The biggest news with health insurance in the 2013 legislative session is what did not pass. Before it started, I hoped the session would help prepare Texas for big changes to
Mental health has received a lot of well-deserved attention this legislative session after the recent violent tragedies in our nation. Texas legislators deserve praise for recognizing that all Texans benefit
The 2013 Legislature brought big changes to the Adult Basic Education (ABE) and literacy system in Texas. SB 307 by Sen. Joan Huffman, effective September 1, transfers oversight of ABE programs
Back in January, I noted that the most sweeping Medicaid issue of the 2013 session—with over a million uninsured Texans, billions of federal dollars for our economy, and hundreds of
This session, the Legislature give higher priority to tax giveaways than to fully restoring public services to their pre-recession levels. Three major tax giveaways, plus renewal and expansion of the
The 2013 regular legislative session ended without the passage of any payday and auto title lending reform. As a result, the Legislature missed a critical opportunity to protect Texas consumers from
By Jeanie Donovan During the 2013 legislative session, legislators filed 26 bills related to SNAP (formerly the food stamp program). Although SNAP is 100 percent federally funded, state lawmakers do
In the state budget deal for 2014-15 that’s still a few pieces short of being finalized by the 83rd Legislature, public education would see a 7 percent biennial increase, from $52
With just a few days left in the 2013 legislative regular session, details and summary information on the 2013 and 2014-15 state budget deals are finally starting to emerge. The conference
By Jeanie Donovan The US Senate and House Agriculture Committees approved separate versions of a new five-year farm bill and both pieces of legislation include damaging cuts to SNAP (formerly
“Because the governor is hesitant to expand Medicaid, the legislature will probably adjourn without taking full advantage of the dollars available to Texas to cover the uninsured through the Affordable
The Senate this week will consider tax giveaways that would reduce the amount available to support public services in the next state budget by $1 billion. Supporters claim these tax
