On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: President Obama's visit to Austin on Thursday as part of a new jobs tour has again put the state's economy in the spotlight.

The Texas Association of Businesses — a heavyweight in conservative lobbying circles — has endorsed state Rep. John Zerwas’ proposal to negotiate with the federal government to find a palatable way to expand health insurance coverage.

Through a program operated by a Houston nonprofit, some Texas inmates who will soon be released get a chance to learn business skills and work on plans to start their own businesses.

The Texas Association of Business, the state's largest business lobby, is adding criminal justice reform to its agenda for the first time. The association says reducing the prison population and increasing the workforce makes business sense.

The new K-12 math standards will have a staggered rollout, with K-8 standards taking effect in 2014 and the high school standards coming out in 2015.

As the State Board of Education prepares to approve new K-12 math standards, it is receiving significant pushback from leaders in Texas' business community, who contend that they're are not up to snuff.

Dallas County Community College District Chancellor Wright Lassiter said a new billboard from the Texas Association of Business knocking DCCCD graduation rates shows "a fundamental lack of understanding" about community colleges.

A new billboard that will tower over Dallas' North Central Expressway on Monday offers a startling message on college graduation rates, an effort by a state business group to turn the spotlight on the the state's lagging higher ed outcomes.

Expect the Texas House to revisit old battles over school finance — and open a new one, for the lower chamber at least, over pre-kindergarten accountability — when it takes up Senate Bill 1 today on the floor.

A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last week upholding an Arizona law that punishes employers who hire illegal immigrants may give Texas lawmakers some newfound momentum to file immigration-related legislation.

The growth of the state’s Hispanic population and the rise of immigration as a political issue put Texas Republicans in a tight spot — especially the ones with statewide aspirations.

In 2009, state Rep. Leo Berman's bills — like the ones restricting illegal immigrants to certain geographical regions and denying them access to higher education — failed to gain traction. But with a Republican supermajority now in control, this could very well be the session of Leo.

Texas, like many other states, is proposing billions of dollars in cuts to help close a budget gap. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, one thing Texas has that nobody else does is $9 billion in a piggy bank called the Rainy Day Fund — and lawmakers are divided over whether to crack it open.

We must continue to fight to ensure that we implement cost-saving reforms that reflect Texas' commitment to prosperity and to economic growth. But our current budget shortfall isn't a time to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

At least half a dozen bills have been filed in the Texas House mandating the use of the federal electronic employment verification system known as E-Verify. But is the system so fraught with errors that it actually hinders employers who use it to check the eligibility of new hires? 

Proposing state enforcement of immigration laws can produce strange bedfellows. "Who would imagine that after 28 years of law enforcement the ACLU would be talking so nicely about me,” Sheriff Richard Wiles joked after being introduced as a common-sense sheriff by ACLU of Texas Executive Director Terri Burke for his opposition to proposed legislation patterned on Arizona’s.

With the threat of massive budget cuts looming on the horizon, state higher education leaders are looking for ways to get more out of what few dollars they may ultimately get to spend. One program that may see some changes is the Toward Excellence, Access, and Success Grant program, the state’s largest financial aid program.

Republican state lawmakers, buoyed by their party’s resounding victories on Election Day, have filed several bills ahead of the next legislative session that signal how far they're willing to go in tackling illegal immigration. State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, filed a nine-bill bundle that included a proposal to require picture IDs at polling places.