The Texas Forensic Science Commission has concluded that the potential reversal of thousands of drug convictions by the Court of Criminal Appeals is due to a DPS employee's incompetence, but that not all of the drug samples are necessarily compromised. Full Story
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Full video of Aman Batheja's 4/4 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: While there was plenty of action on the floor as the House debated a budget bill on Thursday, we took a look at the work being done outside of the chamber. Full Story
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Citing the need for more power to meet the demands of a burgeoning community, El Paso Electric plans to build a natural gas power plant. But a legislator has joined forces with a coalition of residents intent to fight the project. Full Story
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Texas deer breeders say that excessive oversight from Texas Parks and Wildlife is constraining their industry. Supported by the Texas Deer Association, several bills would make major changes to deer breeding across the state. Full Story
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If the state government's resistance to expanding Medicaid sounds familiar, it's because something like this happened when George W. Bush was governor, and conservatives were wary of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Full Story
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A few bursts of drama punctuated an otherwise tame day of debate over the House budget on Thursday. Full Story
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Despite tense votes on vouchers and a setback for lawmakers who want to expand Medicaid, the Texas House passed its budget with overwhelming support after 12 hours of remarkably civil debate. Full Story
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UPDATED: Hours after quietly approving a budget amendment on Thursday that would have opened the door to negotiations on expanding Medicaid, the House reconsidered the measure, prompting the author to withdraw it. Full Story
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After a brief but heated debate, a measure from state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Corpus Christi, that would ban the use of public dollars for private schools passed the House 103-43 with bipartisan support. Full Story
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, talked about a proposal to use vehicle sales tax revenue to meet our transportation funding needs. Full Story
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Your evening reading: amid daylong debate, House opens door to Medicaid expansion negotiations; Perry offers reward in prosecutor murders; House committee passes school marshal bill Full Story
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Updated: The House on Monday passed Senate Bill 201 without any debate, and without Sen. John Whitmire's amendment to prohibit smoking on Capitol grounds. Whitmire has said he will fight for his amendment when the two chambers reconcile differences in a conference committee. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, talked about whether Texans are having “toll road fatigue” and the impact that toll roads are having on traffic congestion. Full Story
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Amid Thursday's budget debate in the House, some Democratic and Republican members of the House have agreed to pull some divisive amendments related to women's health. Full Story
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State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, has reprised an effort from last session to remove funds from the Texas Commission on the Arts and dedicate them to assisting volunteer firefighters. Full Story
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So far, the Legislature has been writing a budget for a state in a center-right position on the political spectrum. As debate opens in the House, can the leadership hold off challenges, particularly from the right? Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: a preview of the budget fight coming up Thursday in the Texas House, where debate could last well into the night. Full Story
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Amid continued worries about reservoir levels statewide, several Texas communities are exploring the concept of underground storage reservoirs, which do not lose water to evaporation or flood agricultural land. Full Story
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UPDATED: University of Texas System Regent Bobby Stillwell explained to the Tribune why he disagrees with his colleague Alex Cranberg's assessment of the need for an external review of the UT Law School Foundation. Full Story
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