In this edition of the Newsreel: Legislative debate over women's health funding, abortion and Planned Parenthood has started. This week is the 4oth anniversary of the Rove v. Wade ruling. Lawmakers are talking again about guns on campus.

Three days after President Obama called for stricter gun laws nationally, gun owners in Texas gathered in Austin to rally in defense of their Second Amendment rights.  

In this edition of the Newsreel: The House and Senate have announced their starting budget proposals, and campaign funding numbers foreshadow the 2014 races for statewide offices.

The kickoff of the 83rd legislative session packed few surprises. The Texas Senate voted on rules, Joe Straus won without breaking a sweat, Comptroller Susan Combs announced the state budget forecast and Gov. Rick Perry laid out his priorities for the 140-day session.

Law enforcement is working to make sure lawmakers know an investment in mental health services is an investment in public safety.

Midland educators say the one-size-fits-all college readiness plan has run its course. They're working with area lawmakers to push legislation that would allow districts to offer different curriculum tracks, to better prepare students for the next step in their careers.

Instead of complaining about steep rate hikes and confusing building codes, Texas coastal residents say they'll outline ways to reform the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association in the 83rd Legislature.

Doctors in the Rio Grande Valley are leading the charge to restore cuts made during the 2011 legislative session. They want lawmakers to once again make it so that Medicare and Medicaid benefits add up to 100-percent of dual eligible patients' bills. They're expecting a fight.

People in parts of West Texas know that lawmakers can't make it rain, but they hope that the legislators they send to Austin can find funding for a statewide water plan to ease the drought pain in the coming session. Several state leaders are vowing to find the money.

Put in place 10 months ago to save the state $385 million, many doctors in the Rio Grande Valley say Health Maintenance Organizations, HMOs, are limiting patients' access to care. The Texas Medical Association is among those hoping the 83rd Legislature can find ways to streamline the current system.

With roughly a quarter of its huge jail population receiving psychotropic drugs or other treatment for mental illness, Harris County officials decided to do something different to address what they call a 'crisis' in their community. 

When it comes to choice in education, some legislators are thinking about more than school vouchers. Lawmakers representing West Texas will be filing proposals that would allow students to choose career paths that benefit local industries.

Saying he wasn’t certain of victory and didn’t want to put other members at risk by forcing a vote, Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, withdrew from the race for House speaker on Tuesday. Watch his full comments from the House floor.

Texas' coastal residents say repeat hikes in premiums by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association have pushed them to rally for change. One coastal lawmaker is preparing to file legislation that would overhaul TWIA.

Doctors in the Rio Grande Valley are leading the charge to restore cuts to Medicaid in the last session. They want lawmakers to ensure that Medicare and Medicaid benefits add up to 100 percent of dual-eligible patients' bills. They're expecting a fight.