An external review released Thursday on lawmaker and regent influence at the University of Texas at Austin found that campus President Bill Powers has helped secure college admittance for some students over the objections of the admissions office. UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven later said that he'd be taking no disciplinary action against Powers or any other university officials.

The Senate State Affairs Committee passed bills on Thursday that would lift a ban on concealed handguns at university campuses and allow license holders to carry holstered handguns openly. Both measures passed 7-2, with the committee's two Democrats voting against, and now proceed to the full Senate.

House budget writers heard from leadership at the Department of Public Safety and the National Guard on the status of the surge aimed at stopping illegal border crossings. What lawmakers heard was that rotating officers through the Valley wears them out and that Guard troops want more predictability for their lengths of deployment.

Officials with the TxDOT and Xerox surprised senators Wednesday by reporting that 30,000 drivers with valid TxTag accounts were erroneously mailed bills for using the state’s toll roads.

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