are located in states that prohibit it. </p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/03/houston-dallas-would-become-largest-cities-allow-o/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <article class=""> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/31/texas-house-avoids-voucher-vote/">Texas House Avoids Voucher Vote in Budget Debate</a></h1> </header> <div class="media story_page"> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/31/texas-house-avoids-voucher-vote/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/SchoolVoucher_2_jpg_260x1000_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/SchoolVoucher_2_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>graphic by: Todd Wiseman / Chris Cole</cite> </div> </div> <header> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 31 Mar 2015 22:27:52 -0500" title="2015-03-31 22:27"> March 31, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/31/texas-house-avoids-voucher-vote/comments/"><span class="value">18</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <section class="summary"> <p><span>The Texas House </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/30/texas-house-vouchers/">was poised to take a vote</a><span> banning private school vouchers as it adopted the state budget Tuesday. </span><span>But about nine hours into the debate, the lawmaker carrying the measure withdrew it from consideration.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/31/texas-house-avoids-voucher-vote/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> <nav class="pagination"> <ul class="pagination"><li class="disabled"><span class="disabled prev"><span>&lsaquo;</span> previous</span></li><li><span class="current page">1</span></li><li><a href="?page=2#contributions" class="page">2</a></li><li><a href="?page=3#contributions" class="page">3</a></li><li><a href="?page=4#contributions" class="page">4</a></li><li><a class="disabled">…</a></li><li><a href="?page=46#contributions" class="page">46</a></li><li><a href="?page=47#contributions" class="page">47</a></li><li><a href="?page=48#contributions" class="page">48</a></li><li><a href="?page=49#contributions" class="page">49</a></li><li class="last"><a href="?page=2#contributions" class="next">next <span>&rsaquo;</span></a></li></ul> </nav> </div> </section> </div> <div class=" rail cell w-4 hide-for-medium-down"> <section class="sidebar_block content_list"> <header> <h1>Morgan’s Twitter Feed</h1> </header> <a class="twitter-timeline" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://twitter.com/MorganSmith" data-widget-id="557283380245430272" data-screen-name="MorganSmith" data-tweet-limit="3" data-chrome="noborders nofooter noheader">Tweets</a> </section> <section class="sidebar_block content_list"> <header> <h1>Morgan’s Blog Posts</h1> </header> <dl> <dt> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/13/evening-brief-texas-headlines-aug-13-2013/">The Evening Brief: Texas Headlines for Aug. 13, 2013</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 13 Aug 2013 18:00:00 -0500" title="2013-08-13 18:00"> Aug. 13, 2013 </time></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/13/brief-texas-political-news-aug-13-2013/">The Brief: Texas Political News for Aug. 13, 2013</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:07:22 -0500" title="2013-08-13 07:07"> Aug. 13, 2013 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/13/brief-texas-political-news-aug-13-2013/comments/"><span class="value">17</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/12/brief-texas-political-news-aug-12-2013/">The Brief: Texas Political News for Aug. 12, 2013</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Mon, 12 Aug 2013 07:13:34 -0500" title="2013-08-12 07:13"> Aug. 12, 2013 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/12/brief-texas-political-news-aug-12-2013/comments/"><span class="value">35</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/06/24/evening-brief-texas-headlines-june-21-2013/">The Evening Brief: Texas Headlines for June 24, 2013</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Mon, 24 Jun 2013 17:17:16 -0500" title="2013-06-24 17:17"> June 24, 2013 </time></li></ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/02/06/texplainer-has-state-spending-schools-increased/">Texplainer: Has State Spending on Schools Increased?</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta short separator relative-time"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 6 Feb 2013 06:00:00 -0600" title="2013-02-06 06:00"> Feb. 6, 2013 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/02/06/texplainer-has-state-spending-schools-increased/comments/"><span class="value">19</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </dd> </dl> </section> <section class="sidebar_block content_list"> <header> <h1>Morgan’s Favorite Websites</h1> </header> <ul class="blog-roll"> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/" class="external">Burkablog</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.scotxblog.com/" class="external">Supreme Court of Texas Blog</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/" class="external">Texas Politics</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://slatest.slate.com/" class="external">Slatest</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/" class="external">The Fix</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor.html" class="external">The XX Factor</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.niemanlab.org/" class="external">Niemanlab</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.nytimes.com/timeswire/" class="external">Timeswire</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.theawl.com/" class="external">The Awl</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="sidebar_block content_list"> <header> <h1>Morgan’s Wire</h1> </header> <dl> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://blog.chron.com/texaspolitics/2014/08/cruz-pokes-fun-at-perrys-oops-moment/">Cruz pokes fun at Perry’s ‘oops’ moment</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://blog.chron.com/texaspolitics/2014/08/cruz-pokes-fun-at-perrys-oops-moment/">Houston Chronicle</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Mon, 11 Aug 2014 00:13:13 -0500" title="2014-08-11 00:13"> Aug. 11, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2014/08/10/texas-principal-fired-for-telling-students-to-speak-english-n1876574">Fired Texas Principal Speaks Out: ‘It Would Be Bes</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2014/08/10/texas-principal-fired-for-telling-students-to-speak-english-n1876574">Town Hall</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:24:26 -0500" title="2014-08-10 22:24"> Aug. 10, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Texas-school-ratings-show-best-and-worst-5676883.php">Texas school ratings show best and worst</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Texas-school-ratings-show-best-and-worst-5676883.php">Houston Chronicle</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:23:42 -0500" title="2014-08-10 22:23"> Aug. 10, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/aug/09/cruz-perry-rally-gop-base/">Cruz, Perry rally GOP base</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2014/aug/09/cruz-perry-rally-gop-base/">Associated Press</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:07:50 -0500" title="2014-08-10 22:07"> Aug. 10, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20140808-with-national-ambitions-ted-cruz-and-rick-perry-ramp-up-rivalry.ece">With national ambitions, Ted Cruz and Rick Perry r</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/state-politics/20140808-with-national-ambitions-ted-cruz-and-rick-perry-ramp-up-rivalry.ece">Dallas Morning News</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:06:26 -0500" title="2014-08-10 22:06"> Aug. 10, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Perry-and-Cruz-test-messages-for-possible-5677998.php">Perry and Cruz test messages for possible presiden</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Perry-and-Cruz-test-messages-for-possible-5677998.php">Houston Chronicle</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Sun, 10 Aug 2014 22:06:01 -0500" title="2014-08-10 22:06"> Aug. 10, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/02/09/michelle-rhee-susan-combs-wise-school-spending/5259291/">Rhee/Combs: Are education funds being wasted?</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2014/02/09/michelle-rhee-susan-combs-wise-school-spending/5259291/">USA Today</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:20:25 -0600" title="2014-02-10 13:20"> Feb. 10, 2014 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/herman-hasan-trial-a-test-for-all/nZMhb/">Herman: Hasan trial a test for all</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/local/herman-hasan-trial-a-test-for-all/nZMhb/">Austin American-Statesman</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Tue, 13 Aug 2013 16:43:24 -0500" title="2013-08-13 16:43"> Aug. 13, 2013 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/13/environmental-concerns-entangled-fight-over-brazos/">Environmental Concerns Rise as Brazos Levels Fall</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/13/environmental-concerns-entangled-fight-over-brazos/">Texas Tribune</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:11:41 -0500" title="2013-08-13 07:11"> Aug. 13, 2013 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> <dt> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/12/court-order-blocking-cscope-high-profile-praise/">Court Order Blocks District's Use of CSCOPE Lesson</a> </dt> <dd> <ul class="meta separator relative-time"> <li class="byline"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/2013/08/12/court-order-blocking-cscope-high-profile-praise/">Texas Tribune</a> </li> <li> <time datetime="Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:11:09 -0500" title="2013-08-13 07:11"> Aug. 13, 2013 </time> </li> </ul> </dd> </dl> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="wrapper-r"> <footer id="site_footer" class="wrapper-r"> <div class="hide-for-medium-down"> </div> <div id="footer" class="grid"> <dl id="staff_writers" class="cell w-3"> <dt>Writers</dt> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/becca-aaronson/">Becca Aaronson</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/julian-aguilar/">Julián Aguilar</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/christine-ayala/">Christine Ayala</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/bobby-blanchard/">Bobby Blanchard</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/annie-daniel/">Annie Daniel</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/justin-dehn/">Justin Dehn</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rodney-gibbs/">Rodney Gibbs</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/eva-hershaw/">Eva Hershaw</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/john-jordan/">John Jordan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/terri-langford/">Terri Langford</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/abby-livingston/">Abby Livingston</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/corrie-maclaggan/">Corrie MacLaggan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-mccrimmon/">Ryan McCrimmon</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jolie-mccullough/">Jolie McCullough</a> </dd> </div> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ayan-mittra/">Ayan Mittra</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-murphy/">Ryan Murphy</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-muto/">David Muto</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-pasztor/">David Pasztor</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-ramshaw/">Emily Ramshaw</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rocha-alana/">Alana Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jay-root/">Jay Root</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neena-satija/">Neena Satija</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/">Patrick Svitek</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/alexa-ura/">Alexa