Most of the legislation filed this session by members of the Texas House never made it out of committee. This new Texas Tribune app tells you the number of bills filed, referred to committee and left, forever, in committee after the deadline passed, and in the House after that deadline passed.

Texas high school students would have new curriculum requirements under legislation unanimously passed by the Senate — but they won't be the ones the House envisioned when it approved its version of the legislation more than a month ago. 

A modernization of Texas’ political disclosure laws could be coming, as the House approved a bill that would strengthen the state's rules on disclosures for political advertisements on radio and television, and add requirements for political ads on social media websites. Another bill that would require lobbyists to disclose the names of lawmakers who pay them using campaign funds for services, including political consulting, is on its way to the governor for a signature or veto.

Small cigarette manufacturers would face new state fees on their sales under a measure that passed the Texas House — a big win for Big Tobacco. The nation’s four largest tobacco companies currently pay more than half a billion dollars to the state every year as part of a 1998 lawsuit settlement. They have for years lobbied for small cigarette manufacturers to face a similar financial penalty.

Groundwater levels in Texas’ major aquifers dropped considerably between 2010 and 2011, as the state's drought intensified, according to a report published recently by the Texas Water Development Board. It showed significant declines in the Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies much of the Panhandle. 

Cheerleaders at an East Texas high school who were told to stop displaying Bible verses on banners at school athletic events can resume such displays, after a state district judge ruled in their favor this week. Officials at Kountze ISD banned the signs after a group threatened to sue; the parents of the cheerleaders sued instead.