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The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.

  • The Midday Brief: June 27, 2011

    By Mark Miller

    Your afternoon reading: Sanctuary cities bill isn't dead; UT System and former adviser Rick O'Donnell reach settlement; House passes health reform bill; George Will says Rick Perry is a "potentially potent candidate"; debating how much credit Perry deserves for jobs creation; TSA removes 95-year-old woman's diaper Full Story 

    Texas Governor Rick Perry gestures as he speaks at the ceremonial bill signing of HB3727 regarding property tax evaluations of aircraft at the Boeing facility in San Antonio on June 23, 2011.
    Credit: Bob

  • The Brief: June 27, 2011

    By Emily Ramshaw

    Will they or won't they? That's the question lawmakers, who seem to have met for a matter of minutes in the waning days of the special legislative session, face today on a series of controversial measures Gov. Rick Perry added to the call. Full Story 

    The Texas House adjourned until Friday morning after meeting for about a half-hour on Wednesday, June 22, 2011.
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • The Hit List

    By Reeve Hamilton

    Gov. Rick Perry isn’t backing down from his push for a “no-frills” approach to higher education. He wants students to move and be moved through the system quickly and efficiently. And if that wasn’t clear enough already, he underscored it with his veto pen. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Next Time?

    By Ross Ramsey

    Now that lawmakers have drawn, approved and sent congressional redistricting maps to the governor for approval, the Senate voted to hand future mapmaking to a bipartisan, non-legislative commission. Full Story 

    With rain pouring down outside the Senate chamber, State Sen. Jeff Wentworth (r), R-San Antonio, speaks with State Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, on May 20, 2011.
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • No Sanctuary

    By Julián Aguilar

    Precious days are dwindling away in the first-called special session of the state legislature, leading to speculation that one of the most divisive issues of the regular and special session, the “sanctuary cities” legislation, may not make the deadline. Full Story 

    Demonstrators stand in front of the Texas Capitol on Feb. 22, 2011 to show their opposition to immigration legislation.
    Credit: Jacob Villanueva

  • Summer Reruns

    By Ross Ramsey

    The bill numbers have been changed to protect the innocent. If you had left Austin for a couple of weeks starting, say, right after the regular session, you'd have returned to find new congressional maps in place and little else to show for the special session. Full Story 

    The chamber of the Texas House
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

    By Ross Ramsey

    An Everybody-in-the-Pool effort on what's left to do in the special session, Ramshaw on a doozy of a congressional race shaping up, Aguilar on the debate over sanctuary cities and other immigration proposals, M. Smith on the state's used-up Rainy Day Fund, Grissom on efforts to kick the special interests out of an insurance fight, Dehn and Tan on whether the special session helps or hurts the governor's national ambitions, Galbraith and KUT Radio team up for a series on the long-term outlook for Central Texas water, Aaronson on government attempts to balance openness and privacy with data releases, yours truly on Amazon's run at a sales tax break, and Hamilton on an ethnic gap in higher education: The best of our best from June 20 to 24, 2011. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Ben Hasson