With less than two weeks left in the Legislative session, the decennial slice-and-dice fest known as redistricting grinds on. Yesterday, the Senate passed Senate Bill 31, a map that could result in Republicans gaining at least one seat in the state Senate next election. Among the changes: Travis County will be split into 4 Texas Senate districts instead of the current two. more ›

For the students (and their parents) at the University of Texas, tuition increases at a faster rate than at most other comparable public universities. In fact, the tuition for an in-state Liberal Arts major has increased 391.5% between 1970 and 2002. For an in-state graduate Law student, the increase has skyrocketed 1,059.9%. Even with flat-rate tuition prices for students, lack of caps on tuition increases allows for the price of a UT education to... more ›

House Democrats have unveiled legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of next year. We are pretty sure this will be as powerful as their non-binding resolution against the war in Iraq. Republican Sen. John Carona of Dallas and Democratic Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston want to legalize casino gambling in Texas. Austin City Council is expected to give the green light to the $2.5 million project for... more ›

Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) will soon present Senate Bill 368 in the Texas Legislature, a bill that would create a statewide smoking ban if passed. The bill is essentially the product of diligent efforts by the anti-smoking interest group Smoke-Free Texas, a health-minded group seeking to prohibit smoking in all “public places” throughout the entire state. S.B. 368, if passed, would circumvent all other municipal smoking bans, such as the one here in Austin. It... more ›