The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
GOP lawmakers, in their effort to put Planned Parenthood out of business, could change how they fund a cancer screening program for poor women. But private clinics unaffiliated with Planned Parenthood say they'd take a hit, too. Full Story
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In the Roundup: The Texas Senate passed its first legislation this week, state Republican leaders again addressed Medicaid expansion and reforms, and new bills aim to preserve the federal health subsidies in question in a U.S. Supreme Court case. Full Story
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Doctors, law enforcement officers, and family members of crash victims gathered Thursday at the Capitol to testify in support of a statewide texting-while-driving ban. Forty-four states now ban text messaging while driving. Full Story
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Lawmakers want to send voters a tax cut but fear spending the money the cut requires without asking voters for permission. Full Story
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Texas public high school seniors who failed the state's mandatory exams might still get to graduate this May under a bill pushed by state Sen. Kel Seliger. The Senate Education Committee approved the measure Wednesday. Full Story
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The Texas House said “I do” to a proposal Wednesday by Republican Jason Isaac to designate Dripping Springs as the state wedding capital. Full Story
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If voters approve, some of the taxes collected on car sales would be dedicated to building and fixing highways under the first two pieces of legislation to clear the Senate this session. Teachers might also see a pay boost under the measures. Full Story
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Senate leaders joined Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to announce a plan to allow lawmakers to cut property taxes and pay down the state's debt without busting the state’s politically charged spending cap. Full Story
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Here's some free advice to anyone hoping to see some love in the next state budget: Get in line. Tax cuts are at the front of the queue. Full Story
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More female veterans call Texas home than any other state, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s a growing segment of the military population that could soon have a state resource exclusively dedicated to serving its needs. Full Story
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As a key Senate committee prepares to hear public testimony on tax cut proposals Wednesday, senators expressed strong interest in repealing the state's unpopular margins tax on businesses, which has raised $4.7 billion annually. Full Story
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As state officials rush to announce tax cuts, a former mayor now in the Senate is pleading for a little restraint and a return to pay-as-you-go government. Full Story
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The state has worked for decades to halt the proliferation of colonias, but it has no way to declassify communities that have outgrown the colonia description. Full Story
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The new chief watchdog for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission told lawmakers Monday he plans to right the embattled department by going after fraud and waste outside and inside the $37 billion state social services empire. Full Story
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A Democratic state lawmaker on Monday kicked off efforts to force a discussion about climate change in Texas, but he faces an uphill battle in a state where most Republican leaders don't believe it is a problem. Full Story
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The first University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll of 2015 had good news for likely White House hopefuls Scott Walker and Hillary Clinton — so we’re kicking off this week’s playlist with George Jones singing “The Race Is On." Full Story
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This week in the Roundup, we take a look at the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll and a proposal by state Senate leaders to offer tax relief to property owners and businesses. Full Story
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In the latest effort by conservatives to fight what they see as overreach by the United Nations, two Texas Republican lawmakers have filed legislation aimed at a nonbinding plan for sustainable development that the United States and more than 100 other countries signed in 1992. Full Story
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As the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas rebuilds its image after a scandal tied to grant awards, its leaders face a new generation of conservative lawmakers who are questioning whether the state should be in the cancer-fighting business. Full Story
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Voters like the state government slightly better than their local government — and a lot better than the federal government, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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