By William Lutz on
8/30/2011 10:53 AM
Initially, neither Texas nor Arizona were covered jurisdictions, subject to Section 5 pre-clearance under the federal Voting Rights Act. Section 5 requires a small group of states -- mostly in the South -- to obtain pre-clearance from a federal court or from the U.S. Department of Justice before implementing any change to voting practices or procedures, including a redistricting map. Texas and Arizona were declared covered by Section 5 in 1975, in response to changes in federal law designed to cover linguistic minorities, such as native Spanish-speakers, to the act.
Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne filed suit against the federal government Aug. 25, stating that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional. The facts as applied to Arizona are almost identical to the Texas situation.
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By William Lutz on
8/29/2011 11:54 AM
Those who have followed Texas politics for some time know that the idea of collecting state revenue at strip joints is quite controversial and has a history.
In 2004, it blew up as part of a proposal to fund public schools. But when connected to services for survivors of sexual assault, it became more palatable politically. The fee became the subject of a court challenge and was struck down by the Third Court of Appeals.
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By William Lutz on
8/26/2011 1:07 PM
Credit where credit is due. University of Texas administrators created a very frustrating day for higher education reformers yesterday. University of Texas chancellor Francisco Cigarroa unveiled his plan for “reform” of the UT System and obtained approval from the regents.
Basically, what he’s proposing is baby-steps in the right direction. Several of the changes in his plan are positive, but they are a far cry from what is needed to fix the problems with higher education ... getting all students to graduate in four years doesn’t cost the UT administration much – if any – money, since the graduating student will be replaced by an incoming freshman.
That’s why there’s such a focus on graduation rates
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By William Lutz on
8/23/2011 5:16 PM
This morning, Americans for Prosperity Texas held a news conference commemorating the first day of school. Several college students came and discussed their concern about student debt and rising college costs. “College debt is taking over our generation not just in Texas, but across the nation,” said Chris Covo, director of AFP Foundation’s youth outreach America’s Next Impact and recent graduate of Texas State University.
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By William Lutz on
8/22/2011 10:18 AM
This Sunday, LSR Managing Editor William Lutz appeared on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics. He had a message for Karl Rove and other former staffers of George W. Bush who want to take shots at Gov. Rick Perry: Shut Up! The program also features an interview with Richard Fisher, president of the Dallas branch of the Federal Reserve. Lutz's commentary starts about 7:40 into the program. Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday at 9 on WFAA, Channel 8 in North Texas.
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By William Lutz on
8/20/2011 1:07 PM
LSR Managing Editor William Lutz goes on a RANT about Karl Rove's attacks on Rick Perry on WFAA's Inside Texas Politics Sunday, noting that Perry is more conservative than either Rove or George W. Bush. Inside Texas Politics airs every Sunday at 9 am on Channel 8 in North Texas.
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By William Lutz on
8/15/2011 4:52 PM
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has named John Sharp as the sole finalist as chancellor of the Texas A&M Univeristy System. After a 21 day waiting period mandated by law, the regents can name him as chancellor.Sharp served as comptroller of public accounts 1991-1998 and as a member of the Texas Senate, the Texas House of Representatives, and the Texas Railroad Commission. Most recently, Sharp led Gov. Rick Perry's tax reform task force, which developed the revisions to the state franchise tax that the Legislature largely adopted in 2006. He is an Aggie, Class of 1972. The official release from the A&M System can be viewed here.
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By William Lutz on
8/15/2011 4:34 PM
We were looking forward to tomorrow's meeting of the House higher education committee and the resulting national media publicity surrounding Texas A&M's possible move to the Southeastern Conference. But alas, due to the SEC's decision not to extend a formal invitation to A&M, Chairman Dan Branch (R-Dallas) has cancelled the meeting. (That said, interest still appears high at A&M to an SEC move, as the Austin American-Statesman's sports columnist Kirk Bohls noted in today's paper.)
Branch issued the following statement today:
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By William Lutz on
8/15/2011 10:55 AM
Gov. Rick Perry will join U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) as co-chairs of Americans United for Life's 40th Anniversary Gala. The event is scheduled for Nov. 2 in Washington, DC.
Of all the conservative issues out there, Perry's record on pro-life issues is about as rock-solid as it gets. Americans United for Life ranked Texas as the fifth most pro-life state in the nation in a March 2011 report, and that was before the accomplishments of the 2011 Texas Legislative session. The 2011 session of the Texas Legislature produced several key pro-life victories, including the following:
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By William Lutz on
8/12/2011 1:20 PM
The House higher education committee is holding a hearing (the full posting is copied below) on intercollegiate athletics, and judging by the invited testimony list, it appears the topic for discussion is Texas A&M's rumored move to the Southeastern Conference.
Here's my question: the committee took a hands off approach with the University of Texas's Liberal Arts Dean Randy Diehl attacked Texas and American values by removing the words "American" and "Western" from the former Program in Western Civilization and American Institutions, replacing the mangement, and renaming it "The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Ideas." Will the committee take a similar hands off approach with intercollegiate athletics?
Anyway, here's the committee posting:
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