The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act appears to be in danger of being overturned, according to various news outlets covering oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday. Full Story
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At a news conference leading up to Wednesday’s oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, some Democratic lawmakers said the issue at hand — whether to uphold Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act — deals with a statute that has helped propel minorities to more equal ground in a state with a history of racial discrimination. Full Story
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In this edition of the Newsreel: The Texas budget battle is finally under way (quietly), Medicaid expansion may be taking shape and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst tells the regents of the University of Texas System to lay off the administration at UT-Austin. Full Story
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Full video of Julián Aguilar's February 21 TribLive conversation about the impact of demographic change on public policy with state Reps. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, and Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock. Full Story
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State Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, wants to bring dairy farming back to her district by repealing a decade-old ban on the practice, the result of longstanding concerns over bovine tuberculosis. Full Story
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Pflugerville ISD made history last year when the board of trustees approved health benefits for domestic partners of its employees. In response, Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, has filed a bill to cut the district's health care funding. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, and Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, talked to Julián Aguilar about the intersection of public education and demographic change. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, and Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, talked to Julián Aguilar about a path to citizenship, a guest worker program and other controversial immigration reform proposals. Full Story
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If the pressure to expand Medicaid is getting to Gov. Rick Perry — now seven Republican governors, including his friend Rick Scott in Florida, support accepting federal dollars to cover poor adults — he’s not letting on. Full Story
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The first House Higher Education Committee hearing on a bill to create a new University of Texas System school in the Rio Grande Valley was marked by broad support for the measure from legislators and academic officials Wednesday. Full Story
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Despite Gov. Rick Perry's unwavering position, interfaith groups and Democratic state legislators rallied on the Capitol steps on Wednesday in support of expanding Medicaid to impoverished adults, as directed by federal health reform. Full Story
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Morgan, Ross, Julian and Evan discuss the public education debates now playing out at the Capitol, the prospect of comprehensive immigration reform and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's emotional defense of UT-Austin President Bill Powers. Full Story
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The Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence and Transparency, created in 2011 amid controversy surrounding the leadership of university system regents, will be renewed this session. Full Story
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UPDATED: Austin Democrat Jade Chang Sheppard said Wednesday that she will run for the Texas House seat that will open after Rep. Mark Strama's current — and last — term in office next year. Full Story
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The case of death row inmate Andre Thomas offers a lens through which to examine the effects of a long underfunded mental health system and raises important questions about how Texas punishes the mentally ill. Full Story
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The Texas House is about to hold its first debate, and on a spending bill, to boot. It will pass, because it must. But watch how they work. Full Story
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A dramatic show of support in the Legislature for the president of the University of Texas at Austin has cast the spotlight on discord unfolding within the state's largest university system. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Legislature honors Powers amid UT System controversy; Patrick files bill to expand charter schools; Google brings driverless car to Texas Transportation Forum Full Story
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As he jousts with the University of Texas Board of Regents, University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers was honored Monday in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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Democrats in the Texas House last week launched an effort to restore public education cuts, setting up a potential battle over an emergency supplemental appropriations bill. Full Story
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