The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Gov. Rick Perry may be taking heat for his failed plan to require young girls in Texas to get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted disease human pappilomavirus, but the Mexican government has decided it's a good idea, and many other states have considered similar plans. Full Story
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The freshman Republican state representative on what he liked about the legislative session, what's wrong with the process, the press, politics and why he'd be coming back for more if a local job hadn't opened up. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has said the Rainy Day Fund should be preserved as an insurance policy against natural disasters, but Texas can't actually dip into it until the next legislative session — in 2013. Full Story
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Don't expect a redistricting ruling out of San Antonio quickly. Some of the lawyers — and this requires more lawyers than a Hollywood divorce — say the Texas judges might hold their ruling until the DC courts are finished. That could be November, or even December. Full Story
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The state's new political maps are now in the hands of the federal government. An army of lawyers lined up before the start of federal hearings on Tuesday, lugging boxes of papers and briefcases bulging with the scribbled notes and other arguments they'll present over the next two weeks. Full Story
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Because — as both Democrats and Republicans know well — the drawing of congressional, legislative and State Board of Education district lines determines, to a large extent, the outcomes of future elections. Full Story
Austin Democrats are pretty unhappy with the Republican Legislature’s redistricting maps, and Rep. Lloyd Doggett is the poster child for their frustrations. Their anger might save him. Full Story
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State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, says he is filing papers to run for the CD-23 congressional seat now held by Republican Francisco "Quico" Canseco of San Antonio. And in El Paso, former City Rep. Beto O'Rourke says that he will challenge longtime U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes in the Democratic primary election next year. Full Story
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Hand a bunch of insiders a list of 31 senators and ask what's going to happen next, and you turn them into outsiders. Full Story
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State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, says he is filing papers this week to run for the congressional seat now held by Republican Francisco "Quico" Canseco of San Antonio. Full Story
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Speaking at the 112th Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in San Antonio, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney took aim at "career politicians" for putting the country in bad shape. It was a thinly veiled swipe at Gov. Rick Perry. Full Story
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The debate over whether job creation in Texas economy is a "mirage" or a "miracle" raises several questions: What jobs do Texans commonly hold right now? How much do those jobs pay? And what jobs is Texas creating? Full Story
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This weekend, the San Antonio physician and prolific donor to conservative candidates and causes hosts a Hill Country gathering for Gov. Rick Perry and some of his evangelical supporters. Who is Leininger? Here's a primer. Full Story
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Anne Heiligenstein, the commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services, is retiring from the agency after three years. Full Story
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It's a synergy thing. Super PACs can spend all they want to advance a candidate or cause, with certain limitations and — importantly — without talking to the candidate or the campaign. So here's Make Us Great Again, a new Perry-centric Super PAC releasing a poll of Iowa voters that shows — surprise — the governor doing well there. Full Story
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His supporters wouldn't necessarily agree, judging from our phone calls and emails, but our insiders think U.S. Rep. Ron Paul — the other Texan in the presidential race — is getting all the attention he deserves. More than a third, however, don't agree with that. Full Story
Rick Perry leads the other Republican presidential candidates in Iowa, according to a new poll conducted for a Perry-favored Super PAC. Full Story
At this morning's meeting of the University of Texas System Board of Regents, Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa won unanimous approval for a plan addressing hot-button higher ed issues of the moment like productivity, efficiency and accountability. Full Story
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The latest Texas jobs numbers will be released today, and a positive report would bolster Gov. Rick Perry's economic message on the campaign trail. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on the battle to define just how well the Texas economy is doing. Full Story
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In which we ask the insiders how the selection of a new lieutenant governor will go, if David Dewhurst moves on to another job after the 2012 elections. Full Story