CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html>     <html class="no-js">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_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="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://www.texastribune.org:80/tribpedia/joe-straus/","20150622123217","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1434976337"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>Tribpedia: Joe Straus | The Texas Tribune</title> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/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"> <meta name="author" content="The Texas Tribune"/> <meta name="copyright" content="漏 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/20150622123217im_/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/20150622123217im_/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="Joe Straus Feed" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/tribpedia/joe-straus/"> <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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/joe-straus/"/> <meta property="twitter:url" content="http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/joe-straus/"/>  <script type="text/javascript" src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217js_/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/joe-straus/"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/COMPRESSED/css/ffba0801aba4.css" type="text/css"/>  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217cs_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/tribpedia/app.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/20150622123217/http://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-9827490-1', 'texastribune.org'); ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= '//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','mipData','GTM-NBBG35');</script> <script>// var tt = tt || {}; tt.debug = false; tt.media_url = 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217js_/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217js_/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217js_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/vendor/modernizr/modernizr.min.js"></script> </head> <body class=" responsive tribpedia"> <script type="text/javascript"> var _qevents = _qevents || []; (function() { var elem = document.createElement('script'); elem.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/https://secure" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/accounts/register/" title="Register for your free Texas Tribune account">Register</a> </li> <li class="last"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/data/"> Data </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/"> Directory </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/events/"> Events </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/festival/"> Festival </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a class="multimedia" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/"> Multimedia </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/subscribe/"> Newsletters </a> <ul class="dropdown"> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.tribtalk.org/"> TribTalk </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/investigations/" title="Investigations"> Investigations </a> </li> <li class="hide-for-mobile"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/">Front Page</a> </li> <li> <a class="data" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/data/">Data</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/">Directory</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/events/">Events</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/festival/">Festival</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/multimedia/">Multimedia</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/livestream/">Livestream</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/the-brief/">The Brief</a></li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/texas-weekly/">Texas Weekly</a> </li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/edu/">Trib+Edu</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/health/">Trib+Health</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/plus/water/">Trib+Water</a></li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.tribtalk.org/">TribTalk</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/investigations/" title="Investigations"> Investigations </a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/transportation/" data-section="transportation"> Transportation </a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="mobile-only dropdown-toggle"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/search/"><i class="icon-search"></i></a> <div class="mobile-dropdown mobile-search"> <form method="get" action="/web/20150622123217/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="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://support.texastribune.org/"> Support Us </a> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="ad last"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/join/" title="Contribute Today" style="display: block; padding-top: .5em"> <div style="background:url(//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/membership/TT-support-us-front-page-btn120x60.jpg) no-repeat; width: 120px; height:60px; background-size: 120px 60px;"></div> </a> </div> <div class="below_nav"> <h1 id="logo"><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/common/images/logo.png" alt="The Texas Tribune"></a></h1> <time datetime="2015-06-22T07:32:12.850876">Monday, June 22, 2015</time> </div> </header> </div> <div class="wrapper content-wrapper"> <div id="site_content" class="content "> <header class="alt_header"> <h1> <span><a class="plain" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/">Tribpedia</a>:</span> <a class="plain" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/tribpedia/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a> </h1> </header> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-12"> <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" class="page">2</a></li><li><a href="?page=3" class="page">3</a></li><li><a href="?page=4" class="page">4</a></li><li><a href="?page=5" class="page">5</a></li><li><a href="?page=6" class="page">6</a></li><li class="last"><a href="?page=2" class="next">next <span>&rsaquo;</span></a></li></ul> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-12"> <article class=" "> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/18/analysis-sitting-pretty-even-without-some-old-frie/">Analysis: Straus Sitting Pretty, Even Without Old Friends</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a></li><li><time datetime="Thu, 18 Jun 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-06-18 06:00"> June 18, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/18/analysis-sitting-pretty-even-without-some-old-frie/comments/"><span class="value">8</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/18/analysis-sitting-pretty-even-without-some-old-frie/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/09/7C2A8058_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation"> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/09/7C2A8058_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation</div> </div> <section class="summary"> <p><span>Many of the legislators who originally elevated </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a><span> to preside over the Texas House four legislative sessions ago are gone. But as he enters another election cycle with his eye on a fifth term as speaker, Straus is in remarkably good political shape.