The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
The budget deal that took a step closer to passage Wednesday evening would spend $3.9 billion from the state's Rainy Day Fund. That would leave more in the fund than many lawmakers or Gov. Rick Perry had earlier proposed. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry hasn’t yet said whether he’s running for re-election — but Attorney General Greg Abbott doesn't appear to be waiting for him to make up his mind. Full Story
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Texas public universities awarded more than 50,000 bachelor’s degrees in spring 2013, an increase of more than 5,000 from 2012, according to preliminary data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Full Story
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House Bill 950, by state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, a measure designed to prevent pay discrimination against women, narrowly passed the upper chamber with a vote of 17-14 on Wednesday. Full Story
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State Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, will not seek re-election, he announced in a tearful personal privilege speech on the House floor on Wednesday night. Full Story
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UPDATED: After days of jockeying and one-upsmanship, the Texas House and Senate each approved measures Wednesday evening critical to passing their next two-year budget. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Rick Perry met with three health care activists who helped organize a protest of his speech before Austin business leaders Wednesday. Both sides said the meeting was cordial, though there were no breakthroughs. Full Story
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End-of-session dinners are commonplace for legislative committees at the end of the session, and they can be lavish affairs. One this week cost more than $22,000. Full Story
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The Senate on Wednesday gave its approval to House Bill 1009, which would allow school districts to designate certain employees to carry concealed weapons and serve as school marshals. Full Story
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Sen. John Carona remains a political maverick in the Texas Legislature, willing to stand alone in policy fights and raise money for Democrats, despite conservative grassroots pressure to conform to stricter ideology. Full Story
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UPDATED: The House on Tuesday tentatively approved a bill that would require a now-defunct legislative oversight committee to hire a third party to review solitary confinement conditions in Texas prisons and juvenile lockups. Full Story
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The public doesn't closely follow legislative debates over the budget, but sometimes those budget debates line up pretty accurately with public opinion. Full Story
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UPDATED: State Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, again attempted to add a measure decoupling legislators' pensions from judges' pay. But the amendment to Senate Bill 1459 was defeated Tuesday. Full Story
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They are uncontested pieces of legislation that seemingly pass without much consideration. But the lawmakers, staff and various groups who have a hand in local and uncontested bills say the measures are "well vetted." Full Story
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Many of the residents of Sun City Shadow Hills near Palm Springs say they're being overcharged and hit with unfair penalties by their HOA. They have the company run by state Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, in their crosshairs. Full Story
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UPDATED: A dramatic overhaul of Texas' craft brewing industry easily won final approval in the House on Monday. Full Story
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UPDATED: Facing a laundry list of record votes, lawmakers tacked on several amendments to an Ethics Commission reform bill on Monday that would strengthen the disclosure rules that govern them and their contributors. Full Story
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It's easier, it seems, for lawmakers to regulate others than to regulate themselves. Ethics and transparency legislation has had a bumpy ride in the current legislative session. Full Story
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The constitutional provision of a part-time Legislature whose members have full-time jobs back home blurs the line between public responsibilities and personal ambition — as the story of a certain powerful state senator illustrates. Full Story
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Take a photographic trip through Sen. John Carona's career in the Texas Legislature, from his swearing in as a freshman House member in 1991 to his chairmanship of the powerful Senate Committee on Business & Commerce. Full Story
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