Good morning! With highs in the upper-70s, Austin鈥檚 in for another day of well-above average temperatures, according to the This weekend should see similar weather, albeit with a little more cloud cover.
Speaking of the weather: Yesterday鈥檚 near record-high temperatures could mean many area plants are 鈥� which could mean a poor year for wildflowers, according to the .
Lead story: The chair of the says she hopes Washington will allow Texas to receive $27 billion to expand Medicaid to people who can't afford private insurance.
State says the key is to allow lawmakers to develop a Texas-specific program that won't bust the state's budget. The Affordable Care Act provides billions in new funding for states that expand their Medicaid programs. State leadership, and have so far refused to accept Medicaid expansion in Texas.
Public & Private Ed Advocates Pushing: Both sides of the debate over public school funding converged on the state capitol yesterday. State Sen. Dan Patrick appeared with a new organization of civic leaders and foundations called . Spokesperson Caprice Young called for measures that include expanding charter schools and reducing the time before closing a school that doesn鈥檛 meet state academic benchmarks. 鈥淲e think that needs to happen much faster,鈥� Young said. 鈥淔ailing schools need to be fixed in no more than two years of failing. And then we鈥檙e going to see some real change for kids.鈥�
Meanwhile, hundreds of public school teachers converged on the State Capitol yesterday urging lawmakers to roll back $5.4 billion in education cuts imposed two years ago. Members of the met with state senators and representatives from their home districts.
Unions on the Rise in Texas: While union membership is ebbing nationwide 鈥� currently 鈥� it鈥檚 actually up in the 鈥渞ight to work鈥� state of Texas.
As the number of unionized workers dropped throughout the country, Texas bucked the trend, by adding 65,000 members last year, according to .
Union members now make up almost six percent of the state鈥檚 workforce.
