House Legislator Plans to Bring Back "Preborn Pain" Bill
State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker, said she hopes to reintroduce a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation if her legislation passes this weekend. Full Story
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The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker, said she hopes to reintroduce a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation if her legislation passes this weekend. Full Story
It's virtually impossible to predict what Rick Perry will do, but speculation is mounting that he won't run for re-election. The chatter is on the upswing now that the governor has said he will make his intentions known before July 1. Full Story
Hey, Texplainer: Some people are comparing an omnibus abortion bill in the Texas Legislature to an Arizona law that was ruled unconstitutional. Are the measures the same? Full Story
State Rep. Charlie Geren and leaders in the North Texas town of Blue Mound are upset that Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for the town to gain control of its water system. Full Story
On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: What's next for the state's only political corruption investigation unit, whose funding Gov. Rick Perry has eliminated. Full Story
UPDATED: The board of the state’s embattled Texas Windstorm Insurance Association agreed Tuesday to take steps that it says will better prepare the agency for the 2013 hurricane season and be more efficient over the long term. Full Story
Texas Democrats exercised considerable influence over the legislative process during the 2013 regular session, in contrast with their relative impotence last fall. While the November election results were unequivocally red, the legislation passed during the session was decidedly purple. Full Story
In a new video, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, a declared candidate for lieutenant governor in 2014, vows that he will fight back against progressives who want to turn tomorrow's Texas into the California or Washington, D.C., of today. Full Story
District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg's story was primarily about a public fall from grace. When Gov. Rick Perry stripped funding from the public integrity unit she runs, it also became a story about a political power grab. Full Story
Of the hundreds of bills that were approved by both the House and the Senate in the 83rd legislative session, more than two dozen were vetoed by Gov. Rick Perry. Use our interactive to see which measures did not survive Sunday's veto deadline. Full Story
As Gov. Rick Perry puts an end to the so-called Kumbaya Session, we begin our weekly news-inspired playlist with Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy." Full Story
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: It's week three of the special session, and Gov. Rick Perry has added a few more items to the agenda, including abortion restrictions, transportation and criminal sentencing for teenagers. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry issued more than two dozen vetoes Friday, including a line-item veto that wipes out funding for the Travis County prosecutors who investigate government fraud and public corruption. He also vetoed a bill that would have had Texas law mirror gender wage protections in the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Full Story
UPDATED: After hearing impassioned testimony, a Senate committee has given tentative approval to an omnibus abortion regulation bill. The legislation now goes to the full Senate. Full Story
Though Senate Democrats argued that their objections and the testimony from public hearings were being ignored, the Texas Senate approved redistricting maps Friday. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry has signed into law Senate Bill 21, a measure that will subject Texans applying for unemployment benefits to a drug test if their responses to a screening questionnaire indicate possible drug use. Full Story
As the drought continues to blanket most of the state, demands for water are increasing from a growing population and industrial base. These pressures are squeezing Texas waterways, whose average streamflow remains well below normal. Full Story
Special sessions are for emergencies — for finding solutions to problems that can't wait for the next regular session. Sometimes, the emergencies are beyond anyone's control. Sometimes, like now, they're manufactured in Austin. Full Story
Lawmakers' special session to-do list grew fourfold this week, but according to Gov. Rick Perry, it's not getting any bigger. Full Story
Full video of Thursday's TribLive conversation about Texas Monthly's list of the Best and Worst Legislators, with Paul Burka, Erica Grieder, Sonia Smith and Brian D. Sweany. Full Story