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/18/analysis-sitting-pretty-even-without-some-old-frie/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </section> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_1"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/16/keffer-straus-lieutenant-wont-seek-reelection/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/11/TxTrib-0410_Kefferx430X_JPG_312x176_crop_q100.JPG" alt="State Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland on April 10, 2013."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/11/TxTrib-0410_Kefferx430X_JPG_800x1000_q100.JPG" title="State Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland on April 10, 2013." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">State Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland on April 10, 2013.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/16/keffer-straus-lieutenant-wont-seek-reelection/">Keffer, a Straus Lieutenant, Won't Seek Re-election</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 16 Jun 2015 19:17:19 -0500" title="2015-06-16 19:17"> June 16, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/16/keffer-straus-lieutenant-wont-seek-reelection/comments/"><span class="value">18</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>State Rep. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/jim-keffer/">Jim Keffer</a><span>, R-Eastland, plans to announce Wednesday that he will not seek another term in the Texas House. He is one of a handful of House Speaker </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a><span>' original supporters still in the Legislature. </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/16/keffer-straus-lieutenant-wont-seek-reelection/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_2"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/deconstructing-session-look-leaders/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/10/TT-TXStandard_leadership_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/10/TT-TXStandard_leadership_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Credit: Office of the Governor</cite> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/deconstructing-session-look-leaders/">Deconstructing the Session: A Look at the Leaders</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 10 Jun 2015 18:00:00 -0500" title="2015-06-10 18:00"> June 10, 2015 </time></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>As the Legislature took up the budget and other important issues, the leadership of Gov. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a><span>, Lt. Gov. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/dan-patrick/">Dan Patrick</a><span> and House Speaker </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a><span> were put to the test multiple times. Listen to our discussion of the three leaders in a special episode of </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texasstandard.org/" target="_blank">Texas Standard</a><span>.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/deconstructing-session-look-leaders/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_3"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/07/5thCircuit_copy_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals building in New Orleans"> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/07/5thCircuit_copy_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals building in New Orleans" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Alexa Ura</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals building in New Orleans</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/brief/">The Brief: Appeals Court Sides With State on Abortion Law</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 10 Jun 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-06-10 05:59"> June 10, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/brief/comments/"><span class="value">4</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p>A federal appeals court upheld a key segment of the 2013 Texas law adding requirements on abortion facilities in the state.</p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_4"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-dark-money-and-ethics/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UP9A7932_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UP9A7932_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-dark-money-and-ethics/">Video: Straus on Dark Money, Lawmaker Disclosure</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 9 Jun 2015 10:56:49 -0500" title="2015-06-09 10:56"> June 9, 2015 </time></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>At our </span><span>6/9 conversation, State Rep. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/" data-tooltip="/directory/joe-straus/quicklook/">Joe Straus</a><span>, R-San Antonio, the Speaker of the Texas House, enumerated what the Legislature did — and could have done — on ethics this session.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-dark-money-and-ethics/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_5"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-the-2016-primaries/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UP9A7921_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UP9A7921_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-the-2016-primaries/">Video: Straus on the 2016 Primaries</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 9 Jun 2015 10:27:32 -0500" title="2015-06-09 10:27"> June 9, 2015 </time></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>At our </span><span>6/9 conversation, State Rep. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/" data-tooltip="/directory/joe-straus/quicklook/">Joe Straus</a><span>, R-San Antonio, the Speaker of the Texas House, discussed whether he'll support candidates in the 2016 primaries.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-the-2016-primaries/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_6"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-the-sessions-big-wins/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/7C2A8058_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/7C2A8058_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-the-sessions-big-wins/">Video: Straus on Tax Relief</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 9 Jun 2015 10:13:38 -0500" title="2015-06-09 10:13"> June 9, 2015 </time></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>At our </span><span>6/9 conversation, State Rep. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/" data-tooltip="/directory/joe-straus/quicklook/">Joe Straus</a><span>, R-San Antonio, the Speaker of the Texas House, talked about the billions of dollars in tax relief approved by the 84th Legislature.