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Legislative Update
Texas Sunset Advisory Commission hears testimony on inadequacy of state oversight of health insurance

Texans need a healthy insurance marketplace that balances the needs of consumers and industry.

TAFP takes advocacy to a new level with Webcasts

Building on the innovation and popularity of the Capitol Report news Webcast, which brought news from the 80th Legislative Session straight to TAFP members and other audiences, TAFP unveiled two new Web video projects—a new advocacy series in November, Academy in Action, and a set of candidate endorsement videos in January.

Medicaid reform

According to the settlement of Frew v. Hawkins, the state must fulfill its obligations under a consent decree and a set of corrective orders. What will these changes mean for your practice and your patients?

80th Lege ends in tumult, just like it began

Memorial Day marked the close of the 80th Texas Legislature, and a raucous end it was. Just as the session began with a hotly contested Speaker’s race, so it ended with Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, struggling to maintain his leadership position.

GET SMART: Simplifying patient eligibility and benefits info with HB 522

A bill passed during the 80th Legislative Session aims to simplify the process for physicians to access patients’ insurance coverage information.

Family medicine under the dome: Report from the 80th Legislature

As the opening of the 80th Legislature approached, the fact that this would be a particularly strange session became ever more apparent. A struggle erupted in the House as Republicans and Democrats jockeyed for position in a hotly contested race for Speaker, a rarity in state history.

Honey, I shrunk the budget surplus

Shortly before the 80th Texas Legislature convened in January, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced that legislators would face the largest budget surplus in Texas history—$14.3 billion in new revenue and $82.5 billion in overall available general revenue—to spend over the next two years.

Taxes, budget cuts and Texas’ biennial mud-slinging contest

After five special sessions in two years, the Texas Legislature finally approved Gov. Rick Perry’s plan to revamp Texas’ antiquated school finance system by reducing local school property taxes and replacing them with a new business tax and a $1 increase in the cigarette tax.

The Taxman Cometh

Not only is April the month when federal income taxes come due, but April 17 marked the date the Legislature re-convened for yet another special session on public school finance.

It's Back to School for the Lege

Now that the Texas Supreme Court set a deadline for the creation of a new funding scheme for the state’s public schools, it’s just a matter of time before the Texas Legislature will be back in Special Session and physicians will find themselves arguing against a slew of tax proposals.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

This time around, legislators chose to first, do no harm — or much of anything else for that matter.

Race to the Finish

Most seasoned political observers describe Texas’ 140-day biennial legislative session as a marathon — starting with a slow, steady, measured pace and building to a frantic sprint in May as lawmakers try to push their legislation across the finish line to become law. This, however, is not a typical legislative session.

A Taxing Problem

It’s back to school for the Texas Legislature. Lawmakers have until October to come up with a new method for financing elementary and secondary education, and proposals for new taxes on business are being collected at the front of the classroom. And that’s just one challenge in store for family medicine this session.

Looking Ahead

Academy sets priorities for next Texas Legislature

If at First you Don't Suceed, Try, Try Again

On April 20, Gov. Rick Perry summoned the Texas Legislature to Austin to try and fix the state’s troubled school funding system, but despite their best efforts, the legislators were unable to come up with a
viable plan.

March Madness in Austin

So what does college basketball have to do with Texas politics?

In the Interim...

So that’s what they do when they’re not in session

The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Knowing
What's Left to Do

Heavily outspent by the trial lawyers, Prop 12 was pounded on the airwaves across Texas with an aggressive misinformation campaign designed to confuse voters on the amendment’s purpose.

The Budget Blues

Clear skies over Austin? For health care issues at the Capitol, the forecast is stormy.

Gearing up for number 78

Tort reform is top concern as TAFP prepares for legislative session

Stormy Weather

Medicine could be in for a rough ride when the Texas Legislature reconvenes in January

Prescription for Change

New prescribing rules, liability insurance plus other interim issues

The Year that was and the Year to Come

The passing of the holidays always gives us an opportunity to reflect on the past year and focus on the challenges facing us in the next.

The Making of a Perfect Storm

Legislative turnover and a host of interim studies means trouble could be brewing at the Capitol

77th Texas Legislature Comes to a Close

Several TAFP-backed health initiatives pass with bipartisan support

Anatomy of a Train Wreck

Musical Chairs, Medicaid Mishaps, Redistricting Keep Legislature Busy

Session Begins

With redistricting on the agenda and razor-thin margins in both the House and the Senate, this session promises to be one of the most partisan in recent memory.

Check out TAFP’s newest advocacy tool in the fight for family medicine, Academy in Action, a series of videos released on federal and state issues that affect family doctors.


Watch a five-minute advocacy video by clicking the TV icon.

Academy in Action A Crisis in Medicare
Academy in Action Will There Be Enough Family Physicians?
Academy in Action The Patient-centered Medical Home
Academy in Action Doctor’s Orders: A Survival Guide for Family Physicians