TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

As the House and Senate prepare to hash out a compromise on the state budget, their members will have plenty of issues to resolve. Check out how the two budget proposals compare, with details on some areas where the plans diverge.

A Democratic congressman has asked the federal government to do what the Texas Department of Public Safety has said it can’t: Provide information on what role federal agents have played during the state’s multimillion-dollar border surge.

Three years ago, a company called Geo Care Inc. gave HHSC chief Kyle Janek a blueprint for privatizing state hospitals. The only contract awarded — privatizing Terrell State Hospital — ended up going to that same company.

The Austin State Supported Living Center will be the first closed, but more are to come as the state continues moving away from residential centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

One hundred and fifty years after the end of the Civil War, a 13-year-old boy caused an uproar at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday as lawmakers considered his proposal to modify a state holiday honoring Confederate heroes.

Midnight marked the deadline for Texas' members of Congress to file their campaign fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission. Take a look at what they're raising — and spending.

In early campaign fundraising, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is adding some deep-pocketed Texas donors to the loyal base of small givers backing his presidential bid.

State lawmakers are poised to crank up the volume on this message to city halls: We set the rules for drilling in Texas. 

After a bit of a Democratic gamesmanship shot down a major gun debate before it started, a measure that would allow gun owners with a concealed handgun license to carry their weapons openly in public is back on the House schedule Friday.

Just 2 percent of students enrolled in an institution of higher education in Texas are undocumented and pay in-state tuition — and most of them attend community college. Check out these students' enrollment by campus. 

Texans grew accustomed to the swagger and bombast of Rick Perry, a governor who didn’t shy from confrontation with the Legislature and upended the notion that his office was inherently weak. Newly elected Gov. Greg Abbott, ever cautious and lawyerly, is cutting a different path.

Full video of our conversation with state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond — the chairmen, respectively, of the Senate and House Higher Education committees.

Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp has asked all vice presidents at the system's flagship College Station campus to submit letters of resignation prior to the arrival of the school's new president. 

In the Roundup: State lawmakers kept busy this week advancing a slew of items in both chambers – including a measure on the trade of shark fins. And they considered several controversial bills in committees.