The Trib's been keeping track of the key issues throughout the special session. From budget measures to school finance, health care and airport groping, here's our final rundown of bills that passed, and the ones that died. Full Story
Attribute it to a Teflon coating, to his decisive win in a divided primary last year, or to luck, but Gov. Rick Perry is coming out of the 82nd legislative session without many bruises. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry and House Speaker Joe Straus have released statements blaming the death of sanctuary cities on Sen. Robert Duncan and the full Senate, respectively. Now, the Senate's Republicans are returning the favor. Full Story
Your afternoon reading: Sanctuary cities bill isn't dead; UT System and former adviser Rick O'Donnell reach settlement; House passes health reform bill; George Will says Rick Perry is a "potentially potent candidate"; debating how much credit Perry deserves for jobs creation; TSA removes 95-year-old woman's diaper Full Story
State Rep. Burt Solomons says at least one version of the contentious sanctuary cities bill will advance out of committee today, despite the morning cancellation of a House State Affairs meeting. Full Story
Precious days are dwindling away in the first-called special session of the state legislature, leading to speculation that one of the most divisive issues of the regular and special session, the “sanctuary cities” legislation, may not make the deadline. Full Story
An Everybody-in-the-Pool effort on what's left to do in the special session, Ramshaw on a doozy of a congressional race shaping up, Aguilar on the debate over sanctuary cities and other immigration proposals, M. Smith on the state's used-up Rainy Day Fund, Grissom on efforts to kick the special interests out of an insurance fight, Dehn and Tan on whether the special session helps or hurts the governor's national ambitions, Galbraith and KUT Radio team up for a series on the long-term outlook for Central Texas water, Aaronson on government attempts to balance openness and privacy with data releases, yours truly on Amazon's run at a sales tax break, and Hamilton on an ethnic gap in higher education: The best of our best from June 20 to 24, 2011. Full Story
Two Republican boosters have circulated a memo urging business owners to contact lawmakers to encourage them to vote against the “sanctuary cities” bills pending in committee. Full Story
A decision on the whether to advance the state’s pending “sanctuary cities” legislation will not be made until Monday, leaving less time for lawmakers to consider the bills before Wednesday’s special session deadline. Full Story
Texas Gov. Rick Perry made no mention of the federal government’s overreach or the violence he says is spilling across the state’s border during a brief and tense public appearance today before hundreds of Latino elected officials. Full Story
Tearful testimony from students brought to the country illegally and a new ICE directive that stresses discretionary enforcement has raised more concerns over the state's pending "sanctuary cities" legislation. Full Story
The Tribune counts down to the end of the special session with updates on where the major issues added to the agenda by Gov. Rick Perry stand. Full Story
Like parents threatening to withhold allowance from a misbehaving child, proponents of Senate Bill 9 are warning local authorities across the state: Comply or face the fiscal consequences. Full Story
The controversial Secure Communities initiative, aimed at deporting criminal aliens but criticized for removing mostly minor offenders of lesser crimes, may undergo considerable changes, according to the director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Full Story
One of the most emotional and controversial issues of the year centered around the sanctuary cities bil. Senate Democrats managed to block SB 9 during the regular session, but it's found a new life in the special session. Behind the scenes, some question whether the Democrats are now reaping what they sowed when one of their members pushed the Legislature into overtime. Full Story
State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, speaks to a crowd protesting the sanctuary cities bill at a rally held by the Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance at the Texas Capitol. Full Story
Texas peace officers will be allowed to inquire into the immigration status of any person arrested or legally detained under legislation passed by the Texas Senate early Wednesday morning. Full Story
Less than a week after Gov. Rick Perry added the measure to the special session agenda, the contentious “sanctuary cities” bill is one step closer to what lawmakers see as its inevitable passage. Full Story
Aguilar on a newly exposed rift in the GOP, Dehn on what summer overtime for lawmakers costs taxpayers, Galbraith on one bright spot for environmentalists this session, Grissom on reports of abuse shrouding a death row case, Hamilton on the long slog toward higher education reform, Ramsey on where the Big Three stand, Ramshaw on the filibuster-induced rise of a state senator, Root on Perry's jump into the culture wars, M. Smith on a new wrinkle in the school finance battle and Tan on the "pansexual" debate that nearly killed the crucial fiscal matters bill: The best of our best content from June 6 to June 10, 2011. Full Story