Poll Shows Opposition to Mandatory Vaccine
While most El Pasoans want the women in their families to receive the human papillomavirus, or HPV, vaccine, the majority of voters in the city are against making it mandatory, according to an El Paso Times/Newschannel 9 Poll.

Charter Schools More Regulated Than Traditional Public Schools
Charter schools were originally intended to be public schools that were freed from the excessive regulation and bureaucracy of traditional public schools, and could thus serve as independent laboratories for innovative education reform.

A Letter From Lt. Governor David Dewhurst on Voter I.D. Bill
Yesterday Republican Senator Troy Fraser brought up in the Senate for consideration House Bill 218 by Representative Betty Brown, which simply requires voters to present a driver's license or some other common form of identification at the election polls to prove they are who they say they are.

Christian Right Faring Well at Capitol
Christian conservatives are counting their legislative blessings, and they are bountiful.

House Bill 'Roadblock' to Private Schools Joining UIL
The House version of a bill to let private schools into the UIL would force even the smallest to compete in the large divisions and would likely discourage most from making the jump.

Legislation Signed by Governor Perry
Click the above heading to find legislation signed by Governor Perry.

Sen. Gallegos May Miss Rest of Session
Sen. Mario Gallegos is headed back to Houston for a surgical procedure and is not sure whether he will return to Austin for the remainder of the session, according to his spokesman.

The Day After Discourse, the Senate Tries to Rebuild
The Senate takes great pride in belying that it is a body made up of 32 people, all with varying degrees of political ambition.

Shapiro Must Stand Firm on Grad Requirement
We, too, were alarmed to learn that more than 40,000 Texas high school seniors - about one in six - would not graduate this spring because they failed at least part of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

With Replacement in Limbo, Perry Vetoes Toll Bill
The Texas Senate declined to accept House changes in a key toll road bill Friday, thus requiring a House and Senate conference committee to craft a compromise version and triggering a gubernatorial veto of another bill.

Clinton Candidacy Could Help Craddick's Position
If his speakership survives the remaining eight days of this legislative session - and that is debatable - Tom Craddick may begin offering a few silent prayers for Hillary Clinton.

House Turns Up Heat on Speaker
The slow drip of speaker politics turned into a steady stream Monday, when a North Texas lawmaker announced his intent to run for House speaker before the session ends in a week and two of his colleagues said they may follow suit.

House OKs Cap on '10 Percent' Law
Texas lawmakers appear poised to limit for the first time the number of students who can benefit from the state's "top 10 percent" law on college admissions.

Senate OKs $100 Million Program to Beef Up Border Security
A $100 million program to beef up law enforcement on the Texas-Mexico border and the shifting of a database on more than a million Texans to the Department of Public Safety were approved by the Senate on Tuesday as part of a homeland security bill.

Time Runs Out on Bill Extending Care for Terminally Ill
A bill that would have extended the time doctors must administer life-sustaining care for terminally ill patients was one of about 150 pieces of legislation that failed Tuesday night to reach the floor of the Texas House.

Under the Dome
Read these reports from the Capitol:
* House lawmakers shelve two abortion bills
* Senate earmarks money for property tax cuts
* Conference committee on toll road bill is named
* Senate passes bill requiring more TYC oversight

No-pass, No-play May Tighten Up
The House approved a measure Wednesday that would sharply restrict the courses that could be exempt from the no-pass, no-play rules that govern eligibility for high school sports and other activities.

Stop the Shell Game
The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) is in a lather about House Bill 735 in the Texas Legislature which calls for discontinuing a special-use tax on phone bills for the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF).

Voter ID Bill Dies for the Session, Dewhurst Says
Sen. John Whitmire had his arm around his ailing friend, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst got a kiss from the chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.

Eminent-domain Limits Are OK'd
Impoverished inner-city neighborhoods would receive new protections when they are targeted for redevelopment under legislation adopted Wednesday by the Senate that imposes new requirements on eminent-domain projects.

Needle-Exchange Bill Barely Hanging On
State Rep. Dianne White Delisi, R-Temple, is not a doctor. She does not hold a doctorate degree. She doesn't even play a doctor on TV. Still, a lack of credentials didn't stop her from playing doctor under the dome last week, where, as chair of the House Public Health Committee, she single-handedly pulled a quack job that has all but killed Senate Bill 308, one of the session's most progressive public health policies.

Rudy's Party -- or Reagan's?
"After months of conflicting signals on abortion, Rudolph W. Giuliani is planning to offer a forthright affirmation of his support for abortion rights in public forums, television appearances and interviews in coming days," writes The New York Times.

Conservatives Expect Thompson in Race
Several leading Christian conservatives say they are confident former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee will seek the Republican presidential nomination.

Finally, Fisticuffs: At Second Debate, a Few Sparks Fly
It took an hour on that South Carolina stage, but there was an actual exchange of blows last night.