Ura</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/edgar-walters/">Edgar Walters</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/matthew-watkins/">Matthew Watkins</a> </dd> </div> </dl> <div id="footer_topics" class="cell w-3"> <h6>Sections</h6> <ul> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </div> <dl id="offsite_outlets" class="cell w-3"> <dt>TT Social Media</dt> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://facebook.com/texastribune" title="Facebook" class="external"><span class="favicon facebook"></span>Facebook</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://twitter.com/texastribune" title="Twitter" class="external"><span class="favicon twitter"></span>Twitter</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://youtube.com/user/thetexastribune" title="YouTube" class="external"><span class="favicon youtube"></span>YouTube</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://instagram.com/texas_tribune" title="Instagram" class="external"><span class="favicon instagram"></span>Instagram</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://www.linkedin.com/company/texas-tribune" title="LinkedIn" class="external"><span class="favicon linkedin"></span>LinkedIn</a> </dd> <dd class="hidden"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://plus.google.com/116406259333166116089" class="external" rel="publisher">Google+</a> </dd> </dl> <ul id="footer_nav" class="cell w-3"> <li>© 2015 The Texas Tribune</li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/about/" title="About Us">About Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/support-us/donors-and-members/" title="Who Funds Us?">Who Funds Us?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/terms-of-service/" title="Terms of Service">Terms of Service</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/ethics/" title="Code of Ethics">Code of Ethics</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/privacy/" title="Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#254c4b54504c574c40566551405d445651574c47504b400b4a5742" title="Contact Us">Contact Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/corrections/" title="Corrections">Corrections</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/" title="Feeds">Feeds</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/mobile/" title="Mobile">Mobile</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/advertise/" class="advertise">Advertise</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/signup/" title="Newsletter Signup">Newsletter Signup</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150429135559/http://www.texastribune.org/donate/" title="Donate" class="donate">Donate</a> </li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div> <div class="hide-for-medium-down"> </div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/js/38cc1e8308b2.js"></script> <script> try { tt.ads.addTarget("is_member", "no"); tt.ads.addTarget("logged_in", "no"); var tt = tt || {}; tt.username = ''; } catch(e) {} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> window._tpm = window._tpm || []; window._tpm['paywallID'] = '36783210'; window._tpm['trackPageview'] = true; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559js_/http://code.tinypass.com/tpl/d1/tpm.js"></script> <script> (function(){ function loadAddThis() { var addthis = document.createElement('script'); addthis.src = document.location.protocol+'//web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-53beb39e1b9725fb&domready=1'; addthis.type = 'text/javascript'; addthis.async = true; var at = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; at.parentNode.insertBefore(addthis, at); } window.onload(loadAddThis()); })(); </script> <script>!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");</script> <script type="text/javascript"> _qevents.push( { qacct:"p-f74d4O38hiiiM"} ); </script> <noscript> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559im_/http://pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-f74d4O38hiiiM.gif" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/> </div> </noscript> <script type="text/javascript"> var _sf_async_config={}; /** CONFIGURATION START **/ _sf_async_config.uid = 14324; _sf_async_config.domain = 'texastribune.org'; if (window.tt && tt.currentPage) { if (tt.currentPage.sections) { _sf_async_config.sections = tt.currentPage.sections.join(','); } if (tt.currentPage.authors) { _sf_async_config.authors = tt.currentPage.authors.join(','); } else if (tt.currentPage.authorsText) { _sf_async_config.authors = tt.currentPage.authorsText; } } /** CONFIGURATION END **/ (function(){ function loadChartbeat() { window._sf_endpt=(new Date()).getTime(); var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript'); e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('src', (('https:' == document.location.protocol) ? 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/https://a248.e.akamai.net/chartbeat.download.akamai.com/102508/' : 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150429135559/http://static.chartbeat.com/') + 'js/chartbeat.js'); document.body.appendChild(e); } var oldonload = window.onload; window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ? loadChartbeat : function() { oldonload(); loadChartbeat(); }; })(); </script> <script> (function() { jQuery.scrollDepth(); })(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ (function(){try{var s,a,i,j,r,c,l=document.getElementsByTagName("a"),t=document.createElement("textarea");for(i=0;l.length-i;i++){try{a=l[i].getAttribute("href");if(a&&a.indexOf("/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection") > -1 && (a.length > 28)){s='';j=27+ 1 + a.indexOf("/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection");if (a.length > j) {r=parseInt(a.substr(j,2),16);for(j+=2;a.length>j&&a.substr(j,1)!='X';j+=2){c=parseInt(a.substr(j,2),16)^r;s+=String.fromCharCode(c);}j+=1;s+=a.substr(j,a.length-j);}t.innerHTML=s.replace(/</g,"<").replace(/>/g,">");l[i].setAttribute("href","mailto:"+t.value);}}catch(e){}}}catch(e){}})(); /* ]]> */ </script> </body> </html>