For some kids, school might just have to wait
AUSTIN – Children who turn 5 after May 31 would not be eligible to start school in the fall beginning in 2002 under a bill awaiting debate in the Senate.

Bill would tidy up record transfers
AUSTIN – When Rick Perry got a new job in December, he cleaned out the records at the lieutenant governor's office and transferred everything to his new office as governor.

Hopes are high for airport plan, but will state let it fly?
AUSTIN – Rep. Ron Wilson, D-Houston, has his own pilot program for the city of Austin. It would force the reopening of the city's old airport.

Bush OKs energy savings for household appliances
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration on Thursday approved efficiency standards requiring new washing machines and water heaters to use less energy.

Bush marks Jefferson's birthday
WASHINGTON – President Bush marked Thomas Jefferson's birthday at the White House on Thursday in a ceremony that included descendants of Sally Hemings, the slave with whom Jefferson is said to have fathered six children.

Library group throws book at Bush over proposed cuts
WASHINGTON – A week ago, first lady and former school librarian Laura Bush kicked off a national campaign for America's libraries, calling them "community treasure chests, loaded with a wealth of information available to everyone, equally."

04/12/2001

Perry: State should spend estate tax for now
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday he agrees with President Bush that the federal estate tax is unfair but said the state should keep spending its share of the tax while the law is in place.

04/11/2001

U.S. awaits reply to formal regrets
WASHINGTON – Administration officials said Tuesday that the United States had submitted a formal statement of regret to the Chinese government and was waiting for China's leaders to say whether they would accept it and release the crew of a U.S. spy plane.

Long standoff could hurt Bush, Jiang at home
WASHINGTON – President Bush says the longer the standoff with China lasts, the greater the damage to relations between Washington and Beijing. But that's not the only thing in danger, according to political analysts.

Poll highlights divisions on Bush tax plan
WASHINGTON – President Bush has not persuaded a majority of Americans to support his tax cut plan after months of trying, says an Associated Press poll taken in the days leading up to this year's tax deadline.

Public split on aid to religious groups
WASHINGTON – A majority of Americans support the idea of religious groups getting government money to provide social services, according to a poll. But they are sharply divided on specifics of the proposal backed by the Bush administration.

04/10/2001

Massachusetts gets first female governor
BOSTON – Republican Jane Swift became Massachusetts' first female governor today, replacing Paul Cellucci, who resigned to become U.S. ambassador to Canada. Swift, who until today was the lieutenant governor, is expecting twins in June and will be the nation's first governor to give birth in office. She also has a 2 1/2-year-old daughter.

Bush, Jordan's king to talk about Mideast, economics
WASHINGTON – Jordan's King Abdullah II, who has spent a week lobbying America's power elite for support, is meeting with President Bush to press his idea that the United States is essential to bringing peace to the Middle East.

Texas reaps big haul in Bush budget
WASHINGTON – President Bush's first budget, which tips the scales at upward of 6 pounds, sketches the new administration's national spending priorities with a broad brush. But a careful scan of the more than 1,500 pages issued Monday also spells the tale of billions of dollars in proposed spending that would benefit Texas.

Federal cuts designed to trim the 'fat'
WASHINGTON – Calling for a leaner federal government, President Bush sent Congress on Monday the fine print of his fiscal 2002 budget, spelling out cuts in a wide variety of federal programs.

04/09/2001

Committees present draft insurance plans for school employees
AUSTIN – Legislators are trying to iron out the details of two distinct statewide health insurance plans for public school employees.

Mexican truck safety included in Bush's budget
WASHINGTON – President Bush's $1.96 trillion budget includes money to help Bush fulfill his pledge to allow Mexican trucks on American highways without compromising U.S. motorists' safety, according to the budget delivered Monday.

President reorganizing White House AIDS office
WASHINGTON – President Bush will soon announce a reorganized White House AIDS office that will tie efforts to combat the disease into a key domestic policy team and two Cabinet agencies, an administration official said Sunday.

Bush releases $1.96 trillion budget with a multitude of spending curbs
WASHINGTON – President Bush sent Congress on Monday the full details of his $1.96 trillion budget, promising to restrain what he considers the excessive growth of government spending by trimming a multitude of government programs, from energy conservation to putting police on the streets.

Bush sees imminent damage to U.S.-Chinese relations
WASHINGTON – President Bush said Monday that "diplomacy takes time," but cautioned China that relations with the United States will suffer unless the 24 crew members of a U.S. spy plane are released soon.

