Endangered Toad Stuck in Bureaucratic Limbo
Concerns over endangered species regulations have snarled an effort in Bastrop State Park to boost the numbers of the endangered Houston Toad. Full Story
Concerns over endangered species regulations have snarled an effort in Bastrop State Park to boost the numbers of the endangered Houston Toad. Full Story
The legislative session is in its last month and most bills will die. But setbacks for the big stuff — water, transportation and the like — are usually temporary. Full Story
Abortion is usually a contentious issue in the Texas Legislature, but this session, lawmakers have had relatively few public debates on it. Use this Tribune interactive to track the progress of bills related to abortion. Full Story
A resounding pro-gun message emanated from Texas over the weekend. Full Story
The political fireworks that accompanied lawmakers’ 2011 fight over women’s health care and abortion has been replaced with some semblance of concession, as legislators work quietly to restore financing. Full Story
Texas colleges, universities and public schools could see more firearm-carrying students or authorities under two gun rights expansion bills that got preliminary approval in the House on Saturday. Full Story
We have reached the "Month of May," which, in addition to being the final month of the Legislature's 83rd regular session, is the title of a song by Arcade Fire. It leads off our latest playlist inspired by the Texas political news of the week. Full Story
In the latest Newsreel: The House fights over whether and how to tap the Rainy Day Fund, lawmakers hold hearings on the explosion in West and Gov. Rick Perry says there is plenty of time left in this session to get things done. Full Story
M. Smith on a shock awaiting the state’s fifth- and eighth-graders, E. Smith’s interview with two of Washington’s Gang of Eight, Dehn and Rocha on legislative inquiries into the explosion and fire in West, Ramshaw on state leaders’ apparent disinterest in transparency, KUT’s Philpott explains points of order, Murphy and Ramshaw on the current status of ethics bills, Hamilton finds that not all college degrees are equal, Galbraith on the budget and the shale boom, Batheja on the Legislature’s do-over votes, Aguilar on a Texas application for more border drones: The best of our best for the week of April 29-May 3, 2012. Full Story
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Tea Party lawmakers helped kill a major water bill on Monday, but that's one of a small number of victories during a session many thought the more conservative wing of the GOP would flourish. Full Story
A controversial program that school districts around the state use as an economic incentive tool would continue for another 10 years under a bill passed overwhelmingly by the House on Friday. Full Story
Your evening reading: warm welcome for Cruz and Perry at NRA convention; Obama to visit Austin on Thursday; in Mexico, Obama calls for an end to "old stereotypes" Full Story
Members of the National Rifle Association gathered in Houston on Friday at their annual convention to listen to a wide array of national figures — but it was Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz who got the warmest welcomes. Full Story
The marginalization of Planned Parenthood probably makes the discussion of women’s health care less contentious — among Republicans, anyway. Full Story
Full video of my 5/2 TribLive conversation with Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. Full Story
At the Trib's April 25 symposium on health care at the University of Texas at Austin, Emily Ramshaw talked about the state of women's health in Texas with state Reps. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, and Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola; Amy Hagstrom Miller of Whole Woman's Health; and Joe Potter of UT-Austin's Population Research Center. Full Story
A House bill would cut the tax on mixed beverage sales for clubs that prove they’re using the savings to present live music. Advocates for some Texas cities and counties say the proposal would rob their coffers of much-needed tax revenue. Full Story
Texas lawmakers are weighing a bill that would allow some teenagers in foster care to refuse medication. The legislation comes amid reports that despite recent reforms, rates of psychotropic drug use among Texas foster children remains high. Full Story
Budget decisions revolve around numbers, but talking about money is just a way to talk about policy. Consider the case of volunteer fire departments. Full Story
Some critics of Texas' largely subjective state teacher evaluations want them to include more emphasis on measures of student performance like standardized exams. But with support among lawmakers to scale back testing, those efforts have hit a roadblock. Full Story