Politics

Texas Democrats may still have a chance to be relevant with voters in the state following this past month’s abortion debate and efforts to rally Hispanic voters.

While Republicans at the state capitol are still celebrating the recent passage of a bill that will impose restrictions on abortion facilities, behind the scenes there is uncertainty for the party.

Republican pollster Dr. David Hill said that uncertainty is especially the case for how Hispanic voters see the Republican party.

The primaries leading up to the 2014 elections are already heating up amongst Republican candidates, but where do Democrats stand in key races?

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said many Democrats are waiting to see what will happen with Fort Worth Sen. Wendy Davis regarding the governor's office.

Gov. Rick Perry is set to make a big announcement in San Antonio this coming Monday, but those close to him are cautious about the intention of his visit.

At the start of the special session, Perry said he wouldn’t announce whether he would seek another term as governor until after the legislature had adjourned.

A bill that would’ve decided the fate of voting maps for members of the Texas House initially failed to pass because of several extended phone conversations.

After waiting for over 15 minutes for Republican members to return to the hearing for a vote, an order was given to find the missing representatives.  

After a vote was cast, Rep Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, who is the committee chairman, asked to be excused to check the back offices for the missing Republicans.

Texas Matters: The United States Supreme Court is wrapping up its session and decisions continue to come down. A ruling has been made in a Texas-Oklahoma water dispute, and a decision is expended soon on a case involving the Voting Rights Act, which could have major implications in Texas. Also on this show: An inside look at Texas Monthly's Best and Worst Legislators 2013 list, and a look at how Mexico's drug war killings are effecting both sides of the border.

The House and Senate redistricting committees have secured a legal team to help solve the challenges that exist with the issue of voting districts.

While the House committee has hit the road to hold public meetings in the Dallas area, the Senate committee held its last state capitol meeting before heading out to their own public meetings.

Sen. Kel Seleger, R-Amarillo, the Senate’s redistricting chairman, said the Senate will be using C. Robert Heath, who he said is one of the most experienced redistricting attorneys  in the United States.

Taking a long view of the 2014 elections, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, is predicting a "dust-up" for several key state positions including the lieutenant governor’s office.

"That’s where I believe I could be the most effective, if I were to run. And it’s not David Dewhurst, it’s not anti-Dewhurst, if I run it would be about my vision, my conservative vision for Texas, and that's what it's about, it has nothing to do with David Dewhurst," Patrick said.

Patrick said the lieutenant governor’s office isn't the only job where voters should expect a changing of the guard.

It will be 20 years since Texas Comptroller Susan Combs stepped into a state-elected office and at one point she had also been positioning herself for the spot of lieutenant governor, so why hang her hat up now?

"Well, my husband and I had been talking over the last several months at dinner time about sort of the next direction we wanted to take," Combs said. "We talked about the fact that I will have served 20 years in elected office by the time I finish this, and he said, 'Do you really want to do another four to eight years, and what would you accomplish?"

A group of protesters managed to infiltrate Gov. Rick Perry's speech announcing the latest bill that awards tax cuts for Texas small businesses. 

Moments after the Senate gave the final passage of a bill awarding over $600 million in tax cuts for small businesses, Perry made the announcement at the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Now that every opportunity for Medicaid expansion is gone at the state capitol, the lawmaker who authored the GOP plan, which eventually failed, explained what medical options are left for the state’s working poor.

Rep. John Zerwas, R-Simonton, is a doctor and has seen first hand the problems the 1.5 million Texans without health insurance face when it comes to seeking medical care.