The Legislature passed several health-care related measures including the abortion sonogram bill, Medicaid cuts and a significant defunding of Planned Parenthood. Use this interactive to find what lawmakers said during the health care debates. Full Story
Opposing legal teams presented arguments at the first courtroom hearing on Texas' new abortion sonogram law on Wednesday, and U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks said he hoped to rule by September on whether the measure could take effect. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry may or may not try to become the leader of what was once called the free world. In the meantime, he has cemented his reputation as one of the most powerful governors ever to walk the corridors of the Texas Capitol. Full Story
The Center for Reproductive Rights, a national abortion rights advocacy group, filed a motion Thursday in U.S. District Court to postpone implementation of Texas’ recently signed abortion sonogram bill. Full Story
Two weeks after Gov. Rick Perry flew to Los Angeles to speak at an anti-abortion rally sponsored by Unidos Por La Vida, the video of his June 11 speech is finally available for viewing. Full Story
The Texas Alliance For Life had a photographer in the House gallery this morning shooting empty seats on the floor —checking for lawmakers who ducked the vote on SB 7, a health bill that has anti-abortion amendments. Full Story
Credit:
Elizabeth McClung / Texas Alliance for Life
Aaronson and Murphy visualize what happened to the nearly 5,800 bills introduced in the 82nd Lege, Aaronson, Hasson and Swicegood interactively recap the budget battle, Aguliar on the surge in illegal re-entry cases prosecuted by the Obama administration, Galbraith on a coal plant that wants a water deal from the LCRA, Grissom interviews a man wrongly imprisoned and nearly executed — twice, Hamilton on a controversial UT regent who wants a do-over in the debate over higher ed reform, Ramshaw on the continuing fight over pre-abortion sonograms, Root on Rick Perry's newsmaking trip to NYC and M. Smith on whether cash-strapped school districts will raise taxes: The best of our best content from June 13 to 17, 2011. Full Story
Likely voters in Texas approve of President Barack Obama almost as much as they approve of Gov. Rick Perry, according to the third and final release of poll results from the Texas Lyceum, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group of civic leaders. Full Story
The Center for Reproductive Rights, a national abortion-rights advocacy group, has filed suit over Texas' newly signed abortion sonogram law, alleging it violates the First Amendment rights of the doctor and the patient. Full Story
The health reform bill House lawmakers considered today has drawn an unexpected band of supporters: abortion opponents. The measure contains a provision aimed at doing what GOP lawmakers have fought to do all year: restrict funding to Planned Parenthood. Full Story
GOP lawmakers have gone to great lengths to try to force Planned Parenthood out of Texas’ Medicaid Women’s Health Program. The Obama administration may have headed off their plans. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry has added controversial immigration and homeland security measures to the agenda for the special legislative session that began last week. Full Story
The Trib's multimedia team highlights some of the most memorable — and surprising — moments from the 82nd Legislative Session. Our lawmakers sure do love to make a statement, complete with finger pointing, yelling and props. (Some video courtesy the Texas House, the Texas Senate and legetv.org.) Full Story
This session we have seen an all out assault on women's health driven by the erroneous assumption that family planning is synonymous with abortion. Full Story
At a time when we are scouring the budget and questioning every expenditure, when funding for essential services like public education must be reduced, it is time to stop subsidizing abortion providers under the guise of "family planning." Full Story
Eliminating funds for family planning services is not a responsible or compassionate choice. It will shift the burden of care to our already overloaded local hospitals and leave the women who depend on these services with few options. Full Story
The most important problems facing the country are economic, while immigration and border security are the most important problems facing the state, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
This morning, Gov. Rick Perry signed into law House Bill 15, the so-called abortion sonogram bill, which Senate sponsor Dan Patrick, R-Houston, termed "the beginning of the end for abortions." Full Story