From the courtrooms to the Capitol, and even an iconic honky tonk – it’s been a busy week in Texas politics. Texas Tribune ace reporter Jim Malewitz helps sort it all out.
An arcane tax dispute over sales taxes on oil wells spared the Texas budget today after the state Supreme Court ruled that the Comptroller’s office didn’t owe private companies tax refunds on pipes and tubing.
“The state does not have to pay up $4.4 billion to drillers who are seeking this tax exemption,” he says.
In Congress, Sen. John Cornyn calls to pivot talk from gun control to counter-terrorism measures, Malewitz says. But the conversation has been dominated by Democrats and proposed gun control measures that might have some Republicans on board.
“You actually have some Republicans saying… let’s talk about making sure people on this terrorist watch list, this no-fly list, can’t buy guns,” Malewitz says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– Legislation that Cornyn’s said to be working on in light of the Senate Democrats unveiling gun control proposals next week
– The price tag for defending the state’s voter ID cases in the courts
– What’s the word from Trump in Dallas
