As the state tallies the tax dollars spent on former Gov. Rick Perry's security while he was running for president, a lawmaker wants future elected officials to reimburse Texas for out-of-state trips that don't involve official business. Full Story
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All three of Gov. Greg Abbott's University of Texas regent appointees were confirmed by the Texas Senate on Wednesday. Full Story
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A Mexican Mafia hit man convicted for his part in the 1998 capital murder of a San Antonio woman was executed Wednesday evening, leaving the state prison system with only enough pentobarbital for one more execution. Full Story
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Signs identifying some state lawmakers as former fetuses are generating controversy at the Capitol. Full Story
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In theory, clean, safe water should be flowing to all of Rio Grande City's 14,000 residents, but a long-standing arrangement with a handful of locally owned corporations keeps it from some parts of town. This is part of our five-story Undrinkable series. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new series on communities lacking clean water, a new study links climate change to drought and an interview with Cameron Turner of the Agricultural Water Conservation Programs at the Texas Water Development Board. Full Story
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As lawmakers debate what kinds of tax cuts they like best, and voters point at property taxes as their favorite, a national conservative group is starting a grassroots campaign to promote repeal of the state's business margins tax. Full Story
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State contracting has become one of the signature issues of the legislative session, but finding a fix won't be easy. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz's public face to Capitol Hill, press secretary Catherine Frazier, is heading home to Houston to join his political operation. Full Story
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Four Democrats have filed to run in the March 31 special election for Texas House District 124, the Bexar County seat formerly held by now-Sen. José Menéndez. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers consider different approaches to transforming the state's unwieldy, loophole-ridden system of contract oversight into something that can be properly tracked, analyzed and, when needed, restrained. Full Story
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As legislators considered several early education bills Tuesday afternoon, testimony was dominated by a debate over what standards school districts should meet to get additional state funding for pre-kindergarten programs. Full Story
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At our 3/10 symposium on water, I talked about life after Proposition 6 with Chairman Jim Keffer of the House Natural Resources Committee, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller; and Chairman Carlos Rubinstein of the Texas Water Development Board. Full Story
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Texas House leaders unveiled a plan Tuesday to shore up the state's chronically underfunded retirement system for employees that requires workers to pay more into the system, but gives them a pay raise to offset the cost. Full Story
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As we follow bills on environmental issues during the 84th legislative session, we'll keep you updated on legislation addressing reforms on how groundwater is managed. Stay caught up on the session with our Texas Legislative Guide. Full Story
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Texas legislators have an unfamiliar problem: They have more money available to spend than their self-imposed limits will allow. And it's enough to start debates even where there is broad agreement. Full Story
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A bill that would ban texting while driving passed its first legislative hurdle Tuesday when lawmakers voted it out of the House Transportation Committee. Full Story
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Senate leaders on Tuesday rolled out more legislation that would change how the state sets its limit on spending for each budget biennium, and let lawmakers pass tax cuts that don't count toward the cap. Full Story
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State Rep. Sarah Davis on Tuesday warned that proposed changes to a women's health program — intended to gut funding for Planned Parenthood clinics — would put women's lives in danger. Full Story
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A bill before a Texas Senate committee is bringing into focus the simmering debate over local control in the state. It's a charge that has been backed by Gov. Greg Abbott and state legislators who see cities overstepping their authority. Full Story
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