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State Government
Stay informed on Texas state government with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth coverage of the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and policies shaping the future of Texas.
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State Government
Kinky Exits Governor’s Race
Humorist and author Kinky Friedman is setting his sights on a new prize: the agriculture commissioner post.
Posted inState Government
An Interview with Dan Patrick
The full twenty minutes with the Republican state senator from Houston, who talks power, politics and why he loves life in the Lege.
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Criminal Justice
Mapmaker, Mapmaker
Think like the political pros and your mind will go to the long game instead of the short one. The short game is the elections of 2010. The long game is redistricting in 2011, when maps are drawn that corral the voters into the districts that will elect legislators for the next ten years.
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Criminal Justice
USDA Approved: Jail Construction
Some Texas sheriffs are looking to an unlikely source to get them out of the hole as private prisons win away federal contracts for inmates and put the financial squeeze on county jails.
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State Government
Advice for Annise Parker
Congratulations, Mayor-Elect. Now you get to govern a great city — Houston — that’s much bigger than the electorate and much more complicated than the campaign. Perhaps you’d like some aspirin? Or a re-count?
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Public Education
Does Texas Pre-K work?
One education model — with unproven results — serves almost a third of pre-kindergarteners in Texas. Its grade? Incomplete.
Posted inState Government
The Map to the Maps
Think of the long game instead of the short one. This election is the one that picks the people who draw the maps that corral the voters into the political districts that will elect state and federal legislators for the next ten years.
Posted inState Government
Dan Patrick on the Two-thirds Rule
The Republican state senator from Houston explains why the longstanding parliamentary tradition is “arbitrary” — and why his party should better exercise its power.
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Criminal Justice
TribBlog: What Fredo Learned
Alberto Gonzales — remember him? — in Esquire.