In 2011, to the chagrin of many university administrators, legislators declined to approve the financing of any campus construction projects. But comments from state leaders on Thursday may offer new hope for 2013. Full Story
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Your evening reading: state tax-break bill targets federal contraception rule; national Democrats launch Texas initiative; Texas Republicans rebuke Clinton over Benghazi testimony Full Story
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Civil rights, human rights and criminal justice groups on Thursday sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to close a privately run state jail in downtown Dallas. Full Story
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Resuscitating the 2011 redistricting battle, two lawmakers have filed bills requiring the state to count prisoners at their last home address rather than where they are incarcerated. They say it cheats urban districts out of representatives. Full Story
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The state's top budget authority, the Legislative Budget Board, says lawmakers will have trouble accessing billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund without busting the state's spending cap. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about the ongoing investigation into allegations that a longtime campaign aide stole hundreds of thousands of dollars — or more —from his political accounts. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about what he learned in his unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about how much it will take to jump-start the state's as-yet-unfunded water plan. Full Story
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A bill filed Thursday in the Texas House would give religiously based businesses a state tax break if the businesses chose not to comply with the federal government’s mandate that employers provide contraception coverage. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about whether public education funding in Texas is sufficient and where additional money might come from. Full Story
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Water, transportation and education are the dominant topics this legislative session, but pro-marijuana reform groups hope that recent laws passed in Colorado and Washington will sway Texas lawmakers to follow suit. Full Story
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Major water infrastructure projects have languished in Texas for years. But a new sense of urgency has spurred lawmakers this year to take a serious look at a multibillion-dollar plan that could help secure water for the state for 50 years. Full Story
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Texas finished 2012 with an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent, a significant improvement from two years ago, but still a long way away from the 4.6 percent unemployment in 2000. Explore the numbers all the way back to 2000 with this interactive. Full Story
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Ethics reformers are looking to overhaul the personal financial statements state lawmakers must file. The form doesn’t ask for much detail, hasn’t been updated in years and has led to confusion and varying interpretations about what must be revealed. Full Story
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The 2013 legislative session may have just begun, but for half of the state Senate, the 2014 election season started Wednesday. Full Story
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