The day after the leading measure to fund state water projects stumbled in the House, legislators shifted their focus to a bill that some members hope will also include money for education. Full Story
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University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall came under fire for failing to disclose all of the lawsuits in his background before he joined the board. Hall has since updated the filings, which were obtained through an open records request. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: The bill that was supposed to pay for Texas' water plan suffered a setback in the House on Monday night, leaving state leaders with a narrow set of options. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Straus says House will find way to fund water plan; state, federal lawmakers to probe West plant explosion; Obama says opposition to health care law will hurt Texans Full Story
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On Monday, I interviewed two members of the U.S. House's "Gang of Eight" — Reps. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., and John Carter, R-Round Rock — about comprehensive immigration reform: why we need it, what it should include and whether the votes are there in Congress to pass it. Full Story
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Republican leaders in Texas want the Legislature to take up redistricting this session. That's a bad idea, writes Matt Angle, director of the Lone Star Project. Full Story
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UPDATED: A measure taking aim at the firm that develops the state's standardized tests briefly stalled legislation reducing high-stakes exams for elementary and middle school students before it finally passed the Texas House on Tuesday. Full Story
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At the Trib's April 25 symposium on health care at the University of Texas at Austin, I talked with Kyle Janek, the executive commissioner of Texas Health and Human Services, about the prospects for leveraging federal dollars to reduce the number of uninsured Texans. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics in Texas, we asked about prosecutors being prosecuted, flawed prosecutions and whether and when to remind defendants of their rights. Full Story
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UPDATED: The morning after a major bill to authorize spending billions of dollars on state water projects faltered in the House, Speaker Joe Straus' office released a statement saying he wouldn't "let a technicality seal the debate." Full Story
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The rough seas that sank the Texas House's attempt to fund the state water plan on Monday night with a $2 billion draw on the Rainy Day Fund highlighted the limits of consensus on both how to pay for water development and whether it's a top priority. Full Story
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State Rep. Lance Gooden’s bill to prevent unmanned drones from capturing indiscriminate surveillance — a measure that has more than 80 co-authors in the House — is facing opposition from some law enforcement officials. Full Story
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Full video of my 4/29 TribLive conversation with Baylor University President Ken Starr. Full Story
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Besides boosting the economies of remote towns, the shale boom has big implications for the Texas economy and budget. Already, taxes on oil and gas production have soared above the comptroller’s estimates. Full Story
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Texas politicians can easily represent the people who elect them without necessarily representing the people of Texas. To get re-elected, they have to please their voters, not the general population. Full Story
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As lawmakers work on charter school legislation, lobbyists better known for their work in other areas have been showing up regularly at education committee hearings. Full Story
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A technicality has ended debate, for now, on one of Gov. Rick Perry's top legislative priorities. Full Story
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Just more than a week after the arrest of former prosecutor Ken Anderson, a committee of House lawmakers took up the "Michael Morton Act," which would require prosecutors to turn over evidence to defense lawyers in criminal cases. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Cruz knocks GOP Senate colleagues; Abbott says domestic partner benefits violate state Constitution; major water bill hits the House floor Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: With just four weeks left in the legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry has jumped into the fight over spending billions on water, transportation and business tax cuts. Full Story
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