Report Urges Reduced Prostitution Punishment
A new report out Tuesday urges lawmakers to reduce penalties for prostitution and send more defendants to diversion and intervention programs. Advocates argue it will save the state money. Full Story
A new report out Tuesday urges lawmakers to reduce penalties for prostitution and send more defendants to diversion and intervention programs. Advocates argue it will save the state money. Full Story
With the legislative clock starting to tick, Gov. Rick Perry on Monday tasked state lawmakers with business tax relief. Full Story
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: A guide to the week ahead in the Legislature, which is set to debate bills on guns in schools and the Texas Ethics Commission. Full Story
Your evening reading: Perry calls for $1.6 billion in business tax relief; George P. Bush jabs at Obama in new campaign video; Perry launches ad campaign targeting Illinois businesses Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry unveiled a four-point, $1.6 billion business tax relief plan Monday that includes an across-the-board rate reduction of the business franchise tax. Full Story
UPDATED: The Texas Senate on Monday approved legislation that aims to tackle Medicaid fraud. Full Story
UPDATED: Gov. Rick Perry launched a weeklong ad campaign Monday to lure Illinois businesses to Texas. The effort follows recent high-profile efforts by Perry to poach businesses from California. Full Story
Texas remains behind most other states on issues related to educational achievement, public health and the environment, according to the latest version of the "Texas on the Brink" study, released Monday. Full Story
Three days after the governor raised the possibility of new revenue streams — including the issuing of 100-year bonds — to fund transportation, members of Texas Tea Parties warned legislators against caving on conservative principles. Full Story
In an exclusive interview with Texas Monthly, controversial University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall acknowledged that he did not recognize the need for ongoing communication with the Legislature. Full Story
A highway under construction in Mexico is widely expected to lead to a surge in produce trucks from Mexico’s western growing regions entering the U.S. through Hidalgo County. Full Story
The Legislature has taken up a bill that would increase the number of extended-family members who can sue for visitation rights if they believe a parent has put a child's well-being at risk. Full Story
Lawmakers, like professional athletes, want to play fair and also want to win. That's why it's hard to get them to write their own rules. Full Story
With about 90 percent of Texas still weathering drought conditions, climate experts say tropical storm and hurricane landfall could be the best hope to get rain to parts of Texas that will desperately need it this summer. Full Story
Bob Perry, a behind-the-scenes titan in the Texas political world, has died at the age of 80. Full Story
Bob Perry, a wealthy homebuilder and philanthropist who was among the nation's largest political givers, has died at his home in Nassau Bay, near Houston. He was 80. Full Story
At last Friday's quarterly meeting of the Texas Lyceum, I interviewed Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins about transportation policy and funding at the state and local level. Full Story
Many lawmakers are quick to name the sacrifices they make to serve. But life in the Lege is not half bad. The perks associated with the job — from exotic trips to luxury gifts — can dramatically augment their lifestyles. Full Story
At a TribLive event on Thursday, three Texas senators discussed the "Kumbaya" session. Little did they know that, in doing so, they were also selecting the first track of this week's news-inspired playlist. Full Story
This week in the Newsreel: An effort to legalize casinos is under way in the Texas Senate, Attorney General Greg Abbott wants a redistricting bill, and some lawmakers want to give drug tests to recipients of unemployment and TANF benefits. Full Story