This week in the Newsreel: Gov. Rick Perry says no again to Medicaid expansion, the Texas House starts debate on a new state budget and the Senate approves CPRIT reform legislation. Full Story
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A proposed overhaul of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has made it through the state Senate. It’s not clear whether the House is ready to do the same for the agency. Those who have seen the benefits of CPRIT firsthand are closely watching what happens. Full Story
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Batheja on a House budget without vouchers or Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on obstacles to a new power plant in El Paso, Permenter on deer breeder regulations, E. Smith’s interview with San Antonio’s Castro twins, Galbraith on proposals for new underground water reservoirs, Root finds holes in a UT regent's appointment files, M. Smith on a planned school rating system that defied recommendations, Murphy maps oil and gas disposal wells in Texas, Dehn on objections to a bigger Medicaid program and Hamilton on efforts to lure gun makers to Texas: The best of our best for the week of April 1-5, 2013. Full Story
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UPDATED: In light of the University of Texas System's request to withhold records from lawmakers, state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, issued a statement saying, "My only conclusion is that they have something to hide." Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: What's it like being a freshman lawmaker in the Texas Legislature? We talked to state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, about her first session under the dome. Full Story
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Your evening reading: behind-the-scenes details of House budget debate emerging; A&M student body president vetoes "religious funding exemption" bill; Obama monitoring DA murder cases, White House says Full Story
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One lawmaker is getting much of the credit for restoring family planning funding to the House budget without the usual floor fight: state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place. Full Story
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This slideshow shows various images from a far east El Paso community where a proposed power plant near a colonia has spurred some residents to mobilize in opposition. Full Story
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In 2011, state lawmakers fresh from a Tea Party election surge were hypersensitive to the opinions of and instructions from conservative activists. But as Thursday's House budget debate showed, this session isn't quite the same. Full Story
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Full video of my 4/2 TribLive conversation with San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and U.S. Congressman Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin. Full Story
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The Texas Forensic Science Commission has concluded that the potential reversal of thousands of drug convictions by the Court of Criminal Appeals is due to a DPS employee's incompetence, but that not all of the drug samples are necessarily compromised. Full Story
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Full video of Aman Batheja's 4/4 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, and state Rep. Larry Phillips, R-Sherman. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: While there was plenty of action on the floor as the House debated a budget bill on Thursday, we took a look at the work being done outside of the chamber. Full Story
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Citing the need for more power to meet the demands of a burgeoning community, El Paso Electric plans to build a natural gas power plant. But a legislator has joined forces with a coalition of residents intent to fight the project. Full Story
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Texas deer breeders say that excessive oversight from Texas Parks and Wildlife is constraining their industry. Supported by the Texas Deer Association, several bills would make major changes to deer breeding across the state. Full Story
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If the state government's resistance to expanding Medicaid sounds familiar, it's because something like this happened when George W. Bush was governor, and conservatives were wary of the Children's Health Insurance Program. Full Story
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A few bursts of drama punctuated an otherwise tame day of debate over the House budget on Thursday. Full Story
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Despite tense votes on vouchers and a setback for lawmakers who want to expand Medicaid, the Texas House passed its budget with overwhelming support after 12 hours of remarkably civil debate. Full Story
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UPDATED: Hours after quietly approving a budget amendment on Thursday that would have opened the door to negotiations on expanding Medicaid, the House reconsidered the measure, prompting the author to withdraw it. Full Story
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After a brief but heated debate, a measure from state Rep. Abel Herrero, D-Corpus Christi, that would ban the use of public dollars for private schools passed the House 103-43 with bipartisan support. Full Story