This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: It's week three of the special session, and Gov. Rick Perry has added a few more items to the agenda, including abortion restrictions, transportation and criminal sentencing for teenagers. Full Story
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Root says goodbye to the "Kumbaya Session," Hamilton with the latest on UT regents and records requests, Luthra on another loss for smoking ban proponents, Ramsey on a dearth of statewide Democratic candidates in 2014, Batheja on budget writers taking issue with a critique, Aguilar on a request for a study on the fiscal impact of undocumented immigrants, Grissom and M. Smith examine a truancy court complaint, E. Smith talks with Texas Monthly editors about their list of the best and worst legislators, Aaronson on experimental health projects and a lack of local revenue and Galbraith on the challenges facing Texas rivers. The best of our best for the week of June 10-14, 2013. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Davis says Perry vetoed equal pay bill; Senate backs court-drawn redistricting maps; committee approves omnibus abortion bill Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Full Story
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UPDATED: After hearing impassioned testimony, a Senate committee has given tentative approval to an omnibus abortion regulation bill. The legislation now goes to the full Senate. Full Story
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Though Senate Democrats argued that their objections and the testimony from public hearings were being ignored, the Texas Senate approved redistricting maps Friday. Full Story
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The Senate on Friday approved a measure that would require judges and juries to sentence 17-year-olds convicted of capital murder to life in prison with the chance of parole after 40 years. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law Senate Bill 21, a measure that will subject Texans applying for unemployment benefits to a drug test if their responses to a screening questionnaire indicate possible drug use. Full Story
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Special sessions are for emergencies — for finding solutions to problems that can't wait for the next regular session. Sometimes, the emergencies are beyond anyone's control. Sometimes, like now, they're manufactured in Austin. Full Story
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The federal government has approved 1,100 experimental projects that could transform health care delivery to the state’s poor and uninsured. But the plan has a big catch: Local health care entities have to pony up to get the federal dollars. Full Story
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As the drought continues to blanket most of the state, demands for water are increasing from a growing population and industrial base. These pressures are squeezing Texas waterways, whose average streamflow remains well below normal. Full Story
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Texas plans to launch 1,100 experimental projects using a transformational Medicaid waiver. The goal: to change the way health care is delivered to the state’s poor and uninsured. This interactive shows how $3.2 billion for those projects will be spent. Full Story
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Lawmakers' special session to-do list grew fourfold this week, but according to Gov. Rick Perry, it's not getting any bigger. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Perry says time has run out to add more items to special session; Supreme Court backs Oklahoma in dispute with Texas water district; Joaquin Castro jabs at Cornyn over immigration amendment Full Story
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Full video of Thursday's TribLive conversation about Texas Monthly's list of the Best and Worst Legislators, with Paul Burka, Erica Grieder, Sonia Smith and Brian D. Sweany. Full Story
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With the special session set to end in less than two weeks, Gov. Rick Perry said there's no more time to add items to the agenda. Full Story
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Flanked by high school cheerleaders, a rabbi and an off-duty Santa, Gov. Rick Perry ceremonially signed legislation Thursday clarifying that school districts can acknowledge traditional winter celebrations. Full Story
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Four inmates' families on Thursday sued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for wrongful deaths, alleging that prison officials failed to protect the men from extreme heat. Full Story
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The United States Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of Oklahoma in a major case over delivery of water from the Red River. Full Story
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With abortion measures on deck, the real drama of the special session begins today. Full Story
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