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-straus-on-the-sessions-big-wins/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_7"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/straus-cautious-conservative-session/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/09/UP9A7888_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation"> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/09/UP9A7888_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/straus-cautious-conservative-session/">Straus: A Cautious, Conservative Session</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 9 Jun 2015 10:01:48 -0500" title="2015-06-09 10:01"> June 9, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/straus-cautious-conservative-session/comments/"><span class="value">7</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>In a wide-ranging interview with The Texas Tribune’s Evan Smith, House Speaker </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a><span> touted the new state budget, franchise tax cuts and the Legislature’s slow but steady pace this year. He said he wasn't surprised by the failure of ethics reform legislation and said a controversial union dues bill was plagued by "the poorest job of lobbying" he'd seen.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/straus-cautious-conservative-session/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_8"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-a-conversation-with-joe-straus/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UP9A7962_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/videos/UP9A7962_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-a-conversation-with-joe-straus/">Video: A Conversation With Joe Straus</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 9 Jun 2015 09:30:16 -0500" title="2015-06-09 09:30"> June 9, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-a-conversation-with-joe-straus/comments/"><span class="value">3</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>Full video of my 6/9 conversation with state Rep. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a><span>, R-San Antonio, the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/09/video-a-conversation-with-joe-straus/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_9"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/06/who-killed-sb-12/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/05/Trillium_Natural_Gas_Pump_JPG_312x176_crop_q100.JPG" alt="A fueling station for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas sits in Austin. As of mid-March, Texas was home to 130 natural gas fueling stations, according to the Railroad Commission of Texas. Those 77 public stations and 63 private ones serve about 7,200 vehicles."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/05/Trillium_Natural_Gas_Pump_JPG_800x1000_q100.JPG" title="A fueling station for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas sits in Austin. As of mid-March, Texas was home to 130 natural gas fueling stations, according to the Railroad Commission of Texas. Those 77 public stations and 63 private ones serve about 7,200 vehicles." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Stephen Spillman</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">A fueling station for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas sits in Austin. As of mid-March, Texas was home to 130 natural gas fueling stations, according to the Railroad Commission of Texas. Those 77 public stations and 63 private ones serve about 7,200 vehicles.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/06/who-killed-sb-12/">After Early Momentum, Energy Legislation Stalls</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a></li><li><time datetime="Sat, 6 Jun 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-06-06 06:00"> June 6, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/06/who-killed-sb-12/comments/"><span class="value">10</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span style="line-height: 1.35;"><span>Who killed the House and Senate's top energy bills? Their autopsy evokes the names of T. Boone Pickens and Koch Industries and involves plenty of squabbling between the chambers. </span> </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/06/who-killed-sb-12/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_10"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/04/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/06/IMG_3013_JPG_312x176_crop_q100.JPG" alt="Former Gov. Rick Perry poses with cadets after delivering a foreign policy speech at The Citadel, South Carolina's military college, earlier this year."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/06/IMG_3013_JPG_800x1000_q100.JPG" title="Former Gov. Rick Perry poses with cadets after delivering a foreign policy speech at The Citadel, South Carolina's military college, earlier this year." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Patrick Svitek</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Former Gov. Rick Perry poses with cadets after delivering a foreign policy speech at The Citadel, South Carolina's military college, earlier this year.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/04/brief/">The Brief: Perry Set to Return to Presidential Politics</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Thu, 4 Jun 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-06-04 05:59"> June 4, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/04/brief/comments/"><span class="value">12</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>Later this morning in Addison, </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/rick-perry/">Rick Perry</a><span> is expected to announce that he plans to run again for the White House, testing whether GOP voters across the country believe in extending him a second act in presidential politics.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/04/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_11"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/03/straus-files-re-election/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/01/_BDA5246Straus_laugh_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="House Speaker Joe Straus, right, with state Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, on June 1, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/01/_BDA5246Straus_laugh_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="House Speaker Joe Straus, right, with state Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, on June 1, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">House Speaker Joe Straus, right, with state Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, on June 1, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/03/straus-files-re-election/">Straus Files for Another Term as Speaker</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/">Patrick Svitek</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 3 Jun 2015 14:21:41 -0500" title="2015-06-03 14:21"> June 3, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/03/straus-files-re-election/comments/"><span class="value">10</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>Texas House Speaker Joe Straus has filed the paperwork to officially seek another term presiding over the lower chamber. If he wins, it will be his fifth.