The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
The state’s $3 billion effort to battle cancer was delivered a major blow this month when 18 scientific reviewers resigned. Most of them allege that the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas was favoring politics, rather than science, when picking projects to fund. Full Story
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It's a cringe-inducing moment in politics: To keep his seat in the Democrats' column, voters in Houston will have to cast one last vote for the late state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. Full Story
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State Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr., D-Houston, who served in the Legislature for more than 20 years, has died at the age of 62. Full Story
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When lawmakers decided to charge inmates $100 a year for medical treatments, they expected it to help plug holes in the prison budget. But critics of the new policy say the result is less health care for sick inmates. Full Story
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State Rep. Bryan Hughes is a fiscal and social conservative who has become a Tea Party favorite in his effort to replace House Speaker Joe Straus. But the East Texan has one trait that is very un-Republican: He's a trial lawyer. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, presumptive incoming state Reps. Stephanie Klick, Chris Paddie and Justin Rodriguez were asked if they were prepared to sign pledge cards for Speaker Joe Straus or his challenger, state Rep. Bryan Hughes. Full Story
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Amid a recent increase in suicides among military veterans, Texas lawmakers are looking at ways to address mental health challenges for veterans as they return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Full Story
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The new state representative for the Rio Grande Valley's House District 41 on his unusual path to office, what he hopes to accomplish before his re-election bid in November and how he's approaching the general election. Full Story
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Leaders of homeless service programs on Monday addressed a joint hearing of a House appropriations subcommittee and the Urban Affairs Committee, saying any funding cuts would hinder their ability to provide services. Full Story
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This week in the Newsreel, we look at the two debates held this week and check out Senate committee assignments. Full Story
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At Thursday's TribLive conversation, I talked with Attorney General Greg Abbott about voter ID, redistricting, the cost of suing the feds 24 times and whether he's going to run for governor. Full Story
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After a crushing loss in his bid for U.S. Senate, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's influence in next year's legislative session remains a question mark. Thursday's committee assignments may reflect efforts to appease some critics. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Thursday appointed state Sen. Dan Patrick as chairman of the education committee. He also replaced state Sen. Judith Zaffirini with state Sen. Kel Seliger as chair of the higher education committee. Full Story
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Advocates for inmate Donald Rash, who suffers numerous medical problems, argue that he should be granted parole. They say the state is wasting millions caring for infirm and elderly inmates who no longer pose a threat to society. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of government and political insiders, we asked about tax reform, swapping local property taxes for something else, and whether voters and legislators are on the same page on casinos. Full Story
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Thanks to a new law, a consortium of school districts could offer a new way forward as policymakers address the increasingly heated opposition to the state's high-stakes standardized test-based accountability system. Full Story
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In state Sen. Wendy Davis' hotly contested bid for re-election, her legal practice — and, in particular, her closely held list of government and quasi-public clients — is drawing heat from her Republican opponent, state Rep. Mark Shelton. Full Story
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At the unofficial kickoff of the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, I talked with the superintendents of the Corpus Christi, Harlingen, Houston and Northwest school districts about the state of public education. Full Story
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Getting elected takes a particular set of skills, governing another. And some members of the incoming freshman legislative class have no experience running things. Full Story
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Jewish prison inmate Max Moussazadeh is demanding that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice serve him kosher food. On Monday, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear his case. Full Story
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