Lawmakers spend thousands of dollars from their campaign accounts to supplement the salaries of their staffs. It’s a legal and long-standing practice, but some ethics experts say it presents the potential for conflict. Full Story
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An estimated 25 percent of Texas inmates in solitary confinement suffer from mental health issues. A bill in the Legislature would create a task force to find out more about these prisoners and provide them with safer alternatives. Full Story
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Fewer than one-third of Texas students entering four-year universities graduate within four years. A new report released on Thursday offers some ideas for improving that and other sobering higher education statistics. Full Story
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Federal lawmakers this week filed their first campaign finance reports of 2013. Texas' congressional delegation received more than $5 million in contributions in the first quarter of the year. Use this interactive to explore the rest of the numbers. Full Story
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With a small Texas town still reeling from a massive plant explosion on Wednesday, details of the blast's destructive toll are beginning to emerge. Full Story
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After months of back-and-forth with the General Land Office over the rebuilding of public housing units demolished after Hurricane Ike, the Galveston City Council voted Wednesday to adhere to terms set by the land office. Full Story
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On the latest Agenda Texas, from KUT News and the Tribune: Texas lawmakers are poised to spend billions out of the state's Rainy Day Fund, but some say tapping the fund will lower the state's bond rating. So what's the truth? Full Story
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Members of the House State Affairs Committee on Wednesday seemed amenable to a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants a permit to drive after passing a background check and a driving test. Full Story
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Your evening reading: U.S. Senate nixes Cornyn and Cruz gun measures after rejecting background check deal; state House passes texting-while-driving ban; Cornyn's Texas office evacuated after mail scare Full Story
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UPDATED: The Texas House is moving ahead with a bill requiring disclosure of certain political donors despite an effort by the Senate to pull the legislation back. Meanwhile, the bill's author, Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, said senators had been heavily lobbied to change their vote. Full Story
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Attorneys presented oral arguments Wednesday at the Court of Criminal Appeals over whether Mark Fleming's rights were violated because prosecutors didn't have to prove he knew he was having sexual relations with a minor. Full Story
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UPDATED: A bill that would make texting while driving a crime passed the House on Wednesday after a lengthy debate. The measure now heads to the Senate. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry said he has talked with Attorney General Greg Abbott and constitutional lawyers about allowing certain gun manufacturers in the state to be exempt from federal gun control measures. Full Story
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Evan, Reeve, Ross and Julián review proposed federal immigration reform, remember Bob Perry and speculate about legislative redistricting discussions. Full Story
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A troubled cancer-fighting charity paid a tobacco lobbyist to represent its interests in the Legislature, even as it was winding down its operations and facing the wrath of lawmakers. Full Story
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Ahead of the 83rd legislative session, the state’s 10 leading health care associations gave more than $4.6 million to Texas candidates. This interactive shows how much — and to whom — health care associations donated in 2011 and 2012. Full Story
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The Texas portion of the Keystone XL pipeline is facing new scrutiny after an oil spill in Arkansas, and the attention is putting new pressure on lawmakers to determine how companies can take private property in Texas. Full Story
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The senior fellow for Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations on immigration reform, security in Mexico, the country’s budding prosperity amid an escalating drug war, and what the United States needs to understand. Full Story
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One of the session's most controversial education bills took a step forward on Tuesday. Full Story
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At a hearing Tuesday, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, slammed national media coverage of the Legislature's effort to change high school diploma requirements and reduce high-stakes exams. Full Story
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