The Week in the Rearview Mirror

With about a month remaining in the legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry met with the Texas House GOP Caucus and talked to reporters about his support for a bill that would draw $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for water infrastructure needs. He said it was too early for talk of a special session and said the water bill was needed and was “one of the ways” to move the issue forward. Later in the day, the bill failed, leaving lawmakers to look for other ways to solve the problem.

The Texas Constitution prohibits government entities from recognizing domestic partnerships and offering those couples insurance benefits, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott wrote in an opinion on Monday. He was asked about such benefits in places like Pflugerville, El Paso, Austin and Fort Worth.

The Texas Association of Businesses — a heavyweight in conservative lobbying circles — endorsed state Rep. John Zerwas’ proposal to negotiate with the federal government to find a palatable way to expand health insurance coverage to low-income adults. Gov. Rick Perry has said repeatedly that he is against expanding Medicaid in Texas.

Sixteen states haven't decided whether to expand their Medicaid programs, according to the Washington Post. That paper counts 20 states and the District of Columbia in the Expand category, Texas and 13 other states in the Decline column and the rest in something other than a final position on the issue. The Affordable Care Act — Obamacare, in the vernacular — is supposed to enroll millions of people on October 1. 

Plentiful state revenue and the short-lived death of the Texas Lottery last week probably spell the end of any chances for expanded gambling during the current legislative session. Promoters have been trying to legalize slot machines and casinos for years, but doing so would require a supermajority in both houses of the Legislature, and the appetite for new games seems pretty small.

The embattled district attorney of Travis County, Rosemary Lehmberg, apologized Saturday in an open letter to her constituents — and insisted she hopes to complete her term in office. The prosecutor in charge of public integrity cases for state officials is serving a jail sentence after she was arrested driving drunk.