News from the Texas Democratic Party
Time: Tom DeLay Says He Will Give Up His Seat
Rep. Tom DeLay told TIME that he will not seek reelection and will leave Congress within months.
Categories: Texas Politics
AP: Ex-DeLay aide to plead guilty in fraud probe, official says
Tony Rudy, a former top aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, has agreed to plead guilty to charges in the widening federal investigation of lobbyist fraud, a law enforcement official said Friday.
Categories: Texas Politics
AP: Perry, Sharp unveil school funding proposal
The recommendation will be a starting point when lawmakers convene April 17 for a 30-day special session to answer a court order to restructure the way K-12 schools are funded.
Categories: Texas Politics
TDP: PERRY TAX COMMISSION UNVEILS NEW PLAN TO SHORTCHANGE TEXAS SCHOOL CHILDREN
Tax-Swap Ignores Education
Categories: Texas Politics
Dallas Morning News: CHIP changes fluster families
Turmoil is fast becoming a constant for CHIP, a popular program Congress created nearly a decade ago to help families who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance.
Categories: Texas Politics
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Officials can hide gift amounts
It's OK for public officials not to disclose the value of checks given to them as gifts, the state panel charged with enforcing good government practices has ruled in a private meeting.
Categories: Texas Politics
TDP STATEMENT ON STRAYHORN SUSPENSION OF PAYMENTS TO GOP LOBBYIST CRONIES
Republican leaders, including both Strayhorn and Rick Perry, ignored Texas veterans and backed the Washington lobbyists instead.
Categories: Texas Politics
El Paso Times: Leaders differ on what to tackle in special legislative session
With the special session still a month away, state leaders are already at odds over how to tackle revamping the way Texas funds public education.
Categories: Texas Politics
Dallas Morning News: Hearing set this week in DeLay case
Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay will move a step closer this week to resolving felony charges against him, but the appeals court hearing may remind voters about his legal troubles at a time when he is trying to win re-election to Congress.
Categories: Texas Politics
Austin American-Statesman: Spending on instruction varies among Texas school districts
Even Texas' highest-performing school districts vary widely in how much they spend on instruction, according to a study released this week by a coalition of education groups
Categories: Texas Politics
Austin American-Statesman: Governor to call lawmakers back on April 17
Republican Gov. Rick Perry will call the Legislature into special session April 17 to deal with a court mandate to find a new funding formula for public schools by summer, a state government source told The Associated Press Thursday.
Categories: Texas Politics
Dallas Morning News: GOP didn't file expense report in special election
The Texas Republican Party has failed to file a state disclosure report on its activity in a recent special House election, a possible violation of state law and the party's agreement with a Travis County prosecutor.
Categories: Texas Politics
TDP: SOECHTING: DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES CAMPAIGN ON TEXAS VALUES
Last night, voters across the state rejected the failed policies of the Republican Party.
Categories: Texas Politics
Dallas Morning News: Failure to deal with school finance harming some incumbents
Veteran state Rep. Kent Grusendorf, architect of House Republicans' repeatedly failed efforts to fix Texas' flawed school-finance system, was defeated Tuesday night in the biggest statement of a primary season dominated by education issues.
Categories: Texas Politics
Dallas Morning News: Post-election parties lack one thing: DeLay
But Rep. Tom DeLay won't be in Sugar Land on Tuesday night. He'll be in Washington to watch results from his first seriously contested race in two decades.
Categories: Texas Politics
TDP: STATEMENT OF TDP CHAIRMAN SOECHTING ON RESULTS OF
I want to commend Katy Hubener on running an excellent race in the special election for House District 106.
Categories: Texas Politics
Bickerstaff: Texas' redistricting set a dangerous precedent
The Supreme Court should overturn the Texas precedent.
Categories: Texas Politics
Dallas Morning News: High court to hear Texas remap arguments today
When the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments today about congressional districts drawn up by the Legislature in 2003, it will consider whether an inherently political process may have become too political in Texas and disenfranchised voters.
Categories: Texas Politics
Austin American-Statesman: Democrats feel vindicated that redistricting is going before Supreme Court
Bush appointee overruled Justice Department lawyers who thought redrawn Texas districts violated voting rights.
Categories: Texas Politics
Houston Chronicle: Justices to revisit remap
On Wednesday, the high court will consider the validity of the state's bitterly contested 2003 congressional districts map
Categories: Texas Politics