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/03/straus-files-re-election/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_12"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-conservative-complicated-legislature/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/01/7C2A6828_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="State Sen. Jos茅 Men茅ndez, D-San Antonio, shows off his Sine Die tie on the last day of the 84th Legislative session on June 1, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/01/7C2A6828_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="State Sen. Jos茅 Men茅ndez, D-San Antonio, shows off his Sine Die tie on the last day of the 84th Legislative session on June 1, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">State Sen. Jos茅 Men茅ndez, D-San Antonio, shows off his Sine Die tie on the last day of the 84th Legislative session on June 1, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-conservative-complicated-legislature/">Analysis: A Conservative but Complicated Legislature</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a></li><li><time datetime="Mon, 1 Jun 2015 15:01:07 -0500" title="2015-06-01 15:01"> June 1, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-conservative-complicated-legislature/comments/"><span class="value">8</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>Voters sent a conservative pack of lawmakers to Austin and got conservative results. But it's more complicated than that. <span>Issues that might have seemed black and white during the elections were rendered in shades of gray during the session.</span></span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-conservative-complicated-legislature/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_13"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-small-visions-small-results/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/15/IMG_9857_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="The Texas Capitol, May 15, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/15/IMG_9857_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="The Texas Capitol, May 15, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Todd Wiseman</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">The Texas Capitol, May 15, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-small-visions-small-results/">Analysis: Small Visions, Small Results in 2015 Session</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a></li><li><time datetime="Mon, 1 Jun 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-06-01 06:00"> June 1, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-small-visions-small-results/comments/"><span class="value">22</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>Texas lawmakers started the legislative session without a list of big problems to solve or election mandates to fulfill. And they are ending it without the kinds of results that fill the history books.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/01/analysis-small-visions-small-results/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_14"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/31/effort-tighten-spending-cap-dies/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/21/Straus_Abbott_Patrick_TT_crop_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="(L-R) State House Speaker Joe Straus, Governor Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick on May 21, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/21/Straus_Abbott_Patrick_TT_crop_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="(L-R) State House Speaker Joe Straus, Governor Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick on May 21, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Office of the Governor</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">(L-R) State House Speaker Joe Straus, Governor Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick on May 21, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/31/effort-tighten-spending-cap-dies/">Effort to Tighten Spending Cap Dies</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Sun, 31 May 2015 18:24:30 -0500" title="2015-05-31 18:24"> May 31, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/31/effort-tighten-spending-cap-dies/comments/"><span class="value">2</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p>The state’s constitutional spending cap will remain untouched this session, and House and Senate leaders are blaming each other for the lack of action on the arcane but politically important measure.</p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/31/effort-tighten-spending-cap-dies/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_15"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/30/most-visible-budget-disputes-senate-fared-better/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/29/NelsonOttoSplit_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="Sen. Jane Nelson, the Senate finance chairwoman, and Rep. John Otto, the House appropriations chairman."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/29/NelsonOttoSplit_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Sen. Jane Nelson, the Senate finance chairwoman, and Rep. John Otto, the House appropriations chairman." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Erika Rich / Bob Daemmrich</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Sen. Jane Nelson, the Senate finance chairwoman, and Rep. John Otto, the House appropriations chairman.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/30/most-visible-budget-disputes-senate-fared-better/">On Most Visible Budget Disputes, Senate Fared Better</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Sat, 30 May 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-05-30 06:00"> May 30, 2015 </time></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>The $209.4 billion budget sent to Gov. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/greg-abbott/">Greg Abbott</a><span>'s desk includes hundreds of concessions made by the House and Senate. Yet on </span><span>most of the high-profile disputes, the Senate won out. </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/30/most-visible-budget-disputes-senate-fared-better/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_16"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/29/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/14/IMG_9719_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="House Ways and Means Chair Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, speaks with House Appropriations Chair John Otto, R-Dayton, and House Administration Chair Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on May 14, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/14/IMG_9719_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="House Ways and Means Chair Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, speaks with House Appropriations Chair John Otto, R-Dayton, and House Administration Chair Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on May 14, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Todd Wiseman</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">House Ways and Means Chair Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, speaks with House Appropriations Chair John Otto, R-Dayton, and House Administration Chair Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on May 14, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/29/brief/">The Brief: The Tax Deal That Almost Wasn't</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 29 May 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-05-29 05:59"> May 29, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/29/brief/comments/"><span class="value">1</span><span class="label">Comment</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><em>The Dallas Morning News</em><span> takes a detailed look at the evolution of the deal on tax cuts this session and finds that at a few critical junctures, the deal almost derailed entirely.