If the signatures of state representatives on the hundreds of amendments to HB1 are any indication, possession of legible handwriting is not a prereqisite for holding elective office. We've selected the 10 most indecipherable John Hancocks from the more than 370 amendments. See if you can identify each one. 

Heated debate over the state budget is already under way, but as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, similar fighting has been playing out for at least three years across the country.

Thirty new GOP lawmakers took office this year, promising their constituents they'd cut the fat out of government. As the House prepares to vote on a slew of budget bills on Thursday and Friday, this freshman bloc is showing some clout. Many have vowed to not spend the remaining Rainy Day funds to close the next biennium's budget gap. Now that they're off the campaign trail and inside the Capitol, has their perspective changed? The Texas Tribune interviews Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Terrell, Rep. Raul Torres, R-Corpus Christi, and Rep. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock. 

In this week's TribCast, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben discuss statements by the Legislative Budget Board, the situation with gambling bills, and the saga of Willie Nelson.

For those who frequent the Texas Capitol but don’t feel like sacrificing the time it takes to get a concealed handgun license, there may soon be a special pass allowing them to bypass the building’s metal detectors at Capitol entrances.

For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether the Legislature will finish its redistricting chores or will need help, whether Republicans will be able to ensure future super-majorities, and how lawmakers will split four new congressional seats between the political parties.

This week's episode of the TribCast features Evan, Ross, Reeve, and Ben talking mostly about the budget, but also a bit about redistricting and academic research.

Those with a concealed handgun license, which currently means they must be 21 years old. Though it won't necessarily be that way forever, which raises another question: When it comes to gun safety, does age matter?

The senior executive editor of Texas Monthly on the biennial list of the Best and Worst Legislators, now coming together for the 20th time, on how he decides who's in and who's out, and on how this crop of lawmakers is shaping up.

The Texas Tribune interview with Texas Monthly Executive Editor Paul  Burka.

Anyone in the habit of calling state legislators has probably had the pleasure and/or pain of the hold music to which staffers must occasionally subject them. Is the music the lawmaker's choice, or is it out of his or her hands?

This week on the TribCast, Ross, Reeve, Ben and special guest Jim Henson discuss the Rainy Day Fund, Hispanic Republicans, Tommy Lee Jones, and a good deal more.

Tribune readers, wondering what was personally at stake for the state’s education policy makers, asked us to check where lawmakers send their children to school. We obliged, and posed that question to all 181 members of the Legislature and 15 members of the State Board of Education.

For the latest installment of our nonscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether there will be special sessions this summer to finish what can't be done in the regular session, and what issues would force lawmakers into overtime.

This week's TribCast features Evan, Reeve, Ben and Emily discussing the holdup with abortion sonogram legislation, cuts to public education, and bickering in higher education.

The biggest hurdle getting an abortion sonogram bill passed may be good old-fashioned stubbornness. House Republicans don't like the Senate version. But their version could have trouble in the Senate, where its bill only passed because of a careful balance struck between the bill’s author and Democratic state Sen. Carlos Uresti.

We've updated our elected officials directory this week to include the names and e-mail addresses of 2011 legislative staffers now that the House Research Organization has released a complete list.

Texas lawmakers and citizens are out to protect their interests this session, especially as the Legislature deals with a massive budget shortfall. In the process, it appears they're ratcheting up their rhetoric. Do their fighting words represent politics as usual or a serious lapse in civil discourse? 

More than 15 anti-bullying bills have been filed this session. But while the legislation is supported by teacher organizations and advocacy groups like the Anti-Defamation League, it has drawn opponents as diverse as the American Civil Liberties Union and the archconservative Liberty Institute, who question how effective any new state law will be in curbing aggression in schools. 

During day two of the Legislature's debate on House Bill 15, state Rep. Sid Miller's abortion sonogram bill, House Democrats made their displeasure known with a parade of amendments.

Today, the House again takes up HB 15, legislation that would require a woman seeking an abortion to have a sonogram. The bill was voted out of committed Wednesday night after a rancorous and emotional debate on the House floor.

On this week's episode, Evan, Reeve, Ben and Brandi discuss Gov. Rick Perry's Twitter feed, the state's changing demographics and issues of innocence.

On Monday, state Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, said he would rather raise taxes than make the cuts lawmakers are considering now. Now, Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, has introduced legislation to increase the tax on soft drinks by a penny per ounce. Lucio says the move could raise up to $4 billion over two years.

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 in a House that was close to evenly divided. But with a Republican supermajority now in control, this could very well be the session of Leo.

Rep. Leo Berman is sponsoring "birther" legislation that would require all presidential and vice presidential candidates to produce their birth certificate to get on the Texas ballot. The conservative lawmaker's bill is fueled by his doubts President Barack Obama was born in the United States. We talk to his colleagues about whether the measure will pass the House — and if they agree with questions over the president's citizenship. 

No time to follow every twist and turn of the Texas Legislature? We've made it easier for you with our weekly recaps of the action under the dome.

This week's TribCast features Ross, Reeve, Ben and Emily discussing the University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, the buzz about Medicaid, and concealed carry on college campuses.