The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, a 2014 candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, discussed the proper balance between strengthening border security and maintaining the agricultural industry's labor force. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, a 2014 candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, talked about why he would have opposed the farm bill recently passed by Congress. Full Story
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Full video of my 2/13 TribLive conversation with former state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, a 2014 candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner. Full Story
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After at first distancing himself from Rick Perry on the campaign trail, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott is set to make a joint appearance at a fundraiser in Houston on Wednesday with the man he's hoping to succeed. Full Story
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Full video of my 2/7 TribLive conversation with three Amarillo lawmakers: state Sen. Kel Seliger and state Reps. "Four" Price and John Smithee. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, a 2014 candidate for Texas lieutenant governor, assessed her GOP rivals. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, a 2014 candidate for Texas lieutenant governor, talked about where she and state Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, differ on open carry. Full Story
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Full video of my 2/6 TribLive conversation with state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, a 2014 candidate for Texas lieutenant governor. Full Story
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After a crackdown a few years ago in Laredo, gaming halls are on the rise again. But local officials aren't quite on the same page about whether to enforce the gambling laws or to try to change them. Full Story
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UPDATED: Democrat Celia Israel defeated Republican Mike VanDeWalle on Tuesday in a special election runoff for House District 50. She will serve the remainder of former state Rep. Mark Strama's term. Full Story
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After re-electing Harvey Hilderbran every two years since 1992, the voters in House District 53 are vetting a group of fresh faces and hosting a slew of candidate forums to hear where the GOP primary candidates stand on issue No. 1 — water. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst made the case for voters re-electing him to a fourth term. Full Story
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Full video of my 1/16 TribLive conversation with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who's running for reelection in 2014. Full Story
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Republicans have a comfortable majority in the Texas Legislature, but in the primaries, the debate is over which sorts of Republicans should be in control. Full Story
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Republican candidates in the crowded field for agriculture commissioner could benefit from talking about a lot more than agricultural issues, and some are relying on that strategy more than others. Full Story
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Texas is preparing for a new drug screening procedure required of applicants for unemployment benefits, but the federal Labor Department has yet to set the parameters. Full Story
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A Democratic state representative who is the only Vietnamese-American ever elected to the Texas Legislature will face the winner of a Republican primary that has two Vietnamese-American hopefuls. Full Story
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State Sen. Wendy Davis, in her first major policy proposal as a candidate for Texas governor, said on Thursday that she would increase the supply of teachers and give them more money. But she didn't say how she'd pay for the new programs. Full Story
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Self-appointed "conservative" special-interest groups have intervened in some House races to exert political power. It's time for those of us who believe in truly conservative solutions to push back. Full Story
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With a year left to go in Rick Perry's governorship, the future of the Texas Enterprise Fund is unclear. The two front-runners to succeed him have offered mixed messages on the fund in the past. Full Story
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