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/29/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_17"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/27/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/26/_S3R7303CMSGriesel_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="House Parliamentarian Chris Griesel is handed another stack of bills during debate on S.B. 19 Tuesday evening May 26, 2015 in the Texas House."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/26/_S3R7303CMSGriesel_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="House Parliamentarian Chris Griesel is handed another stack of bills during debate on S.B. 19 Tuesday evening May 26, 2015 in the Texas House." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">House Parliamentarian Chris Griesel is handed another stack of bills during debate on S.B. 19 Tuesday evening May 26, 2015 in the Texas House.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/27/brief/">The Brief: Deal Saves Campus Carry Just Before Midnight Deadline</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Wed, 27 May 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-05-27 05:59"> May 27, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/27/brief/comments/"><span class="value">18</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>Campus carry legislation lived to fight another day as a last-minute deal saved Senate Bill 11 just before a midnight deadline in the House to take initial votes on bills originating in the Senate.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/27/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_18"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/22/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/21/tt-capitol-watchers-fund-web_j303GDh_png_312x176_crop_q100.png" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/21/tt-capitol-watchers-fund-web_j303GDh_png_800x1000_q100.png" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/22/brief/">The Brief: Focus Shifts to American Phoenix's Money Men</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 22 May 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-05-22 05:59"> May 22, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/22/brief/comments/"><span class="value">13</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p>Four large donors to the nonprofit currently documenting Texas lawmakers this session are well-known backers of conservative causes.</p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/22/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_19"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/10/secret-lawmaker-video-turned-over-breitbart-texas/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/10/IMG_9705_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/02/10/IMG_9705_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Todd Wiseman</cite> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/10/secret-lawmaker-video-turned-over-breitbart-texas/">Copy of Lawmaker Videos Given to Breitbart Texas</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/terri-langford/">Terri Langford</a></li><li><time datetime="Sun, 10 May 2015 20:17:02 -0500" title="2015-05-10 20:17"> May 10, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/10/secret-lawmaker-video-turned-over-breitbart-texas/comments/"><span class="value">27</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p>A copy of more than 800 hours of video secretly shot of Texas lawmakers by a non-profit group with conservative ties has been turned over to Brietbart Texas, the news organization’s managing director Brandon Darby told The Texas Tribune late Sunday.“Some of it is very newsworthy,” Darby said in a telephone interview.</p> <p> </p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/05/10/secret-lawmaker-video-turned-over-breitbart-texas/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_20"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-passes-49-billion-tax-cut/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/28/_BDB2017CMS_Bonnen_claps_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, celebrates passage of his tax cut measures during the House session April 28, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/28/_BDB2017CMS_Bonnen_claps_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, celebrates passage of his tax cut measures during the House session April 28, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Bob Daemmrich</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, celebrates passage of his tax cut measures during the House session April 28, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-passes-49-billion-tax-cut/">House Passes $4.9 Billion Tax Cut</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 28 Apr 2015 13:07:06 -0500" title="2015-04-28 13:07"> April 28, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-passes-49-billion-tax-cut/comments/"><span class="value">20</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p>The Texas House tentatively approved a $4.9 billion tax relief plan Tuesday that includes a cut to the state’s sales tax, marking a clear line in the sand against the Senate, which favors property tax cuts.</p> <p> </p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/house-passes-49-billion-tax-cut/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_21"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/patrick-and-straus-top-20-priority-bills/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/StrausPatrick_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/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> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a>, <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> and <a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/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> <div class="summary"> <p><span><span>The House speaker and the lieutenant governor traditionally award the lowest bill numbers to measures they view as priorities. <span>Here's an updated breakdown of House Bills 1-20 and Senate Bills 1-20, showing where House Speaker </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/joe-straus/">Joe Straus</a><span> and Lt. Gov. </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/dan-patrick/">Dan Patrick</a><span> are placing their priorities for the 84th legislative session.</span></span></span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/patrick-and-straus-top-20-priority-bills/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_22"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/18/HB11Border375Bonnen2_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="Texas House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, talks over amendments to border security legislation on March 1, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/18/HB11Border375Bonnen2_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Texas House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, talks over amendments to border security legislation on March 1, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Bob Daemmrich </cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Texas House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, talks over amendments to border security legislation on March 1, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/brief/">The Brief: Impasse on Tax Cuts Persists on Eve of House Debate</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Tue, 28 Apr 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-04-28 05:59"> April 28, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/brief/comments/"><span class="value">3</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>The House is set to consider its tax relief package today as the impasse between its approach emphasizing a cut to the sales tax rate and the Senate's recipe that relies on a property tax reduction shows no sign of resolution.