Post Date: May 2017

Giving (Some of) the People What They Want: 85th Legislature Endgame Edition

| By: Jim Henson and Joshua Blank

The to-and-fro between Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick this week provides the latest development in the Austin political press corps’ favorite plot line, the personal relationships among the Big Three. 

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Texas GOP Leaders Face Budget Choices Amidst Vague Public Attitudes

| By: Jim Henson and Joshua Blank

 The public — in particular the part of the public that matters most in practical terms, Republican voters — likely remains to be persuaded of the best path forward, holding attitudes that are not especially well-informed or fixed. In particular, given that the sticking point seems to be whether or not to tap the Economic Stabilization Fund, commonly called the Rainy Day Fund (RDF), only a plurality hew to a reflexive reluctance to tap the fund, with a decisive chunk of voters not having any opinion as of February.   

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