Bill Proposes Bipartisan Committee Draw Texas Congressional Districts
from The Dallas Morning News
A bipartisan committee would be entrusted with the divisive job of drawing congressional districts every decade under a proposal heard in Senate committee today. Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, introduced the bill in the Senate’s State Affairs Committee, which has passed a similar measure twice in the past. Lawmakers have long struggled over the slash-and-burn partisanship of redistricting, and the full Senate has voted previously to create a redistricting commission, but the proposal has never survived long enough for a vote in the House. More

Tarrant’s Top Officials Cool Toward Casinos
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Legislation to create up to 12 urban casinos in Texas is touted as a potential big moneymaker in lean times, but top Tarrant County elected officials aren’t sold on the plan and appear ready to resist efforts to bring a casino to Fort Worth, saying the potential downsides may outweigh the pluses. "I would explore other sources of revenue before I would encourage casino gambling in our city," said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. More

Keller Williams Now Third Largest Real Estate Franchise
from The Austin American-Statesman
Austin-based Keller Williams Realty is now the third-largest real estate franchise in the country, as measured by number of agents. Keller Williams had 72,794 agents at the end of 2008, according to Real Trends, a trade publication. That pulled it ahead of Re/Max International, which had been third. More

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Texans Still Pay Highest Homeowner Insurance Rates
from The Dallas Morning News
Texas homeowners still have the dubious distinction of paying the highest insurance rates in the nation – despite measures designed to lower rates and much worse weather losses in other states. A new study from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners released Monday showed that the average annual premium in Texas for the most common homeowner policy was $1,409 a year, considerably more than the nationwide average of $804. Florida was second at $1,386 - after a jump of 28 percent in one year - and Louisiana was third at $1,257. More

Citigroup to Lower Some Mortgage Payments
from The Associated Press via The Dallas Morning News
Citigroup Inc. said Tuesday that it will lower mortgage payments for some homeowners to an average of $500 a month for three months as part of a new program to help the unemployed. The struggling bank makes the move as President Barack Obama looks to lenders to adjust the way loans are handled. More

NRG Buys Reliant Energy
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
NRG Energy, the state’s second-largest electricity producer, said Monday that it will pay about $400 million for Houston-based Reliant Energy, Texas’ second-largest electricity retailer. The move will reunite the generating and retailing operations of the former Houston Lighting & Power. But because both operations are deregulated and the transaction won’t increase NRG’s share of the generating market, the transaction doesn’t need state review. More

$1.4 Million for Post-Ike Public Housing on Island
from The Associated Press via The Brownsville Herald
Hundreds of families displaced when public housing units were damaged by Hurricane Ike could return to renovated homes by late summer. The Galveston Housing Authority will spend $1.4 million on the projects. More

Schieffer Makes Governor’s Run Official
from The Fort Wort Star-Telegram
Evoking the "spirit of Sam Houston" on Texas Independence Day, former U.S. Ambassador Tom Schieffer on Monday took his first step toward seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year as he assailed a "crisis of leadership" under Republicans. By filing the paperwork to set up an exploratory committee, Schieffer is free to campaign and raise money without formally entering the race. He said he will decide whether to become a full-fledged candidate within two to three months. More

Former Arlington Lawmaker Wins Appeal of Ethics Commission Fine
from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Former state Rep. Toby Goodman did not violate the state’s election code - and does not have to pay a $10,000 Texas Ethics Commission fine - for using campaign contributions to help pay expenses for two Austin-area properties, a judge ruled last week. A year after the commission fined Goodman, an Arlington Republican who represented his district for 16 years, state District Judge Randy Catterton rejected the commission’s ruling. More