The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
The freshmen in the Texas House wear something purple every Thursday as a symbol of their willingness to compromise across the aisle. Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, it's time to identify which issues are negotiable. Full Story
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Ahead of his Thursday speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Gov. Rick Perry has sent a letter to members of Texas' congressional delegation asking them to fight for flexibility for the state's Medicaid program. Full Story
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Thirty-six years before U.S. Sen. Rand Paul held a nearly 13-hour filibuster, a Texas senator filibustered for 43 hours in the Texas Senate, setting a world record. Full Story
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A Facebook update state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, posted on Tuesday suggesting that mothers should be "modest" while breast-feeding their babies in public has nearly 1,000 comments — most of them outraged. Full Story
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Thirty-six years before U.S. Sen. Rand Paul held a nearly 13-hour filibuster, a Texas senator filibustered for 43 hours in the Texas Senate, setting a world record. Full Story
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When it comes to immigration-related legislation, this session is far different from the one two years ago. But several bills could still stir some heated debate once House committees take up the measures in the coming weeks. Full Story
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Some say state lawmakers' cuts to family planning funding in 2011 cost the state more than it saved because it had to pay to cover additional pregnancies through Medicaid. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, wants to quantify that. Full Story
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Since relinquishing their seats in January, 11 former House members and one former state senator have registered as lobbyists with the Texas Ethics Commission — and several of them are working for clients in industries they regulated in the Legislature. Full Story
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A House committee on Wednesday debated several bills that would make it a crime to enforce new federal gun laws in Texas. Full Story
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As lawmakers prepare to discuss allowing concealed handguns in college and university buildings on Thursday, the chancellor of the state's largest university system continues to express his concerns with such proposals. Full Story
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The budget approved Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee is 2.9 percent bigger than the estimated size of the current two-year budget. It includes about $8.9 billion more than the first draft Senate leaders unveiled in January. Full Story
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The House Insurance Committee heard debate Tuesday on a bill that would prohibit the coverage of elective abortions in minimum state health plans, and would require women to opt into and pay more for abortion coverage. Full Story
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Two lawmakers have filed legislation that would allocate state funding for education programs that exempt veterans or their dependents from tuition payments. Full Story
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As state legislators consider what “a Texas solution” to Medicaid expansion would look like, others have begun addressing the question of how Medicaid expansion would affect the state budget and local taxes. Full Story
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Protesters on Monday attempted to turn up the heat in the simmering legislative debate over public education in Texas. Full Story
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Ask any of the estimated 2,700 members of the American Federation of Teachers who came out Monday for the group's lobby day, and they’ll tell you their top priority is restoring the $5.4 billion in cuts made last session to public education. Full Story
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Beer distributors and craft breweries reached a tentative deal Monday to amend the Texas Alcoholic Beverage code, but the parties declined to provide specific details until legislative language was completed later this week. Full Story
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Former state Rep. Vicki Truitt says she's over her primary loss to Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake. But an email she sent to "selected friends" early this month indicates she's still harboring resentment over the bruising campaign. Full Story
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The general rule is that new legislators are supposed to be seen and not heard — especially, as it turns out, when the subject is legislative ethics. Full Story
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Lawmakers waited until the last minute to file several bills that could give rise to some of the most heated debates of this year's legislative session. Full Story
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