The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
For higher education followers, one of the great lingering mysteries of the 83rd session is the fate of a special committee that was formed to examine governance issues at the University of Texas System. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry on Monday added transportation funding to the agenda of the special session. He said Texas' transportation network is facing added pressure because of the state's growing economy and population. Full Story
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Nearly half of the members of the Texas House are asking Gov. Rick Perry to add tuition revenue bonds for campus construction to the agenda of the current special session. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry is pushing back against conservative critics who say the state budget is growing too fast. Perry is still analyzing the budget legislation, but his defense of it was the clearest signal yet that he plans to sign the two-year, $197 billion appropriations bill into law. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Lawmakers said it would take seven to 10 days to deal with redistricting during the special session, and that turned out to be wildly optimistic. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Higher education was having a great legislative session — until the very end, when a plan to issue billions of dollars in bonds for campus construction projects died. Full Story
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As soon as Gov. Rick Perry signs Senate Bill 24, which creates a new university in the Rio Grande Valley, "the real work begins," says University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa. Full Story
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Lawmakers and local officials from the Texas-Mexico border wanted funding to train more inspectors and speed up commerce at land ports. Instead, they got a study. Full Story
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It doesn't feel much like there's a special session going on at the state Capitol, but that doesn't mean taxpayers won't get a bill for it. Lawmakers get paid whether they're here or not. Full Story
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Call it the self-preservation society. When push comes to shove, some members of the Texas Legislature are adamant that their elective offices should come with some special protections. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked for grades on the state's top leaders, on the House and Senate, about the heroes and goats of the session, and about how many legislators won't be back. Full Story
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When it came to passing major ethics reforms that would have increased transparency for elected officials, the 83rd Legislature didn't make much headway. Lawmakers, it seems, didn't have the appetite for increased public disclosure. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Those hoping for a quick special session may be disappointed. As lawmakers learned last week, there's nothing quick or easy about redistricting. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Now that the regular legislative session is over and the special session is under way, the focus has turned to who may be running for office in 2014, and to another round of redistricting. Full Story
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Here's full video of my May 30 TribLive conversation debriefing the 83rd Legislature with state Sens. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin. Full Story
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Legislators made Texas the 21st state to prohibit the use of gas chambers to euthanize animals that have not been claimed or adopted. But switching to the only legal method, lethal injection, could be costly for some. Full Story
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The current special session is the 10th in Gov. Rick Perry's gubernatorial tenure. Take a look at our visualization to see all the special sessions called since 1971, the subjects lawmakers tackled and how Perry compares to previous governors. Full Story
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The comity of the regular session might disappear in a special session: The rules change to the disadvantage of the Democrats, and the agenda changes to the advantage of the governor. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Thwarted attempts at boosting the Texas Department of Transportation's budget could get another shot in the special session. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sens. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, and Kirk Watson, D-Austin, talked about the 83rd Legislature's approach to public education reform. Full Story
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