The latest state agencies news from The Texas Tribune.
A new federal report says Americans should increase their consumption of vegetables and limit intake of sugar and red meat. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says the recommendations are unfounded. Full Story
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The state agency responsible for supervising, monitoring and providing treatment to sexually violent predators is out of space to house sex offenders, agency officials told state lawmakers on Wednesday. Full Story
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When the Texas Health and Human Services Commission asked the federal government for $18 million to foot most of the bill for new Medicaid fraud tracking software, it assured Washington counterparts the deal had been competitively bid. That was not true. Full Story
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Emblems of Jack Stick’s days as the state health agency's deputy inspector general remain: roughly 300 high-dollar badges he designed and ordered for his investigators at a cost to taxpayers of $36,000. Full Story
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After a few failed legislative attempts, Republican lawmakers are once again working to make drug testing mandatory for some Texans who receive state welfare benefits. Full Story
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Texas's tendency to privatize state services has led to contracting scandals erupting regularly. But a history of cost overruns or bad performance hardly bars a company from winning future jobs. Full Story
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Noting the "serious, well-founded concerns" a judge had in a ruling allowing a case against Rick Perry to proceed, lawyers for the former governor filed a new request Friday to get an indictment against him dismissed. Full Story
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One state lawmaker wants the world to remember this about the Alamo: It belongs to Texas. A legislative proposal by state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, would ban any foreign entity from owning, controlling or managing the Alamo complex. Full Story
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Four years after a legislative effort to keep Planned Parenthood from receiving state dollars for health care for low-income women, the Texas Senate is back at it — this time over funding for breast and cervical cancer screenings. Full Story
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When it comes to contracting, state agencies struggle with shopping for a vendor and monitoring that vendor's performance, the Texas state auditor's office says in a new report. Full Story
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Following a controversial no-bid deal at the Health and Human Services Commission, Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, filed a bill on Monday that seeks to strengthen oversight of state contracting. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Transportation has spent about $10.6 million in education costs since 2002, nearly half what state agencies have spent in total on tuition reimbursements and other educational programs. Check out our breakdown. Full Story
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Texas hospitals want legislators to find a way for the state to draw down billions in federal Affordable Care Act dollars to cover the uninsured and alleviate the burden on local taxpayers. This is the third video in our State of Mind series. Full Story
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When Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller granted amnesty to cupcakes on Monday, he pointed out that state rules that once banned such treats from classrooms were repealed last summer. But cupcakes have been allowed for a decade. Full Story
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In his first official act as Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller granted full amnesty to cupcakes. Miller was seeking to reassure Texas parents that it's legal to bring cupcakes and other treats to school — and that he'll protect that right. Full Story
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If fans of Dr Pepper and the Fort Worth Zoo don't get it in gear, their chance to buy specialty license plates might soon be gone. The Houston Rockets are hanging by a thread. Full Story
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UPDATED: State or local government employees giving out same-sex marriage licenses would stop receiving their salaries under a bill filed Wednesday for the 84th legislative session. Full Story
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Joined by many of Texas’ Republican elite as he was sworn in as the state’s attorney general on Monday, Ken Paxton said the state would have to guard against complacency. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has championed private-market health care solutions and criticized public programs like Medicaid for being inefficient. Alexa Ura and Edgar Walters write about that and other notable health care issues that have come up during Perry's tenure. Full Story
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Boiling down Gov. Rick Perry’s legacy into a few bullet points isn’t easy. But reporters Reeve Hamilton and Jay Root look at some things people will surely remember years after Perry has left office. Their feature kicks off our 10-part series, The Perry Legacy. Full Story
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