House Speaker Joe Straus announced committee assignments for the Legislature's lower chamber on Thursday, ending speculation over key chairmanships and giving lawmakers the go-ahead to start considering bills. Here's his list. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ccf9f66e49f5a7354f7b715b9313dccb/BD%20INC%20House%2001%202011)
Use our county-by-county interactive to track annual local spending on unreimbursed health care costs, and to see how those figures compare to the federal dollars counties would receive under the Medicaid expansion. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Medicaid-3dCross.jpg)
Texas budget writers got a briefing on the state’s health care programs Wednesday, and the biggest questions focused on how the state can reduce fraud and what to do about ever-increasing health care costs. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Stetho-Around-Texas.jpg)
Educators and conservative activists will air their complaints about CSCOPE, the state's curriculum delivery system, at a Senate Education Committee hearing on Thursday led by state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Patrick-Books.jpg)
Texas homeowners associations often require members to keep plush lawns. But some are easing their rules as the drought continues, and two Texas lawmakers have introduced legislation to prevent the groups from restricting xeriscaping. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Xeriscape-3_1.jpg)
As lawmakers look for a way to fix infrastructure crumbling under the weight of a drilling boom, talk of reducing the tax money that feeds the state's Rainy Day Fund is drawing attention. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/NaturalGas-RoadDamage.jpg)
Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday threw cold water on speculation about a potential 2014 showdown with one of his political allies. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/40ab851c34ff77cbef9ad755e7b7a37e/BD%20INC%20Abbot%20Presser%208412%202012)
On the heels of Gov. Rick Perry's endorsement of a plan to let South Texas get access to the Permanent University Fund, educators and legislators from the region were energized about the prospects for a plan for a new university there. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/36eec6235a11f1dffe2db8199b705a43/BD%20INC%20Nelsen%20Garcia%202012)
Your evening reading: if Perry seeks re-election, Abbott won't run against him, governor says; poll shows Texans supportive of assault weapons ban, divided on Cornyn; Dell foundation to donate $50 million for UT medical school Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dd0add2fab85acd8a8b3d7c8542eb6f9/BD%20INC%20Abbott%2001%20CMS%202011)
At an Austin gun shop, U.S. Rep. Roger Williams voiced his support for the Second Amendment and criticized what he called the Obama administration's superficial response to recent mass shootings. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/HandgunsAtFiringRange.jpg)
Evan, Ross, Reeve and Emily analyze Gov. Rick Perry's seventh State of the State address, ponder the role of a party caucus chair, and reveal which legislator is most like Elvis Presley. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/08/27/Tribcasters-ReeveEvanRossEmily.jpg)
The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday opened its discussion on how to finance the state's health budget by considering the impact of cost containment initiatives and how to proactively curb Medicaid fraud. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a7d041d350653ac3860644966aea582f/BD%20INC%20Williams%2001%202011)
The members of the Texas Senate have been placed in their committees, but where in the state do the committee members come from? Use this interactive to explore the geographic distribution of committee members in the Senate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/CommitteesDataApp-Senate.jpg)
Texas prisons are running low on hygiene products that are not considered necessities for inmates, including toothpaste and deodorant. Family members and inmates are frustrated as state officials try to find a contractor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/PrisonDeodorant-OutOfStock3.jpg)
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Rick Perry touted the $10,000 bachelor's degrees at Texas universities he called for two years ago. Now that they exist, how can cash-strapped Texas students access them? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bd54c8c5b9bce7dc1c17fdc3d18b84dc/DO%20NOT%20USE%20Perry%2010k%20Degree%202013)
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Gov. Rick Perry said he supported using part of the Rainy Day Fund to finance water and transportation infrastructure projects. Lawmakers this year will decide which projects get the money first. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Shallow-Water.jpg)
Largely devoid of any conservative red meat, Gov. Rick Perry's State of the State address may have offered some clues to his political future. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2f620f4e360de853a9c9a1e7c22080f0/BD%20INC%20State%20of%20the%20State%20061%202013)
President Obama on Tuesday offered his own plan for immigration reform, and his proposal earned both praise and criticism in Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/51d8c7bdb3d98dc02b2d84924cb63870/BD%20INC%20Obama%20Side%20View%202012)
Your evening reading: Perry's State of the State avoids hot topics; Cornyn, Cruz vote against Kerry's confirmation; poll shows Perry vulnerable in 2014 Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3606e458506cca5d97c8197faad9b6f1/BD%20INC%20State%20of%20the%20State%20719%202013)
At a briefing Tuesday, lawmakers and relatives of people killed while texting and driving renewed a push to make the practice illegal. A proposal passed during the last session but was vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-TextDriveHearing001.JPG)