This Week in Texas: Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Posted April 26, 2017 in The Mignon Memo

Budget conferees hold first meeting.The Senate and House budget conferees held an organizational meeting on Monday. The appointees are Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound), Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa (D-McAllen), Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), and Sen. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown), Rep. John Zerwas (R-Richmond), Rep. Oscar Longoria (D-Mission), Rep. Sarah Davis (R-West University Place), Rep. Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin), and Rep. Larry Gonzales (R-Round Rock).  To read more…

House approves school finance bill.After a four-hour discussion on more than 30 proposed amendments, the House voted 132-15 to give final passage to House Bill 21 by House Public Education Committee Chairman Dan Huberty (R-Houston). The bill would inject $1.6 billion into public schools and simplify complicated school funding formulas. To read more…

Two appointed to Soil and Water Conservation Board.Gov. Abbott has appointed Tina Yturria Buford and Carl Ray Polk, Jr. to the Soil and Water Conservation Board for terms set to expire February 1, 2018 and February 1, 2019 respectively. The Board is charged with coordinating state conservation and pollution reduction efforts, as well as administering soil and water conservation law. To read more…

Committees takes up title insurance reform.The House Insurance and Senate Business and Commerce Committees heard bills seeking to reform Texas’ title insurance industry on Tuesday. Both bills were left pending but this issue doesn’t seem to be going away with heavy hitters on both sides of the issue. To read more…

Lottery anonymity.On Tuesday, the House gave final passage to House Bill 59 by Rep. Ryan Guillen (D-Rio Grande City), which would allow lottery winners of $1 million or more to remain anonymous. Under the Texas Public Information Act, the Lottery Commission is currently required to release information on all prize winners. To read more…

Only in Austin…The UT Tower is home to the only peregrine falcon known to live year-round in Central Texas. Each spring, she makes a nest and lays eggs. When it became clear last week that this year’s clutch of eggs would not hatch, the university decided to remove them for research. To read more