The Legislature is back for the 83rd time, and we've refreshed our directory of statewide officials and legislators. Many of the old names are here, and so are the names of the numerous freshmen. Full Story
Can’t get enough of the Texas Lege? Starting Tuesday, you’ll be able to view live video streams of the House and Senate on The Texas Tribune whenever the chambers are in session. The House and Senate convene at noon CST. Full Story
House Speaker Joe Straus faces a challenge on the first day of the 83rd Texas Legislature, and the Senate gets another run at a rule that empowers political minorities and sometimes frustrates majorities. Full Story
Texas' coastal residents say repeat hikes in premiums by the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association have pushed them to rally for change. One coastal lawmaker is preparing to file legislation that would overhaul TWIA. Full Story
According to a new report, students who try to save money on bachelor's degrees by beginning at community colleges tend to borrow as often and as much as their counterparts who begin at a four-year university. Full Story
The Health and Human Services Commission says the Texas Women’s Health Program has a greater capacity to serve impoverished women than its predecessor, a joint state-federal program that ended after the state excluded clinics affiliated with abortion providers. Full Story
Your evening reading: Combs delivers improved state budget news; Huffman to lead Senate Republican Caucus; Cornyn calls Hagel "profoundly wrong" on national security issues Full Story
A new report estimates that the federal government spent $18 billion on immigration enforcement efforts in fiscal year 2012, about 24 percent more than it spent on all major law enforcement agencies combined. Full Story
A day before the start of the 2013 legislative session, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs delivered much-improved budget news compared with two years ago. Lawmakers will have $101.4 billion for their next two-year budget. Full Story
Doctors in the Rio Grande Valley are leading the charge to restore cuts to Medicaid in the last session. They want lawmakers to ensure that Medicare and Medicaid benefits add up to 100 percent of dual-eligible patients' bills. They're expecting a fight. Full Story
The most observant Trib fans may have already noticed: There are some small-to-the-eye but big-for-the-site changes to how we organize news and information. Full Story
An upcoming expansion of the Panama Canal will boost Texas exports but not do as much for imports, according to a report commissioned by the Texas Department of Transportation. Full Story
With the 83rd Texas legislative session beginning Tuesday, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune looks at the priorities and challenges facing legislators as they head into the 140-day lawmaking scramble. Full Story
A few days after they were sworn into Congress, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, appeared on the Sunday talk shows. Full Story
With improving fiscal conditions and redistricting in the rearview, lawmakers are approaching 2013 with pressing policy questions, from whether to introduce private school vouchers to whether to implement key provisions of federal health reform. Full Story
Aaronson with the latest on Texas vs. Planned Parenthood, Aguilar on Mexico's push for sovereignty, Galbraith on water conservation ideas, Grissom on the state's rape kit backlog, Hamilton on UT's plans for a new Valley university, Ramsey on legislating interrupting politicking, Ramshaw on how Texans in Congress voted on the fiscal cliff, the first two parts of Rocha and Dehn's multimedia series on community concerns coming to the Capitol and M. Smith on what the school finance trial means for the 83rd session: The best of our best content from Dec. 31, 2012, to Jan. 4, 2013. Full Story
Your evening reading: eight Texas Republicans vote against Sandy relief bill; Cornyn open to government shutdown in debt ceiling debate; Joaquin Castro elected president of freshman Democratic class Full Story