House lawmakers gave an early OK tonight to a measure that would stop health insurance plans from requiring dentists to agree to discounted fees for services not covered by the policy. The bill has already passed the Senate. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers voted against parental approval for corporal punishment Wednesday, allowing schools to spank students with or without parents' say. Full Story
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On Wednesday, The University of Texas System Regents unanimously approved Dr. Ronald A. DePinho as the sole finalist for the position of president of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Full Story
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The Texas House took a step toward tougher regulation of payday lenders Wednesday, tentatively approving a bill that would require lenders to make more detailed disclosures to their borrowers. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he is passing on an opportunity many of his colleagues may never get — viewing the photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse. Full Story
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Texas hospitals have a pointed message for the lawmakers hashing out the final details of the 2012-13 budget: The proposed cuts hit them too hard. Full Story
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The Texas House gave tentative approval to a bill on Wednesday that would require gas companies to publicly disclose the chemicals they use in the controversial drilling process known as hydraulic fracturing. Full Story
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It's always a kick to announce big hires, and this one is massive: Jay Root, an award-winning journalist who has set a standard for coverage of Texas politics and breaking news with The Associated Press and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, is joining the Tribune's staff. Full Story
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Your afternoon reading: Senate redistricting maps unveiled; Ricardo Sanchez's chances; Romney's potential trouble in Texas Full Story
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Travis County would get two new out-of-town senators, and Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, would be squeezed into a district designed for a Republican, in political maps proposed by Senate Redistricting Chairman Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo. Full Story
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Dr. John Mendelsohn, the outgoing president of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, discusses the significance of budget cuts for his institutions, the value of public research and his advice for his successor. Full Story
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The newest competitive sport coming to Texas just might be pork choppering. Full Story
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At a Capitol press conference this morning, Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and daughter of the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, said her organization is under siege by GOP lawmakers. Full Story
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Full video of President Barack Obama's remarks Tuesday during a stop to talk politics with a crowd of fellow Democrats and to raise money for his re-election campaign. Full Story
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It's a long shot, and he knows it. But the question remains: Is the president angling for Texas in 2012? Full Story
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Across the nation, U.S. House Republicans are getting an earful from their constituents about a GOP budget proposal to overhaul federal Medicare. But that message hasn’t made its way to Texas, where state lawmakers are still angling to take control of the program. Full Story
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Charles Chatman and other former prisoners who have been exonerated of their crimes are joining state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, in urging House lawmakers to act quickly and pass bills intended to reduce wrongful convictions. Full Story
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Advocates for the elderly and disabled are fighting a proposal in the Legislature that they say would reduce the wages of the personal care attendants who provide services through the Medicaid Community-Based Alternatives waiver program. Full Story
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House lawmakers voted Tuesday night to continue the duties and operations of the Texas Department of Insurance, giving early approval to the agency’s Sunset bill. Full Story
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House lawmakers have given an early okay to Rep. Lois Kolkhorst’s bill to ask Washington for a block grant to run Medicaid — the joint state-federal health care program for children, the disabled and the very poor — as Texas sees fit. Full Story
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