April 3, 2013    

Alexandra Dubinsky    

Despite cloudy skies and light rain, 80 students marched from the Student Activity Center to the Capitol's North Steps to keep UT competitive, safe and affordable.

Coordinated by the Senate of College Councils, Student Government and the Graduate Assembly, the demonstration was a culminating event for the Invest in Texas campaign, a student-run, nonpartisan organization intended to champion for the student body during the 83rd Legislative Session.

April 1, 2013    

Mike Hailey    

A scene that unfolded last month in the back corner of the Texas House may have captured the essence of the chamber's newfound spirit of bipartisan fellowship and rapport better than the greatest writer could have done with a thousand words or more.

The cast in this particular episode included a handful of fairly young white men who were huddled around an older African-American gentleman who was sitting on the edge of desk, doing most of the talking and gesticulating vigorously with his eyeglasses in one hand. .

When liberal Democratic State Rep. Sylvester Turner of Houston speaks in the west wing of the Capitol as we know it today, you can be assured that freshmen tea party Republicans are listening.

April 1, 2013    

Jayme Fraser    

Voters looking for the straight-ticket option on future ballots wouldn't find it, or would have to make individual selections in some races, if the state legislature approves one of several proposals introduced in committees Monday.

Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, seeks to eliminate the straight-ticket option all together in House Bill 2060, saying he wants to protect the most important base unit of democracy from coercion and laziness.

"It's well intended to make it easier for a voter to vote a certain party. I'm all for that," Branch said. "Just take a few more seconds and make sure you do it manually."

March 28, 2013    

Beth Cortez-Neavel    

Two years ago, Rep. Dan Branch encouraged funding higher education based on "performance" measures like four-year graduation rates. A bill passed last session called on higher education leaders to craft a new performance-based funding model, and use it for up to one tenth of their funding request this year.

Lawmakers will decide later this session whether to go ahead with funding colleges based on performance, but Branch is already moving to expand the practice. Wednesday evening, the House Higher Education committee took up his proposal to raise the cap on performance funding to one quarter of the state's higher ed spending.

March 28, 2013    

Amanda O'Donnell    

With the U.S. Supreme Court deliberating on a case challenging the University's use of race for some admissions decisions, the Texas House Higher Education Committee discussed a bill Wednesday to prevent adverse effects on the current top 10 percent rule used to admit most students.

Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, committee chairman, said the proposed bill will act to prevent the chaos that would accompany a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas that could deem UT's use of affirmative action in its admissions process illegal. The Supreme Court is expected to come to a decision sometime this summer.

"There is a possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in a way that changes the admission policies and therefore undoes the bipartisan compromise we crafted in 2009," Branch said. "This bill is meant to prevent the court's ruling from literally pulling the rug out from under students across our state who are trying to have clarity on what the rules of the game are in terms of admissions."

March 28, 2013    

Calvert Collins    

DALLAS - Some drivers call it Central Expressway. Others know it as US-75.

One state lawmaker wants to add to the confusion and call part of it the George W. Bush Expressway.

His idea has caused a little confusion and even a petition to stop it.

State Representative Dan Branch thinks the stretch between Knox-Henderson and Northwest Highway should have additional signs to help market the new George W. Bush Library on the SMU campus.

Activist Trey Carmichael does not agree.

March 27, 2013    

Jennifer R. Lloyd    

Texas' higher education institutions could see an escalating portion of their state funding determined by how well their students fare rather than simply how many enroll.

On Wednesday, the House Higher Education committee heard testimony on House Bill 25, authored by committee chairman Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, which could push the amount of funding based on student success criteria up to 25 percent. The committee left the bill pending.

A bill approved last session required the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to begin incorporating student success measures into funding recommendations.

March 26, 2013    

Terrence Stutz    

AUSTIN — Texas high school students would face a new array of graduation rules and be required to pass fewer tests to get a diploma under a far-reaching bill tentatively approved by the House on Tuesday.

The measure, approved on a 145-2 vote, is aimed at quieting the loud protests over high-stakes testing in public schools and the lack of options for students wishing to focus on career skills rather than college preparation.

House Public Education Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock, author of the measure, predicted the changes will be embraced by parents, educators and students across the state.

"I think most people in Texas will think this is good policy," the Killeen Republican said after the overwhelming vote in support of the legislation. The bill is scheduled for a final vote Wednesday before it is sent to the Senate.

March 26, 2013    

Terrence Stutz    

House members spent most of Tuesday working on legislation to revamp Texas high school testing and graduation requirements, rejecting virtually all amendments that were opposed by the bill's author, House Public Education Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen. By late Tuesday afternoon, the House had worked through about half of the 165 amendments that were proposed for the bill. The measure would reduce the number of high-stakes tests that would have to be passed to graduate and revise the course requirements for graduation.

March 25, 2013    

Kate Alexander    

The ripple effects of an imminent shake-up of high school graduation requirements in Texas might not be felt by some students until they try getting into college.

For students hoping to secure automatic college admission under the state's top 10 percent law, choosing from among the various graduation plans being proposed could prove decisive. If they aim too low, they could be out of the running for the top 10.

Lawmakers are on the verge of tossing out the 4x4 graduation plan — four years of English, social studies, math and science — that has been in place since 2007. That course of study has been the default for everyone, meaning each student could potentially earn a spot in the top 10 percent of the graduating class unless he or she opted out of the 4x4 plan.

But House Bill 5, a major education measure up for a House vote Tuesday, starts all students out on a "foundation diploma" that has fewer core requirements and allows students, particularly those pursuing career training options, more flexibility in their schedules.