The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Before they can get driver's licenses, some young Texans must take state-mandated driving courses taught by private contractors. Five deaf students sued the state after they couldn't get anyone to provide sign-language interpreters. Full Story
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The legal battle to defend Texas' 2013 abortion restrictions — which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional on Monday — cost Texas taxpayers more than $1 million, according to records obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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After questions about his own medical practice came to public attention, a member of one of Texas’ medical licensing boards has resigned from the position Gov. Greg Abbott appointed him to last month. Full Story
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Though the Supreme Court on Monday handed Texas abortion providers a major victory by striking down the state’s most stringent abortion restrictions, House Bill 2 leaves behind a trail of shuttered clinics. Take a look. Full Story
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Monday's Supreme Court ruling against two key provisions of the state's anti-abortion law was the latest setback for a band of Republicans who abhor regulatory constraints on business but who regularly try to control the behavior of individuals in Texas. Full Story
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Almost three years to the day after Wendy Davis held the Texas Senate floor in a filibuster against abortion restrictions that galvanized reproductive rights activists, vindication came Monday in the form of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Full Story
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After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that found a Texas anti-abortion law unconstitutional, state lawmakers here are already plotting a course for new rules that could limit the practice of abortion. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court may have upheld UT-Austin's use of race in admissions, but the battle over the issue is just getting started. Thursday's ruling could pave the way for scaling back the controversial Top 10 Percent Rule in the state. Full Story
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On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the University of Texas at Austin could continue to consider race as part of its application evaluation process. Here’s a graphical look at that process. Full Story
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Three weeks before Texas officials plan to slash funding for a program that pays for speech, physical and occupational therapy for children with disabilities, Democrats in the Texas House are asking the Obama administration to intervene. Full Story
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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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