The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Slightly more than 8,200 voters cast their ballots during the early voting period in the special election to replace the late state Sen. Mario Gallegos. Election day is Saturday in the race, which is likely to head to a runoff. Full Story
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Full video of my January 24 TribLive conversation with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Full Story
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The Texas Railroad Commission regulates one of the most advanced industries in the world — oil and gas drilling. Yet the commission’s software systems, many of its rules and even its name are from another era. But change is coming. Full Story
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Connie Spears, a double amputee, says Texas' tort reform laws obstructed her ability to find a malpractice lawyer and forced a judge to order her to pay thousands of dollars to cover some defendants’ legal bills. Full Story
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Your evening reading: state tax-break bill targets federal contraception rule; national Democrats launch Texas initiative; Texas Republicans rebuke Clinton over Benghazi testimony Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about what he learned in his unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about how much it will take to jump-start the state's as-yet-unfunded water plan. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst talked about whether public education funding in Texas is sufficient and where additional money might come from. Full Story
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Water, transportation and education are the dominant topics this legislative session, but pro-marijuana reform groups hope that recent laws passed in Colorado and Washington will sway Texas lawmakers to follow suit. Full Story
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Full video of my January 22 TribLive conversation about family planning and women's health with state Reps. Donna Howard, D-Austin, and Sarah Davis, R-West University Place. Full Story
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After years in which the state's spending limit was irrelevant, it may play a key role in budget negotiations this session, and it could make it tougher for lawmakers to tap billions of dollars in the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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The Legislature has its own jargon, and it sometimes feels like members are speaking a different language. Blocker bills? WADA? Chubbing? LARS? Here's a guide — in the form of a multiple-choice quiz — to what they're saying. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers are back at work Wednesday after nearly a week off, and they’ve got about 125 days left in their 140-day session. And while it might seem like a lazy start to their biennial meeting, it is, in fact, all part of the plan. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, and Donna Howard, D-Austin, talked about whether the new state-run Texas Women's Health Program will have enough providers without Planned Parenthood. Full Story
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State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, has filed legislation that would require the state to study the effects of cutting financial ties with the federal government. The bill is not intended as a call for secession, White said. Full Story
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It's been a long time since the Legislature took a good, hard look at its ethics laws and its own practices. With the Texas Ethics Commission up for review, a restive electorate and a herd of new lawmakers, they have a golden opportunity. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry’s opponents say his tenure hasn't been kind to Texas women — but they can't argue about his hiring practices. Among Perry’s most senior staff, two-thirds are women. Full Story
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Three days after President Obama called for stricter gun laws nationally, gun owners in Texas gathered in Austin to rally in defense of their Second Amendment rights. Full Story
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In this edition of the Newsreel: The House and Senate have announced their starting budget proposals, and campaign funding numbers foreshadow the 2014 races for statewide offices. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst filled out his committee assignments late Friday afternoon, supplementing the chairmanship shuffle he announced late last year. Full Story
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