When the Legislature decamped from Austin in July, there was a sense of order in Texas politics. And yet, as Rick Perry returns a mere seven months later, conditions on the ground in Texas border on the chaotic.

Lame duck or not, Rick Perry is still the Republican governor of a strongly Republican state. In Texas, he controls the levers of government, muzzles the news media and has no meaningful political opposition.

Gov. Rick Perry must now get back to work in Texas. But after a poor performance on the national stage, what's in store for Perry as he re-engages in state politics? Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.

In this week's nonscientific survey of political and government insiders, we asked what Gov. Rick Perry's re-entry into state politics will be like, and whether they think he'll remain in office or quit early.

Now what? This week, we asked the insiders what Gov. Rick Perry's reentry into state politics will be like (and, it should be noted, collected these answers before the governor dropped out of the presidential race on Thursday morning).

The conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation today wrapped up its annual legislative primer, which has become a must-attend for state Republican leaders. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how the group is already working to influence next year's legislative session.

At this morning's TribLive conversation, conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan explained what he doesn't like about Speaker Joe Straus' leadership of the Texas House.

The president pro tempore of the Texas Senate on what it was like to be second in line to run the Lone Star State when Gov. Rick Perry was out on the campaign trail.

In the spirit of TribWeek and TribMonth, we present TribYear. Ten of our best stories of 2011.

Our annual must-listen, year-in-review spectacular featuring some of the TribCast's most memorable intros, guests, topics, and outtakes from 2011.

The Legislature's foremost expert on school finance and one of its top public education advocates, state Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, confirmed this afternoon that he won't seek re-election next year.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released a list today of border security-related issues he wants Senate committees to consider in advance of the 2013 legislative session.

Rep. Joe Driver and Travis County prosecutors come to terms on his legislative expense accounts.

The Garland Republican pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to felony abuse-of-office charges after illegally pocketing state travel money. The humbled legislator agreed to five years probation and said he was thankful that the issue was finally resolved.

Gov. Rick Perry proposed term limits for federal judges and cuts in pay and work hours for Congress, so we put those issues to the insiders and added Texas versions: What about a full-time Legislature, and appointed judges instead of elected ones?

Gov. Rick Perry is proposing to bring a little Texas to Washington — with a “part-time citizen Congress” that doesn’t meet so often, and whose members earn only half of what they make now. Perry will also call for an end to lifetime appointments for federal judges, including members of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Amid the most intense drought in state history, Texas voters split on a pair of water-related constitutional amendments that had the backing of many environmentalists and businesses. Analysts are scrambling to explain their differing fates.

Judges have been telling legislators what to do since we set up government to replace knife fights and bar brawls. And legislators use the courts to make them do unpopular but necessary things that voters don't like. School finance, for instance.