The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
The Rio Grande Valley became one of the last regions to operate under Medicaid health maintenance organizations last year. Now, many doctors there say the red tape in the new system has taken the joy out of practicing medicine. Full Story
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For more than a year, Evan Smith has traveled all over Texas to interview state legislators back home, in their districts, in front of hundreds of their constituents. At university campuses from Corpus Christi to Tyler and in between, lawmakers talked about issues that affect every one of us in Texas, from education and health care to water and immigration. Full Story
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Third parties — outsiders — can't vote in the race for Speaker of the House. But the lawmakers who will actually elect the speaker next month are listening, and acting, on what's going on outside. Full Story
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The embattled Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas on Friday appointed Wayne Roberts, the vice president of public policy at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, to serve as interim executive director. Full Story
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In November, for the third month in a row, the Texas unemployment rate dropped, falling to its lowest level since December 2008. Full Story
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Lawmakers took a close look at the state's Railroad Commission during a hearing this week, focusing many of their questions on proposals to limit gas and oil companies from giving political donations to commissioners. Full Story
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A successful challenge to House Speaker Joe Straus would be a serious show of strength for outside activists. A big defeat, however, could undermine their influence just as the 2013 session begins. Full Story
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A veritable flurry of rule-making is under way at the Texas Railroad Commission, involving everything from how oil and gas wells are drilled to the recycling of fracking water. Full Story
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Lawmakers on Thursday condemned grant policies at the state's cancer institute that left room for potential conflicts of interest, and criticized a lack of transparency at the CPRIT Foundation. Full Story
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday will hear the testimony of officials from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and address whether the state should fund the embattled cancer institute in the future. Full Story
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Ahead of the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers have filed nearly 200 fewer bills than they had filed at the same point two years ago. Use our bill tracker to follow the process, learn more about the proposals or see what your representative has filed so far. Full Story
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State leaders on Wednesday called for a moratorium on grants issued by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. They also want the institute's oversight board to immediately address concerns about its grant-making process. Full Story
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As the El Paso school district continues to reel from a testing scandal, one district program is focusing on the students who dropped out as a result of pressure from school officials. Full Story
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The Texas House under Speaker Joe Straus was more conservative in 2011 than in 2009, but not as conservative as in 2003. For opposite reasons, that was good and bad news for lawmakers from both parties. Full Story
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State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, a former prosecutor and judge, has filed a bill that would allow prosecutors to include accusations by other victims in child sexual assault cases. Defense attorneys worry it would lead to wrongful convictions. Full Story
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The future of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas is far from certain, as the quasi-governmental agency and its fast-shrinking cast of advisers face accusations of impropriety and criminal and civil investigations. Full Story
Does Texas need a constitutional cap on spending growth to protect it from the whims of future lawmakers or save it from the current ones? Supporters of the proposal are at odds. Full Story
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Limiting the terms of lawmakers and other officeholders was a sexy idea 20 years ago, when Republicans were trying to unseat Democrats. Now it's back. Full Story
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An aggressive effort is afoot to reframe the Texas Commission on the Arts as an engine for economic development and to give Texas’ designated cultural districts access to existing state incentive funds. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: State Rep. David Simpson is officially running for House speaker, but some former opponents of current Speaker Joe Straus are now sticking with the incumbent. Full Story
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