The latest state agencies news from The Texas Tribune.
The infectious disease doctor has been at the helm of the department in an interim capacity since the fall, replacing longtime commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt following his retirement. Full Story
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The review came after Gonzalo Lopez escaped on May 12 and eventually killed five people. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune is excited to launch a new and revamped version of our Government Salaries Explorer. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune's database of compensation for Texas state employees has been revamped. It includes detailed data for all of the 113 agencies in state government and every position at each of those agencies. Full Story
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Abbott has set a Dec. 1 deadline for agencies to tell his office how they plan to limit regulations, reduce fees and, "where appropriate," remove licensing barriers for people with criminal records. Full Story
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Responsible for providing population projections for the state, Lloyd Potter said citizenship information is not needed “for the purposes of the census." Full Story
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The backlog — exacerbated by the state's switch in January to a new computer system for processing records — comes as the short-staffed Texas Department of State Health Services vies for a boost in funding. Meanwhile, families anxiously wait. Full Story
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In his order, Abbott encouraged Texans to gather and pay their respects to the 41st president. Full Story
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Despite showing an uptick in electricity complaints this year, a report released by the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power also shows that complaints and inquiries have generally decreased over the past decade. Full Story
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Following a legal settlement, the prison system has added temporary air conditioning to one unit and made other statewide changes. But the road to change wasn't cheap. Full Story
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State employees have the day off on Friday for Confederate Heroes Day, which has a controversial history in Texas. Full Story
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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has a $60,000 vermin problem, and is hiring private exterminators to deal with an estimated "several hundred" sewer rats in the building. Full Story
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The evacuation ahead of Hurricane Rita in 2005 was marked by crowded roads and frustrated residents. But state officials say they're better prepared now. Read our seven-part "Road From Rita" series from 2015, done in collaboration with the Beaumont Enterprise. Full Story
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State Rep. Sarah Davis will ask Gov. Greg Abbott to put ethics reform on the agenda of the ongoing special session and said focusing on ethics would restore trust in the Legislature at time when it's diminishing. Full Story
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A tweet by President Donald Trump asserting that transgender people would no longer be able to serve in the U.S. military garnered the support of at least one Texas official: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Full Story
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The chair of a House oversight committee wants more information about potential "misconduct" that occurred at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Full Story
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A lawyer with a lengthy military background has been tapped to clean up the embattled Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, which has been dogged by controversies and high-level departures in recent months. Full Story
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He had only been in the job for a few weeks, but the interim director of the troubled Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is out. Ed Swedberg abruptly quit Friday after saying he did not want to participate in the termination of another high-ranking official at TABC. Full Story
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Two fresh departures from the troubled Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, announced Thursday, bring to five the number of high-level officials calling it quits since The Texas Tribune began publishing a series of stories about lavish spending, mismanagement and regulatory overreach at TABC. Full Story
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After a disastrous November election, Denton County is planning a complete return to paper ballots. The move is in part a response to voter distrust of electronic voting machines. Full Story
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