Fred Thompson Isn't Yet Running, but He's Running a Great Campaign
Having watched the second Republican debate the other night, it's clear to me the subject today is Fred Thompson, the man who wasn't there. While the other candidates bang away earnestly in a frozen format, Thompson continues to sneak up from the creek and steal their underwear -- boxers, briefs and temple garments.

Fred Thompson Inks Another GOP Insider
Fred Thompson has inked former Federal Elections Commission Chairman Michael Toner to serve as the lead lawyer for his increasingly likely campaign for the GOP presidential nomination.

Cornyn: Partisan Games Coming at Expense of Armor for Troops
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the following statement Wednesday regarding a Democratic proposal to cut off funding for our troops serving in Iraq and set a surrender date certain for their withdrawal.

Democrats Capitulate on War Funds
Congressional Democrats yesterday backed down in the standoff with the White House over war funds, abandoning their veto-instigating effort to link deadlines for withdrawing troops from Iraq to President Bush's request for more than $100 billion in emergency spending.

Bush Calls for Extensive Immigration Bill
U.S. President George Bush called on members of his Cabinet and the Senate Wednesday to work toward creating a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Immigration Agreement Between White House, Senate Faces Challenges
A bipartisan immigration deal that would grant legal status to millions of people in the country unlawfully is drawing criticism from across the political spectrum.

Mitt Romney Blasts Immigration Deal
GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday blasted the Senate immigration bill agreement as "the wrong approach" for solving the problems of illegal immigration.

Few Senators Support Illegals Bill
Fewer than 20 senators are publicly committed to supporting the immigration deal that hits the Senate floor today while nearly 40 are already opposed or have serious concerns, underscoring how difficult it will be for President Bush and his allies to craft a coalition that can pass the bill.

Texas Senators Leaning Against Bill
As President Bush tries to push a far-reaching immigration bill through the Senate this week, he may not have the help of the two Republican senators from his home state.

Senate to Open Debate on Immigration Bill
The Senate voted yesterday to begin debate on an immigration-reform bill, turning aside objections from senators who said the legislation is being rushed and acting even as Senate offices were being flooded with calls and faxes urging the deal be blocked.

Guest Worker Program Survives Senate Vote
Senate backers of a major immigration overhaul rejected an effort Tuesday to strip a temporary worker program from the bill, holding the fragile compromise together in the first of challenges from the left and the right.

McCain Minimizes Heated Exchange With Cornyn
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Tuesday that a heated exchange with fellow Senate Republican John Cornyn of Texas was part of a "frank and open discussion" about immigration and would not be a campaign liability.

The Amnesty Fraud - Part III
Whose problem is the immigration bill in Congress supposed to solve? The country's problem with dangerously porous borders? The illegal immigrants' problem? Or politicians' problems?

That Ticking Sound From Austin
by Michael Quinn Sullivan
With just 10 days left in the legislative session, time is running out. On the one hand, that is a good thing - less time for bad things to get done. On the other, it's less time for good things to be accomplished. Either way, the clock is ticking.

Importing a Slave Class
by Ann Coulter
Apparently, my position on immigration is that we must deport all 12 million illegal aliens immediately, inasmuch as this is billed as the only alternative to immediate amnesty. The jejune fact that we "can't deport them all" is supposed to lead ineluctably to the conclusion that we must grant amnesty to illegal aliens -- and fast!

The Liberal Inquisition
by Gary Bauer
There is tension in the air in Washington these days. Sure, there are major policy disputes between the executive and legislative branches of government and contentious issues like the war and immigration reform. But there is a siege mentality developing too - a sense of "gotcha" politics and intimidation. Liberals in Congress have launched at least 36 investigations against the administration. But this week, there was a chilling exchange in the House Judiciary Committee that went totally unnoticed.

Planned Parenthood Exposed by Student Reporter
Following an outbreak of lawsuits that Planned Parenthood is illegally concealing the age of minors and failing to report incidents of statutory rape, the nation's largest abortion provider has threatened civil action of its own against an 18-year-old female student at UCLA.

Energy Independence
Democrats, seething at the injustice of gasoline prices, have sprung to the aid of embattled motorists. So resolute are Democrats about defending the downtrodden, they are undeterred by the fact that motorists, not acting like people trodden upon, are driving more than ever. Gasoline consumption has increased 2.14 percent during the last year.

Red State vs. House Republicans
After the voters slaughtered House Republicans this past November, most people expected some period of introspection and house cleaning among the GOP. Having seen Duke Cunningham (R.-Ca.), Tom DeLay (R.-Tx), and Mark Foley (R.-Fl.) resign over various indictments and accusations, people thought the Grand Old Party had lost its way.

Memorial Day: More than Just a Holiday
On Memorial Day, I wonder how much thought people will give to the fact that 1.8 million soldiers have died serving our nation since 1775.