Yesterday, a panel of three federal judges in Washington D.C. began hearing testimony in a case that will determine whether the Texas Legislature violated the federal Voting Rights Act when it redrew Texas’ legislative and congressional districts last session. The testimony is expected to run through next week with final arguments scheduled for February 3rd. A separate case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court concerns the interim maps drawn by a San Antonio panel.
The most recent fundraising totals are in for the second half of 2011. Officeholders and candidates were required to report contribution and expense totals to the Texas Ethics Commission yesterday. Most reports are already available online at the Texas Ethics Commission website. Happy searching!
Don Green has been named the new chief financial officer of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). Green will be responsible for budgeting, accounting, purchasing, and building services for TRS, which serves active and retired Texas public education and higher education employees. Green has served in state government for more than 30 years. He was most recently senior advisor to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Previously, he was director of budget and policy for the Office of the Speaker of the House, and chief financial officer of the Health and Human Services Commission.