Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

The El Paso area has been allocated more than $500 million for various government projects through the $787 billion federal economic stimulus bill approved by the U.S. Congress this year, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, told more than 250 business people who attended the Stimulus Act Summit held by the El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Minority Business Development Agency.

The Public Service Board is on the brink of getting a $12 million, interest-free stimulus package loan that will be used to fund five stormwater projects the state has identified as priorities.

The special work session for legislators beginning Wednesday is likely to be short, but not necessarily sweet.

President Obama on Sunday praised the energy bill passed by the House late last week as an “extraordinary first step,” but he spoke out against a provision that would impose trade penalties on countries that do not accept limits on global warming pollution.

Aaron Jernigan had just started college at age 18 and was planning a career as a music teacher when he met a girl at a party and his whole world changed.

The House passed legislation on Friday intended to address global warming and transform the way the nation produces and uses energy.

More than 12,000 patients will be forced to look for a new health-care provider after Planned Parenthood Center of El Paso closes its doors forever on Tuesday.

When did common sense leave conservatives? For most Texans, 2009 marks that year. And Rick Perry's secession talk was not nearly the whole story.

Once, conservatives stood for common sense. Take Dwight Eisenhower—a common sense guy from Kansas. After World War II, President Eisenhower built the National Highway System. He sold it to Congress as a defense necessity—but his real goal was to put millions of American GIs back to work.

Gov. Rick Perry has called for a special legislative session starting next Wednesday to tackle three major unresolved issues that failed to make it through the 140-day regular session that ended on June 1.

Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Having Little Money Often Means No Car, No Washing Machine, No Checking Account And No Break From Fees and High Prices

Nothing government does is more important than protecting those least able to protect themselves. Children — particularly the depressingly-too-many Texas children abused at home — are among those at the top of that list.

Texas stands to gain far more than it loses if Congress approves his energy and climate-change proposals, President Barack Obama said Wednesday.

Fort Worth lawyer Tom Schieffer, who says Texas is “literally on the road to disaster” after more than eight years under GOP Gov. Rick Perry, formally launches his bid Wednesday to replace him.

Texans overwhelmingly believe the economy is the most important issue facing the country and expect gloomy conditions to get worse, according to the nonpartisan Texas Lyceum Poll released today.

With the Texas House now almost evenly divided, the battle is shaping up for control of the 150-member chamber in next year’s elections. Republicans are scrambling to protect and expand their precarious majority, and Democrats are within striking distance of regaining control.

Lawmakers on Tuesday cautiously supported an ambitious high-speed rail project but remained wary of its obstacles, most notably the multibillion-dollar price tag.

The conservative tilt of Texas is not as steep on some spending and social issues as many believe – with a majority favoring either civil unions or marriage rights for gay couples and almost half endorsing taxpayer money for embryonic stem cell research.

Few, if any, lawmakers voted against legislation Perry kills.

What we know about the prospects of a special legislative session is that Texas lawmakers must fix problems with sunset bills that deal primarily with the state Departments of Transportation and Insurance. If not, Texas will have no road agency or insurance oversight, and you can see the mess that would be.