Texplainer

Anyone in the habit of calling state legislators has probably had the pleasure and/or pain of the hold music to which staffers must occasionally subject them. Is the music the lawmakers' choice, or is it out of their hands? Full Story 

The State Sovereignty Committee, which meets today to discuss bills related to federal health care reform, was likely formed for efficiency’s sake, and to create a kind of heat sink for contentious debate. Full Story 

You can’t buy liquor on Sundays and car dealerships can only be open one day over a weekend because of the last remnants of so-called “blue laws” in Texas. But a state Senate bill would change that for alcohol sales. Full Story 

Ever wonder what a defeated judge is doing up on the bench? Texplainer's got your answer. Full Story 

In a recent Tribune article, state Rep. Leo Berman alleged that illegal immigrants are bringing infectious diseases into Texas. Is he right? Full Story 

Gov. Scott Walker should come to Texas, where much of what he’s seeking already exists. The right to bargain collectively isn’t allowed among state employees, and no public employee in Texas may legally go on strike. Full Story 

Nothing scares the good men and women of state agencies more than one word: Sunset. But where did the Sunset Commission get its name? Full Story 

The DMV numbers and assigns each plate to each state office, from the governor on down. So how come I've never seen State Official 6 on the road? Full Story 

Gov. Rick Perry has said he can't sign an application to receive $10 billion in federal education aid because it requires an assurance he cannot constitutionally make: that the Lege will not use the money to offset state funding of public education. Full Story 

Lots of Texans are asking that question in the wake of last week's electricity mess, and nobody's going to be happy with the answer, which is: "It depends" (if you ask the electricity industry); or "Yes" (if you ask consumer advocates). Full Story 

Basically, Texas has its own grid to avoid dealing with — you guessed it — the feds. But grid independence has been violated a few times over the years — not even counting Mexico's help during blackouts in 2011. Full Story 

The short answer is yes — and no. It's still around, and would work if it was plugged in. But it can't be used for executions in Texas anymore. Full Story 

There’s no universal definition but essentially, the term refers to the country’s top research-focused universities. While there are specific benchmarks to be considered part of that group, some aren't clear or rely purely on perception. Full Story 

There are almost 1,600 parking choices when you come to see your lawmakers in action under the pink dome — though a fraction of them get reserved for special interest groups. Full Story 

If there's one thing that politicians are good at, it's talking. And chubbing is a kind of talking that's used to stall legislation in the Texas House. While state representatives do have the power to talk something to death, this session it will be harder to do than in the past. Full Story 

Most media organizations put the date of Texas secession as Feb. 1, 1861 — 150 years ago today. But the reality was a little more complicated. Full Story 

The simple answer: It's the acronym for University of Texas Investment Management Company, a nonprofit company with a single client, the University of Texas System (and, to a lesser extent, the Texas A&M University System). With the universities it serves under pressure not to hike tuition rates even though fewer state dollars are flowing their way, the company's performance will be under intense scrutiny this session — and UTIMCO officials are still recovering from last session's showdown over their generous bonuses. To explain all this for us, we called in an expert: CEO Bruce Zimmerman. Full Story 

Last week, freshman state Rep. Stefani Carter, R-Dallas, had her “TeaApproved” status revoked by the North Texas Tea Party following her vote in favor of re-electing Speaker Joe Straus. How did she get “TeaApproved” in the first place? Full Story 

Back in the day, not all public officials could read, so clerks would read the bills aloud in the House and Senate. We're reasonably confident they all can read now, but the clerks keep the tradition alive. Full Story 

The Texas Constitution says that money from the Rainy Day Fund can be spent to “prevent or eliminate a temporary cash deficiency in general revenue.” With the state facing a budget shortfall estimated somewhere between $15 billion and $27 billion, some say if it ain't raining now, it ain't ever going to. Full Story