Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

"Babcock Ranch" would be built on 17,000 acres in Charlotte and Lee counties, with more than half of the land set aside for nature preserves, agriculture and other open space. Florida Power & Light Co. would build a 75-megawatt solar photovoltaic array to supply electricity to the development's 6 million square feet of residential, industrial and retail buildings.

New homes in Texas would have to be at least 15 percent more efficient in energy use and new appliances would have to use significantly less electricity under clean-air legislation that the Senate tentatively approved on Wednesday.

Supporters and opponents of voter identification legislation in the House agreed on one thing Tuesday – that documented cases of voter impersonation in Texas are hard to find.

Trying to decide which Texas university should be the next Tier One school is a topic for much heated political debate, but no one will challenge the fact that Texas is in great need of more research universities.

Why would Texas hamper its own universities, discouraging them from seeking cures for age-old diseases? Why would state leaders cut the state off from millions of dollars in research funding in the search for those cures? Why would Texas want to brand itself as a state where science and research are held in little regard? The answer, of course, is that it shouldn't. But that is where Texas is heading if a provision in the Senate's version of the state budget makes it into law.

The measure would allow countywide elections in which voters would decide what fees and taxes they want to pay for road and rail improvements. The measure was originally intended for 12 North Texas counties but has been broadened to include the San Antonio, El Paso and Austin areas.

School district leaders are afraid that federal stimulus money they hoped to use for construction and maintenance will not reach them but rather help the state save money.

Every session, they file bills to tackle the immigration problem, and every session, the bills usually die in committee — deaths that are well deserved. Nevertheless, they persist in their efforts, and this year is no different.

The amendment, offered by Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, was attached to a broader military tuition bill despite arguments from opponents that it would overburden financially struggling community colleges.

Texas is giving a second chance to 860,000 of its drivers who have refused to pay mandatory annual surcharges on their traffic violations – forcing them to drive illegally and leaving the state treasury in the hole for nearly $700 million.

Getting their licenses back could become a little easier for El Pa-soans like Christine who lost their driving privileges when they couldn't afford to pay steep state charges for traffic violations.

The Bell-Coryell Communities in Schools program may have to cut its service at six campuses in the Killeen Independent School District next year due to a lack of funding largely driven by the economy, according to executive director Mary Barr.

State Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston and Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso, both Democrats, promoted legislation Monday that would ban artificial trans fats in all Texas restaurants and require that all prepared and served food items contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.

"Across Texas, the silent epidemic of obesity is shortening lives, raising health-care costs and putting more and more Texans at risk," Shapleigh said. "With Senate Bill 204 and companion (bills) in the House, we can make sure more Texans live strong and healthy lives."

Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso and Rep. Carol Alvarado of Houston, both Democrats, are pressing for legislation that would phase in bans of trans fats in restaurant foods -- a move they said would help fight obesity and reduce health insurance costs associated with it. It would place Texas alongside the state of California and New York City in banning the potentially hazardous fats.

"When you take a look at what's happening in a place like El Paso, Texas, and you see 200-pound fifth-graders, you know we've got to do something about this," said Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, author of the Senate version of the proposal.

Shapleigh, joined by representatives from the Texas Restaurant Association and state Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, who is shepherding a companion bill through the House, said the ban is necessary, given the deterioration of young Texans’ health.

On Wednesday, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will decide whether to renew the permit for TXI's Midlothian plant or order a formal hearing to consider the case. The commissioners have already indicated that they won't accept public comments at Wednesday's meeting. And, conceivably, they could swiftly sign off on the renewal with little discussion.

"This is a racial issue, make no mistake about it," said Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth, who is not on the committee but sat with it and was allowed to comment during the hearing. "This is about skimming enough minority votes so some people can't get elected."

Senators unanimously passed a bill Thursday ordering CPS to spend up to $12 million in the next two years to ensure that workers each month see at least 95 percent of youths in foster homes or still with birth families believed likely to mistreat children.