Another election is right around the corner. This Saturday, May 8th is the date of various Special and Local Elections in Texas. In addition to elections for school boards, local bonds and local option elections, there is a special election in Senate District 22 to fill the remainder of former Sen. Kip Averitt’s current term. Candidates include Republicans David Sibley, Darren Yancy and Brian Birdwell as well as Democrat Gayle R. Avant.
Gov. Rick Perry informed HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that Texas can’t commit to a new federal high-risk health insurance pool. Perry says too many questions remain about the level of federal funding for the program and exactly how the program would be run. Under the new federal health reform law, states had until April 30th to signal whether they would take part in the program, which is designed to cover those who can’t afford private insurance due to costly medical conditions.