All but 10 percent of a nearly $1 billion state fund intended to assist the poor with utility payments would be rebated to electric customers under a measure that preliminarily passed the Texas Senate on Monday. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: With lawmakers running out of time to get legislation to the governor's desk, we take a look at the procedural maze that keeps most bills from even getting a vote. Full Story
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Your evening reading: Perry arrives in Illinois to tout Texas business; Obama to attend West memorial service; Straus selects budget negotiators Full Story
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At a House panel hearing Monday, witnesses largely agreed on the causes and magnitude of climate change, and they told legislators to speed up consideration of how to deal with the results of a warming climate. Full Story
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At Monday's TribLive conversation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Bryan Shaw and James Marston of the Environmental Defense Fund talked about the ongoing war between Texas and the Environmental Protection Agency. Full Story
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The House on Monday sent five members to negotiate a budget with the Senate, with instructions to avoid anything that looks like it would expand the state's Medicaid program. Full Story
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At Monday's TribLive conversation, Laura Huffman, the Texas state director of The Nature Conservancy, talked about the prospects for meaningful water legislation to emerge from the 83rd session. Full Story
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At Monday's TribLive conversation, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Bryan Shaw and James Marston of the Environmental Defense Fund talked about the causes and implications of last week's tragedy in West. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry, in office since December 2000, won't say until June whether he wants to run for another term in 2014. Almost everybody in Texas politics is waiting as if their futures depend on it. Full Story
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A House panel on Monday will take up a bill that could tighten oversight of specialty courts in Texas aimed at rehabilitating drug addicts and keeping them out of jail. Full Story
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Texas optometrists are lobbying the Legislature for more power to negotiate contracts with health insurance companies, and the measure they are supporting could hit consumers’ wallets, some business advocates say. Full Story
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Texas may have built a reputation as the energy capital of America, but in some parts of the state, like Midland and South Texas, the oil and gas boom has actually driven electric prices up — substantially. Full Story
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Immigration reform is threatening to turn the amity between Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio into a rivalry. Full Story
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As the Texas Legislature looks to overhaul the state’s standardized testing program amid outcry from parents and school leaders, state lawmakers have focused their criticism on the company that develops the tests. Full Story
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It has been an undeniably rough week, from the Boston Marathon bombings to the devastating fertilizer plant explosion in West. In light of those and other tragedies, our news-inspired playlist begins with Eastmountainsouth's version of "Hard Times." Full Story
In this edition of the Newsreel: A Senate committee approves an education bill cutting some current requirements for high school diplomas, the House wants to make texting and driving a crime, and the governor calls for tax cuts. Full Story
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Aaronson tracks the latest on Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on lawmakers’ openness to driving permits for non-citizens, Batheja on surprising support for higher state spending, Root and Galbraith on the state’s search for answers after the West explosion, M. Smith covers the debate over high school standards, Grissom finds a shadow payroll at the Capitol, Hamilton on the man with a plan at UT, Rocha spots a special deal for lawmakers accused of crimes, KUT’s Philpott on obstacles to road funding and Ramshaw on the privileges of legislative membership: The best of our best for the week of April 15-19, 2013. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Plenty of lobbyists are running around the Capitol during the legislative session, but as we enter the digital age, more of the lobbying is taking place on social media. Full Story
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Your evening reading: in surprise, Perry presses House to break spending cap; regulations in spotlight after West explosion; State Board of Education urges Legislature to reject vouchers Full Story
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As investigators search for the cause of the explosion, environmentalists said that the situation highlighted lax regulations in Texas for plants handling dangerous chemicals — especially those located near schools. Full Story
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