The latest 83rd Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
UPDATED: Key negotiators in the House and Senate finalized a deal on Saturday to boost funding for transportation, according to a lawmaker involved in the talks. Now backers of the plan will have to rally enough lawmakers to vote for it. Full Story
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The state's abortion and health care policies intersect in the budget — even though that might not always be part of the debate — and the budget is where the impact of decisions on abortion and Medicaid will be revealed. Full Story
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An extended drama over a controversial curriculum tool used by Texas public schools took a new turn Wednesday as Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst entered the fray with a letter to the State Board of Education and Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick pushed to add the issue to the special session agenda. Full Story
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The House voted 108-25 for a measure that would boost funding for the Texas Department of Transportation without raising taxes or fees, but lawmakers said they expect the Senate to make changes to the proposal. Full Story
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UPDATED: The State Board of Education will take up the issue of whether school districts can continue to use lessons from a controversial state curriculum system at its September meeting. And the Texas Attorney General's office, along with Education Chairman Dan Patrick, has requested an official state audit of the program. Full Story
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The Texas Capitol has been full of protesters and demonstrators off and on for the last month as lawmakers considered abortion legislation. And activists on both sides fight have put some R-rated signs in the hands of children. Full Story
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As educators welcome the coming changes in state testing requirements, some school districts are looking ahead at another part of recently passed education reform. The state is expanding the courses that will count toward a high school diploma. Full Story
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Legislators appear ready and willing to approve billions in tuition revenue bonds — or “TRBs” — for campus construction projects, but only if Gov. Rick Perry will let them. Full Story
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On Friday night, the Trib's Alana Rocha and other veteran Capitol reporters discussed the crazy news week that was, including a monumental Supreme Court decision and the tumultuous end of the special session. Full Story
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When efforts by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, and other Senate Democrats to run out the clock on an abortion bill fell short, protesters made enough noise to grind the Senate chamber to a halt. Full Story
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Who was the woman talking into the Senate presiding officer's ear during the filibuster watched around the world? Parliamentarians offer nonpartisan and confidential advice about legislative rules and practice. Full Story
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Wendy Davis came off the Senate floor early Wednesday as the national Democratic Party's newest star. But what effect her 11-hour filibuster to stop abortion legislation will have on her political prospects in Texas is an open question. Full Story
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The feud between Senate Finance Chairman Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, and Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick, R-Houston, grew more heated Friday. Full Story
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Lawmakers are considering a creative and innovative proposal for highway funding, but it's the wrong way to go. Full Story
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With the help of a new law, the Dallas Independent School District is designing a program that will funnel money saved when students graduate early into expanding pre-kindergarten offerings. Full Story
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The proverbial fat lady hasn't sung yet, but she is backstage, warming up. And Texas lawmakers haven't completed work on any of the legislation they came to enact. Full Story
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A tweet by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that uses an advertisement by a reproductive rights group to praise the Senate’s approval of abortion restrictions late Tuesday evening was the subject of plenty of attention Wednesday. Full Story
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The finance primaries started this week and the special session has another week to run, but the season's first skirmishes among Texas Republicans are starting to appear. Full Story
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Senators on Tuesday tentatively approved a resolution that aims to solve the state's transportation funding woes by diverting future revenue from the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
Texas Democrats exercised considerable influence over the legislative process during the 2013 regular session, in contrast with their relative impotence last fall. While the November election results were unequivocally red, the legislation passed during the session was decidedly purple. Full Story
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