The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Following our Tuesday night screening of Incendiary: The Willingham Case, I talked about the science of fire and death penalty politics with the filmmakers, Steve Mims and Joe Bailey Jr.; former Forensic Science Commission Chairman Sam Bassett; former Texas Gov. Mark White; and acting Corsicana City Attorney Terry Jacobson. Full Story
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Rick Perry has forged a coalition of economic, religious and social conservatives that helped him become the state's longest-serving governor, poised to run a national race. Full Story
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Texas citizens will have 10 new constitutional amendments to consider on the November ballot, after a drawing Wednesday conducted by the Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Ron Paul just appeared on CNN to discuss why he's giving up another run for his congressional seat and his view on the debate over raising the debt ceiling. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: Who becomes governor if both Rick Perry and David Dewhurst are elected to other offices? Citizens, meet state Sen. Mike Jackson. Full Story
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The U.N.'s top human rights official says that the U.S. broke international law when the state of Texas executed a Mexican national last week. Matt Largey of KUT News reports on what that could mean for Gov. Rick Perry as he nears a presidential run. Full Story
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The most drastic change for many students will come in the spring, when approximately 350,000 new ninth graders will be the first to take the end-of-course exams that are part of the new standardized testing system known as STAAR. Full Story
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In the latest edition of our unscientific poll of Texas insiders, we turn to a pollster to tease out some differences in how the insiders and the voting public answer the same questions. Spoiler alert: They disagree. Full Story
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The idea was to rein in the amount of unauthorized immigrants with IDs or driver's licenses. But steps lawmakers took in that direction have some concerned they cast too wide a net. Full Story
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Aguilar on a change in law that affects applications for state-issued IDs, Galbraith on how the drought is taking its toll on wildlife, Hamilton on an outsider's attempt to lower the cost of higher ed, Murphy visualizes the partisanship of House members, Ramsey on who becomes Lite Guv if David Dewhurst takes another job, Ramshaw on life in the colonias and three stories about Rick Perry — Grissom on how his death penalty stance might play in a 2012 presidential race, Root on how he cemented his reputation as one of the state's most powerful governors and Tan on the growing demand for him to speak elsewhere: The best of our best content from July 4 to July 8, 2011. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry is moving Barry Smitherman from the Public Utility Commission to the Texas Railroad Commission, replacing Michael Williams, who resigned earlier this year to run for Congress. Full Story
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Who are the most liberal and conservative members of the Texas House? Mark Jones, chair of the political science department at Rice University, breaks it down with his 2011 analysis. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers actually finished their redistricting work this year, drawing new maps for Congress, the Texas House and Senate, and for the State Board of Education. But the fight is just starting, and could last beyond next year’s elections. Full Story
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Conditions have clearly improved in Texas' colonias since devious developers first established them for migrant workers in the 1950s. But many efforts have fallen short, the result of bureaucratic nightmares and a spiral of confusion and fees. Full Story
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Despite the Obama administration's plea for a stay, the U.S. Supreme Court won't stand in the way of Texas' plans to execute Mexican citizen Humberto Leal Jr. tonight. Full Story
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An amendment attached to SB 1 during the special session will require applicants for driver's licenses and other state-issued identification cards to produce government-issued documents affirming their legal status. Full Story
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They say everything's bigger in Texas — and apparently, that includes the people. Texas ranks as the 12th most obese state in the U.S., according to a new study by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Full Story
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Opposing legal teams presented arguments at the first courtroom hearing on Texas' new abortion sonogram law on Wednesday, and U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said he hoped to rule by September on whether the measure could take effect. Full Story
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Trial lawyer Steve Mostyn insists the governor and the GOP-led Legislature punished him for donating millions to Democrats by putting his clients — coastal homeowners — in the crosshairs. "It's straight-up vendetta politics," he says. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: What are the State Comptroller’s Events Trust Funds, and how do they work? Full Story
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