On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Erica Grieder, author of the new book Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America Can Learn from the Strange Genius of Texas, on why she's defending the "Texas miracle." Full Story
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Your evening reading: House reverses vote abolishing Lottery Commission; Medicaid reform proposal advances; Cornyn tops Senate Republicans in fundraising Full Story
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UPDATED: The one in four Texas children who are food insecure could be assured a free meal every school day — breakfast — if a bill approved by the Senate on Tuesday continues to advance. Full Story
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Construction projects at higher-education campuses across the state would get an infusion of $2.4 billion through a bill that senators approved Tuesday. The measure now goes to the House. Full Story
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UPDATED: After unexpectedly voting to end the Texas Lottery Commission earlier Tuesday, the Texas House reversed course Tuesday afternoon with a vote to continue the commission. Full Story
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For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about transportation and, more specifically, how to pay for expansion and maintenance of the state’s transportation infrastructure. Full Story
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UPDATED: Williamson County state district Judge Ken Anderson has filed an appeal asking a court to rule that a warrant for his arrest should be void because it violates the statute of limitations. Full Story
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Politically active nonprofits, which are playing an increasingly important role in state elections, would no longer be able to hide the identity of their major donors under a bill making its way through the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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The procedures that led to the state's five-year, $468 million standardized testing contract with Pearson were the focus of a Senate panel's hearing Tuesday on legislation that would change how the state handles future agreements. Full Story
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Despite opposition from conservative Republicans, the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday advanced a proposal that would reform Medicaid by allowing the state to request a block grant from the federal government and expand coverage to low-income Texans. Full Story
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Some Texas lawmakers and stakeholders are taking issue with aspects of the federal immigration reform bill filed last week, with some questioning why the measure was crafted without mechanisms to avoid a future inflow of illegal migration. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: Which state and federal agencies were responsible for overseeing and regulating the fertilizer plant in West that exploded last week? Full Story
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Full video of Kate Galbraith's 4/22 TribLive conversation about the state of the environment in Texas with Laura Huffman, state director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, Jim Marston, director of the Texas regional office of the Environmental Defense Fund and Bryan Shaw, chairman of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Full Story
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Four months after a fire shut it down, a nuclear reactor at the South Texas Project in Bay City is being restarted. That is the second prolonged shutdown at the plant in two years, prompting critics to demand closer scrutiny of the operation. Full Story
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The obscure law that allows Gov. Rick Perry to collect both his pension and salary was the subject of a hearing Monday. A proposed bill would prevent future state officeholders from using the provision. Full Story
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Emails from a University of Texas at Austin administrator to the UT System Board of Regents' general counsel highlight the strain caused by Regent Wallace Hall’s recent records requests. Full Story
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UPDATED: The House on Tuesday endorsed a bill that would create a state panel to investigate wrongful convictions. Similar legislation has been defeated in the past, but this time it has drawn supporters many consider unlikely. Full Story
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In the midst of a battle among lawmakers over a bill to ban texting while driving, a new report by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute suggests that voice-to-text technology is no safer than typing out a text message. Full Story
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A fiery hearing on Monday exposed the long road immigration reform faces in Washington. Full Story
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UPDATED: A heavily amended bill to regulate short-term lenders passed the Texas Senate on Monday night, but it faces an uphill battle in the House. Full Story
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