The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Several major highways in Texas make the state a hub for human trafficking. State lawmakers, like Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, are hoping to make progress this legislative session with bills aimed at curbing the crime. Full Story
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In the North Texas town of Blue Mound, the water system is owned by a private corporation. Residents say this results in painful rate hikes. Private water companies say their rates reflect the high costs of providing water to far-flung areas. Full Story
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The state balances its budget by counting nearly $5 billion in unspent funds that were raised for specific programs. To change their ways, lawmakers would have to go back to what they were trying to avoid: choices between taxes and cuts. Full Story
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In this edition of the Newsreel: George P. Bush officially enters the race for Texas land commissioner, the Senate Finance Committee passes a $195.5 billion budget and educators spend spring break at the Capitol. Full Story
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State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, is engaged in a long-term campaign to convince his fellow legislators that the state's bond debt is an urgent problem and that tax increases are part of a conservative solution. Full Story
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House and Senate leaders have come to the same painful conclusion: spending from the Rainy Day Fund is subject to the constitutional spending limit. They disagree on what to do now. Full Story
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The freshmen in the Texas House wear something purple every Thursday as a symbol of their willingness to compromise across the aisle. Now that the bill-filing deadline has passed, it's time to identify which issues are negotiable. Full Story
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Ahead of his Thursday speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, Gov. Rick Perry has sent a letter to members of Texas' congressional delegation asking them to fight for flexibility for the state's Medicaid program. Full Story
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Thirty-six years before U.S. Sen. Rand Paul held a nearly 13-hour filibuster, a Texas senator filibustered for 43 hours in the Texas Senate, setting a world record. Full Story
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A Facebook update state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, posted on Tuesday suggesting that mothers should be "modest" while breast-feeding their babies in public has nearly 1,000 comments — most of them outraged. Full Story
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Thirty-six years before U.S. Sen. Rand Paul held a nearly 13-hour filibuster, a Texas senator filibustered for 43 hours in the Texas Senate, setting a world record. Full Story
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When it comes to immigration-related legislation, this session is far different from the one two years ago. But several bills could still stir some heated debate once House committees take up the measures in the coming weeks. Full Story
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Some say state lawmakers' cuts to family planning funding in 2011 cost the state more than it saved because it had to pay to cover additional pregnancies through Medicaid. State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, wants to quantify that. Full Story
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Since relinquishing their seats in January, 11 former House members and one former state senator have registered as lobbyists with the Texas Ethics Commission — and several of them are working for clients in industries they regulated in the Legislature. Full Story
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A House committee on Wednesday debated several bills that would make it a crime to enforce new federal gun laws in Texas. Full Story
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As lawmakers prepare to discuss allowing concealed handguns in college and university buildings on Thursday, the chancellor of the state's largest university system continues to express his concerns with such proposals. Full Story
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The budget approved Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee is 2.9 percent bigger than the estimated size of the current two-year budget. It includes about $8.9 billion more than the first draft Senate leaders unveiled in January. Full Story
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The House Insurance Committee heard debate Tuesday on a bill that would prohibit the coverage of elective abortions in minimum state health plans, and would require women to opt into and pay more for abortion coverage. Full Story
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Two lawmakers have filed legislation that would allocate state funding for education programs that exempt veterans or their dependents from tuition payments. Full Story
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As state legislators consider what “a Texas solution” to Medicaid expansion would look like, others have begun addressing the question of how Medicaid expansion would affect the state budget and local taxes. Full Story
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