TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

As state legislators consider what “a Texas solution” to Medicaid expansion would look like, others have begun addressing the question of how Medicaid expansion would affect the state budget and local taxes.

When it comes to immigration-related legislation, this session is far different from the one two years ago. But several bills could still stir some heated debate once House committees take up the measures in the coming weeks.

State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state's bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution.

The amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing has stirred concerns around Texas, especially as the drought wears on. Aware that they are under the spotlight, drillers are testing out recycling and other water-saving techniques.

Criminal defense lawyers who have led the fight against reciprocal discovery proposals in Texas are renewing their battle cries. The lawyers say the measure is unnecessary, expensive and wouldn't prevent wrongful convictions.

Four bills that would ease restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons on college and university campuses were debated Thursday in the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety.

Since relinquishing their seats in January, 11 former House members and one former state senator have registered as lobbyists with the Texas Ethics Commission — and several of them are working for clients in industries they regulated in the Legislature. 

The organizers hoping to make Texas a safe place for Democrats to run for office will know how they're doing by how their volunteers answer a simple question: Would they let a friend run as a Democrat, or would they advise against it?

George P. Bush told state election officials Tuesday he will run for land commissioner in 2014. He had previously filed papers required for anyone raising campaign funds in the state, but hadn’t officially specified what office he might seek.

Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday called the Medicaid expansion piece of federal health reform “fiscal coercion,” and blamed conservatives who have embraced it for folding "in the face of federal bribery and mounting pressure.”