The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
In a major — and surprising — win for affirmative action supporters, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the University of Texas at Austin’s right to give a slight boost to black and Hispanic applicants. Full Story
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Nearly a dozen-and-a-half Texans have more cash in the bank than Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Full Story
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Proposed federal regulations on payday lending could have an especially significant effect in Texas, where 8 percent of people have used payday loans, compared to 5.5 percent nationally, and fees are among the highest in the country. Full Story
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A Laredo-based bank is pushing back against criticism of its CEO's involvement in a fundraiser for Donald Trump, arguing that the CEO will stand up to Trump like he has to fellow Texas Republicans over the years. Full Story
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Numbers can give you a full accounting of something without telling you what’s really going on, like when lawmakers talk about trimming budgets and saving money while diverting attention from whatever fell on the cutting room floor. Full Story
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Texas taxpayers are still picking up the tab for defending the nation’s strictest voter identification law more than five years after Republicans fast-tracked it through the Legislature. Full Story
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Texas House candidate and former Killeen Mayor Scott Cosper has won a recount of his narrow victory over Killeen optometrist Austin Ruiz in last month's Republican primary runoff. Full Story
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The next executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will lead nearly 40,000 employees, manage a $3 billion annual budget, direct more than 100 prisons and oversee the nation's busiest execution chamber. Full Story
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Republican state Rep. Jason Isaac has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Austin's rules for ride-hailing companies, raising concerns that the city's "burdensome regulations" are anti-competitive. Full Story
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State lawmakers are poised to discuss ride-hailing for the second time in two weeks on Thursday, attention many expect to carry into the upcoming legislative session as some legislators attempt to wrest regulatory power from cities. Full Story
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The ACLU of Texas is demanding that the Department of State Health Services “stop concealing” abortion statistics for 2014 and make the information public. Full Story
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As Texas braces for a possible Zika virus outbreak via local mosquito populations, Gov. Greg Abbott asked federal health officials Wednesday to review the state’s plan to combat the disease. Full Story
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Texas law prohibits car companies from selling cars directly. Customers have to go through an independent dealership instead. For three years, Tesla has been trying without success to change that by lobbying Austin. Now it's lobbying party activists. Full Story
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Texas is finally poised to move forward with budget cuts to a pediatric therapy program for children with disabilities, but opponents of the cuts have vowed to continue putting up a fight. Full Story
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Representatives from Uber and Lyft urged lawmakers to adopt statewide regulations for the ride-hailing industry during a Texas Capitol hearing on Wednesday. Full Story
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We've updated the Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer with new data for The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Katy ISD and Midwestern State University. College Station ISD and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center are new additions. Full Story
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Texas' top Senate Republicans on Monday upped the urgency on federal policymakers to do something about the Zika virus. Full Story
The former head of the Texas attorney general's consumer protection division says it was he — not then-Attorney General Greg Abbott — who decided how the office should investigate Trump University. Full Story
State health officials are urging Texans to protect themselves from mosquito bites — but they aren't helping counties coordinate or pay for those protective measures. Full Story
Supporters of Texas' new campus carry law say the shooting at UCLA exemplifies how banning guns on campus only deters law-abiding people. Opponents say it shows why guns shouldn't be allowed on campus. Full Story
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