The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
While the federal Bureau of Land Management spends the next several years figuring out whether it owns some 90,000 acres of land along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River, landowners will continue paying taxes, at least for now. Full Story
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A controversial strip club fee that lawmakers approved in 2007 is still winding its way through the courts, but Comptroller Susan Combs is pressing the clubs to pay six years' worth of “pole taxes.” Full Story
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During Dan Branch's first year in the House, he was a driving force behind an effort to prevent the disclosure of conflicts of interest that can arise when lawmakers work for firms that lobby the state Legislature. Full Story
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In the Texas Legislature, it is often possible to tell legislators' political affiliations by their race and ethnicity. It's a result of voting patterns, voting rights laws and the way political maps are drawn. Full Story
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As a federal agency decides what to do with the 90,000 acres it says it controls along a 116-mile stretch of the Red River, Texans who have been managing land in the area say they feel paralyzed. Full Story
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After a presentation in Clay County on Red River land that's the subject of a dispute with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Texas officials and lawmakers on Monday sought to reassure Texans who have managed some of the land for decades. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers are deciding whether to impeach a University of Texas regent — something they've never done before. Are they opening a Pandora's Box? Full Story
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A state lawmaker wants to know if it’s legal to have taxpayers foot the bill for the $450-an-hour attorney hired to defend Gov. Rick Perry in a grand jury investigation. Full Story
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Republican state Sen. Dan Patrick has said that if elected lieutenant governor, he might not name any senators from the other party to lead committees. It would be a bold move, but not unprecedented. Full Story
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Like most child welfare agencies nationwide, Texas Child Protective Services has had its share of problems. Officials say reforms have made clear improvements, but the agency still faces problems. Full Story
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On the heels of an expansion of Fort Bliss, El Paso is seeing an increase in the number of children who can't be placed in foster homes because there aren't enough English-speaking homes available. Full Story
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Amid heated controversy over the placement of dangerous sex offenders, the presiding member of a board that oversees an agency that manages civilly committed violent sex offenders resigned on Tuesday. Full Story
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Sources say that after Gov. Rick Perry vetoed funding for the agency that prosecutes public corruption cases, his emissaries worked to swap Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg's resignation for restoration of the money. Full Story
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Lawmakers on Tuesday will examine ways to reduce recidivism among prisoners with mental illness and substance addiction. Full Story
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Lawmakers have a hard job when money is tight and they're writing state budgets. It's even harder when they have all the money they need. Full Story
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A year after the disastrous fertilizer explosion in West, some state leaders are beginning to consider reforms — measures in regulation-averse Texas that they hope lawmakers will find "passable." Full Story
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Facing an interim charge to review a bill regulating property tax loans in Texas, lawmakers are taking a closer look at the controversial industry. Full Story
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Here's full video of Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Leticia Van De Putte's rally Monday at the University of Texas at Austin, as she wrapped up a statewide bus tour. Full Story
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Texas ranks highly when it comes to letting taxpayers know how state government spends its money, according to a new report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Full Story
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A Tribune investigation of contributions to TexasOne, Gov. Rick Perry's chief Texas marketing tool, found that representatives from some of the largest contributors are often prolific donors to Perry's campaigns. Explore the connections. Full Story
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