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/28/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_23"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/26/inside-texas-politics-breakfast-blowup/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/26/Inside_April_26_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey talks to WFAA "Inside Texas Politics" host Jason Whitely on April 26, 2015."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/26/Inside_April_26_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey talks to WFAA "Inside Texas Politics" host Jason Whitely on April 26, 2015." class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by WFAA</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey talks to WFAA "Inside Texas Politics" host Jason Whitely on April 26, 2015.</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/26/inside-texas-politics-breakfast-blowup/">Inside Texas Politics: Breakfast Blowup</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/john-jordan/">John Jordan</a></li><li><time datetime="Sun, 26 Apr 2015 14:25:53 -0500" title="2015-04-26 14:25"> April 26, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/26/inside-texas-politics-breakfast-blowup/comments/"><span class="value">1</span><span class="label">Comment</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's </span><em>Inside Texas Politics,</em><span> host Jason Whitely, the </span><em>Fort Worth Star-Telegram</em><span>'s Bud Kennedy and Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey talk about last week's "</span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/22/legislative-tensions-peak-leadership-breakfast/">breakfast blowup</a><span>.</span><span>" </span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/26/inside-texas-politics-breakfast-blowup/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_24"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/house-senate-budget-comparison/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/13/house-senatebudget_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt=""> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/13/house-senatebudget_jpg_800x1000_q100.jpg" title="" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo illustration by Emily Albracht and Todd Wiseman</cite> </div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/house-senate-budget-comparison/">A Look at How House, Senate Budgets Compare</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a> and <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/becca-aaronson/">Becca Aaronson</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 24 Apr 2015 06:00:00 -0500" title="2015-04-24 06:00"> April 24, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/house-senate-budget-comparison/comments/"><span class="value">2</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>This week, the </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/22/straus-taps-house-team-budget-negotiations/" target="_blank">House</a><span> and the </span><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/https://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/senate-announces-budget-negotiation-team/" target="_blank">Senate</a><span> named the members of a conference committee that will resolve the differences between the two chambers' budget plans. </span><span>Here’s a look at how the two proposals compare, with details on some areas where the plans diverge.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/house-senate-budget-comparison/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid hide-media-extras"> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_25"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/StrausPatrick_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/brief/">The Brief: Straus and Patrick Signal Detente With Bill Referrals</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Fri, 24 Apr 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-04-24 05:59"> April 24, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/brief/comments/"><span class="value">1</span><span class="label">Comment</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>The House and Senate made some gestures of goodwill on Thursday designed to lower the tensions that had developed between the chambers this week.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/24/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_26"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/patricks-grasroots-panel-puts-him-political-dilemm/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/20/UP9A1490_JPG_312x176_crop_q100.JPG" alt="Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during inaugural parade up Congress Ave. on January 20th, 2015"> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/20/UP9A1490_JPG_800x1000_q100.JPG" title="Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during inaugural parade up Congress Ave. on January 20th, 2015" class="lightbox enlarge">Enlarge</a> <cite>Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera</cite> </div> <div class="photo_caption">Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during inaugural parade up Congress Ave. on January 20th, 2015</div> </div> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/patricks-grasroots-panel-puts-him-political-dilemm/">Grassroots Panel Creates Political Drama for Patrick</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/">Patrick Svitek</a></li><li><time datetime="Thu, 23 Apr 2015 17:47:52 -0500" title="2015-04-23 17:47"> April 23, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/patricks-grasroots-panel-puts-him-political-dilemm/comments/"><span class="value">32</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>The panel of conservative activists that is advising Lt. Gov. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/directory/dan-patrick/">Dan Patrick</a> is putting him in a tricky spot as he navigates leadership politics under the dome. The leader of the Grassroots Advisory Board says the panel has no plans to scale back its activities at the Capitol.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/patricks-grasroots-panel-puts-him-political-dilemm/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> <div class="cell w-4"> <article class=" item_27"> <div class="media letterbox"> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/brief/"> <img src="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/http://s3.amazonaws.com/static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/StrausPatrick_jpg_312x176_crop_q100.jpg" alt="House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick."> </a> <div class="photo_links"> <a href="//web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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> <div class="text_column"> <header> <h1><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/brief/">The Brief: A Tension-Filled Day Highlights Rifts in the Lege</a></h1> <ul class="meta separator"><li class="byline"> by <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a></li><li><time datetime="Thu, 23 Apr 2015 05:59:00 -0500" title="2015-04-23 05:59"> April 23, 2015 </time></li><li class="comments"><a class="comments" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/brief/comments/"><span class="value">22</span><span class="label">Comments</span></a></li></ul> </header> <div class="summary"> <p><span>The word of the day on Wednesday was tension, which infected the traditional weekly breakfast work meeting held by the state's top three leaders and later manifested itself on the House floor as members selected their budget negotiators.</span></p> <a class="permalink" href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/23/brief/"> <i class="icon-share-alt"></i> Full Story</a> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> <div class="grid"> <div class="cell w-12"> <nav class="pagination clear"> <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" class="page">2</a></li><li><a href="?page=3" class="page">3</a></li><li><a href="?page=4" class="page">4</a></li><li><a href="?page=5" class="page">5</a></li><li><a href="?page=6" class="page">6</a></li><li class="last"><a href="?page=2" class="next">next <span>&rsaquo;</span></a></li></ul> </nav> </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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/becca-aaronson/">Becca Aaronson</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/julian-aguilar/">Juli谩n Aguilar</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/aman-batheja/">Aman Batheja</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/liz-crampton/">Liz Crampton</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/annie-daniel/">Annie Daniel</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/justin-dehn/">Justin Dehn</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rodney-gibbs/">Rodney Gibbs</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/eva-hershaw/">Eva Hershaw</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/john-jordan/">John Jordan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/terri-langford/">Terri Langford</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/abby-livingston/">Abby Livingston</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/corrie-maclaggan/">Corrie MacLaggan</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jim-malewitz/">Jim Malewitz</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-mccrimmon/">Ryan McCrimmon</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jolie-mccullough/">Jolie McCullough</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ayan-mittra/">Ayan Mittra</a> </dd> </div> <div class="cell w-6"> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ryan-murphy/">Ryan Murphy</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-muto/">David Muto</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/david-pasztor/">David Pasztor</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/ross-ramsey/">Ross Ramsey</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-ramshaw/">Emily Ramshaw</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/reynolds-john/">John Reynolds</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/rocha-alana/">Alana Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/polo-rocha/">Polo Rocha</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jay-root/">Jay Root</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/neena-satija/">Neena Satija</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/evan-smith/">Evan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/morgan-smith/">Morgan Smith</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/patrick-svitek/">Patrick Svitek</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/alexa-ura/">Alexa Ura</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/edgar-walters/">Edgar Walters</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/economy/" data-section="economy"> Economy </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/education/" data-section="education"> Education </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/energy-and-environment/" data-section="energy-and-environment"> Energy & Environment</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/government/" data-section="government"> Government </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/health-and-human-services/" data-section="health-and-human-services"> Health & Human Services </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/law-and-order/" data-section="law-and-order"> Law & Order </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/people/" data-section="people"> People </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/politics/" data-section="politics"> Politics </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/race-and-immigration/" data-section="race-and-immigration"> Race & Immigration </a></li> <li><a href="/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://facebook.com/texastribune" title="Facebook" class="external"><span class="favicon facebook"></span>Facebook</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://twitter.com/texastribune" title="Twitter" class="external"><span class="favicon twitter"></span>Twitter</a> </dd> <dd> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/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/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/about/" title="About Us">About Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/support-us/donors-and-members/" title="Who Funds Us?">Who Funds Us?</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/terms-of-service/" title="Terms of Service">Terms of Service</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/republishing-guidelines/" title="Republishing Guidelines">Republishing Guidelines</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/ethics/" title="Code of Ethics">Code of Ethics</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/privacy/" title="Privacy Policy">Privacy Policy</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2f46415e5a465d464a5c6f5b4a574e5c5b5d464d5a414a01405d48" title="Contact Us">Contact Us</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/corrections/" title="Corrections">Corrections</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/feeds/" title="Feeds">Feeds</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/mobile/" title="Mobile">Mobile</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/advertise/" class="advertise">Advertise</a> </li> <li> <a href="/web/20150622123217/http://www.texastribune.org/signup/" title="Newsletter Signup">Newsletter Signup</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/http://support.texastribune.org/" 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/20150622123217js_/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/20150622123217js_/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/20150622123217/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 type="text/javascript"> _qevents.push( { qacct:"p-f74d4O38hiiiM"} ); </script> <noscript> <div style="display: none;"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217im_/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/20150622123217/https://a248.e.akamai.net/chartbeat.download.akamai.com/102508/' : 'https://web.archive.org/web/20150622123217/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>