Budget dogfight begins today
WASHINGTON – With President Bush preparing to release the point-by-point details of how his $1.96 trillion budget would rein in government spending, Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday that Mr. Bush will not hesitate to veto spending bills he considers excessive.

04/08/2001

Clinton inaugurates polytechnic school in his wife's name in northern India
RAMPUR, India – Former President Clinton, on a weeklong trip to India, dedicated a girl's polytechnic school in his wife's name today at the end of a long, dusty road where screaming villagers lined up by the thousands to see him. To the beat of drums and the swish of red scarves, girls performed the Bhangra, a peasant dance, to celebrate the dedication of the Hillary Clinton Center for MultiMedia Technology.

Former Illinois Congressman Frank Annunzio dies
CHICAGO – Former Illinois Congressman Frank Annunzio, who represented Chicago in Washington for 28 years, died today. He was 86. Annunzio, who had Parkinson's disease, slipped into a coma about a week ago, a family spokesman said.

The fix isn't in at polls
McKINNEY – For many Americans, the Florida punch-card fiasco during the 2000 presidential election was an embarrassment for a nation that prides itself on its technological innovation.

Washington watch
• Democrats rip Bush on power crisis
• Lawmaker to remain in hospital
• Move may aid 15 million uninsured
• Powell calls for more office space
• Bill would protect nursing moms

Bush urges public push for tax cuts
WASHINGTON – One day after the Senate voted to trim his tax cut plan, President Bush said Saturday that many lawmakers "are still making their minds up" and that critical votes lie ahead.

45 Clinton regulations on wish-not list of GOP
WASHINGTON – House Republicans, working with the White House, have drawn up a list of 45 federal regulations they might try to overturn, including rules that imposed stricter energy standards for air conditioners; defined a child as a fetus that is viable after birth; and restricted snowmobile use in national parks.

Christopher Lee: Lawmakers plan to fight bankruptcy reform bill
WASHINGTON – Texas members of Congress are facing a familiar legislative problem, but with a new twist. For the third time in four years, Congress is moving a bankruptcy reform bill that would do away with Texas' unlimited homestead exemption. That's the 130-year-old provision in the state Constitution that says creditors can't take your home even if you can't pay your debts.

04/07/2001

Oklahoma's first lady announces congressional bid
TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma first lady Cathy Keating pledged to take bedrock Republican principles to Congress in announcing today that she will run for the 1st Congressional District seat. Mrs. Keating said her experience as first lady and as a former business owner, community volunteer, wife and mother qualified her for the job.

Bush shows his stuff at new ballpark
MILWAUKEE – Access to America's finest practice facilities didn't prepare President Bush for Miller Park: His first pitch was a major league bust.

Massachusetts mother-to-be is also governor-to-be
BOSTON – Jane Swift, the lieutenant governor whose child-care troubles have generated controversy, is poised to become governor as early as next week, just months before giving birth to twins.

04/06/2001

Senate approves smaller tax cut
WASHINGTON – In a stinging defeat for the young Bush administration, the Senate approved a budget Friday that sharply reduces the president's $1.6 trillion, 10-year tax cut.

Texans ask Bush for Medicaid help
WASHINGTON – Faced with surging state spending on Medicaid, Texas legislative leaders appealed to President Bush on Thursday for more federal funds and greater flexibility to run the program as they see fit.

Meat testing to stay for school lunches
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration backed away from a proposal to ease salmonella testing requirements on meat for school lunches, saying it was overruling lower-level Agriculture Department officials.

Democrats drop DeLay lawsuit
WASHINGTON – A lawsuit by Democrats who accused House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of extortion and money laundering in his campaign fund raising was dismissed Thursday after all parties agreed to settle the case.

Senators quiz pick for solicitor general
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats grilled President Bush's solicitor general nominee on his partisan past, arguing that Theodore Olson's criticism of former President Clinton's Justice Department might taint his future work.

Hillary hopes for insight from memoir
WASHINGTON – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told newspaper editors Thursday that she's writing an $8 million memoir about her years in the White House so she can better understand that time.

Texas seeks more grants for research
WASHINGTON – The leaders of six Texas universities put their rivalries aside Thursday and discussed ways to increase the number of federal grants awarded to Texas researchers.

Bush asks Senate to restore tax cut
WASHINGTON – His budget under fire in the evenly divided Senate, President Bush defended his fiscal plans Thursday and urged senators to reconsider their vote to shrink his proposed 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut.