With the House set to consider legislation to re-evaluate the state’s health commission, a flurry of pre-filed amendments could set the stage for a fiery debate over end-of-life issues. Full Story
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A bill prohibiting health insurers from covering abortion in all cases save for medical emergencies cleared a House panel Saturday and could be headed to the House floor. Full Story
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Lawmakers are aiming to restructure the chain of command at the Texas State Cemetery. But longtime caretakers of the famous graveyard think a measure moving through the Capitol goes too far in shifting power. Full Story
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State Rep. Byron Cook confirmed that he does not plan to schedule a vote on legislation that would end automatic payroll deductions for union and non-union dues of most public employees. Full Story
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Seven months after a toxic gas leak killed four workers at DuPont’s chemical plant in La Porte, a top U.S. labor official blasted the company’s commitment to workplace safety, saying he wished he could hand out a stiffer punishment. Full Story
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The best of our best content from May 18 to 22, 2015. Full Story
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Legislation moving Texas closer to allowing open carry of handguns finally cleared the state Senate late Friday evening after the chamber was thrown into hours of tense debate over a controversial amendment limiting the power of police to stop people visibly carrying guns. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Friday voted to beef up the state’s underfunded retirement system for state employees by adding about $440 million to the program, a plan that has received mixed reviews from state employee advocacy groups. Full Story
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As the 2016 presidential race heats up, Texas is again playing host to a wave of campaign fundraisers, with at least four major candidates passing through over the next month or so. Full Story
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The first Texas town to ban hydraulic fracturing is poised to be fracked again. Vantage Energy plans to resume fracking operations at eight gas wells in Denton on June 1, the Colorado-based operator has told city officials. Full Story
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In a shift away from his predecessor Rick Perry, Gov. Greg Abbott has informed the U.S. justice department that Texas plans to comply as much as possible with a federal law that aims to prevent prison rape. Full Story
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Final Senate passage of open carry legislation was expected to be routine, until Sen. Don Huffines offered an amendment that triggered fierce debate and temporarily postponed the bill. Full Story
The Senate gave a unanimous vote of support on Friday to a measure that would allow terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs that have received preliminary approval by the FDA. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed into law a measure that makes online solicitation of a minor a punishable offense and changes the definition of a minor, calling it "regrettable that this bill is necessary." Full Story
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An ethics overhaul package, dramatically reworked, now takes aim at people who secretly record lawmakers inside the Texas Capitol. It also would require certain politically active nonprofits to disclose large donations. Full Story
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Iowans got one last chance this week to size up former Gov. Rick Perry's shot at redemption before a likely June 4 presidential announcement. In nearly a dozen events across the state, Perry gave them plenty of reasons not to count him out. Full Story
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With tax deal in hand, budget negotiators finish up work, Greg Abbott issues his first veto and the legislative machine kicks into high gear — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($). Full Story
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After four years of trying out a new way of awarding state contracts known as design-build, lawmakers aren't sure taxpayers get a better deal, and Texas businesses say they're being muscled out of jobs by larger, out-of-state companies. Full Story
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In the Roundup: Lawmakers endorse allowing epilepsy patients to use cannabis oil for treatment, pharmacies that supply the state its execution drugs will not be disclosed, and Gov. Greg Abbott wastes little time signing the "Denton fracking bill" into law. Full Story
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An unexpected end-of-session skirmish over payroll deductions for union dues pits Republicans against Democrats, business against labor, and presents lawmakers with one of those votes that might be important in next year's elections. Full Story
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