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Policymakers, operating on tight budgets, must decide whether they are willing to spend more money on small hospitals serving a limited number of patients, hospitals that in most cases could not keep their doors open without government assistance. But without them, people, inevitably, will die.

Edgar Walters: http://trib.it/1OaPq29

Rick Perry, after all of those years as governor, was pretty predictable. With Gov. Greg Abbott two months into his new job, there is a fresh vibe at the state Capitol: uncertainty. The next 10 weeks should be telling.

Analysis from Ross Ramsey: http://trib.it/1BDjN7r

We've got the top 50 bank balances among officeholders and PACs, a look at oil prices and flagging tax revenue and a warning about new spending cap formulas — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($).

http://trib.it/1aVA7Yw

The Obama administration is poised to become more actively involved in the debate over hydraulic fracturing by issuing new federal regulations on the practice today.

John Reynolds with The Brief for Friday, March 20, 2015: http://trib.it/1xl04yi

(Photo by Jerod Foster)

New in TribTalk: "Among Republicans, only 52 percent have a positive view of their local or county government, 26 points less than for the state government."

Hoping to prompt quicker turnarounds at struggling schools, Texas lawmakers are considering a controversial policy that would let parents petition the state to make changes at their kids' campuses.

Morgan Smith reports: http://trib.it/1I2nSrp

"The more state tax breaks, the less state revenue — which means local governments must pick up a growing tab for public services," Ann Beeson writes in TribTalk.

Four San Antonio women were convicted of molesting two girls in the 1990s, but one of the girls has since said they were coerced to make false accusations. The women's case is getting a new look, and an April 22 hearing will be key in determining what happens.

More from the Marshall Project's Maurice Chammah: http://trib.it/1H49cH9

This year’s supplemental budget bill is starting out far smaller than the one approved in 2013.

Aman Batheja reports.

Photo by Bob Daemmrich.

“These bills are serious violations of religious freedoms,” said Casey Mattox, senior counsel with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group. “We are pleased members of Congress are taking them seriously.”

Annise Parker, who is serving her final year as Houston's mayor, has left her mark on the nation’s fourth-largest city and become a national figure in LGBT politics. Doing both at the same time hasn’t always been easy.

The Washington Post's Krissah Thompson: http://trib.it/1bg0n3o

(Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera)

“We need to get a firm handle on contracting across state government, not only because they involve taxpayer dollars but because the delivery of services depends on it,” said state Sen. Jane Nelson.

Edgar Walters reports.
Photo by Bob Daemmrich.

Find bills. Follow topics. Watch livestreams. Learn how it all works. Learn your way around. Meet your lawmakers. http://txlege.texastribune.org/

Senate legislation that cuts property and business margins taxes also includes a clause that would outlaw taxes on real estate transactions. Texas has no such tax.

Analysis from Ross Ramsey: http://trib.it/1BQPGwY

(Photo illustration by Todd Wiseman)

San Antonio sophomore U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro has landed a spot as a chief deputy whip, making him one of House Democratic leadership's top vote counters on the House floor.

Abby Livingston: http://trib.it/1BQWBpS

(Photo by Bob Daemmrich)

Three lawmakers have filed bills aimed at encouraging the use of self-driving technology in Texas while allowing for some government oversight. Few states have laws specifically permitting the testing of self-driving vehicles on public roads.

Aman Batheja reports: http://trib.it/1Lw1RXv

(Photo by Scott Schrant)

The new issue of Trib+Edu is up: http://trib.it/1oT5hpU

Subscribe today, it's free! https://www.texastribune.org/subscribe/

In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Education advocates rally at the Capitol, the Senate approves high school graduation panels and an interview with Linda McSpadden McNeil of the Center for Education at Rice University.

Lawmakers late Wednesday afternoon signaled that they will tap the brakes on plans to consolidate the state's health and human services agencies.

John Reynolds with The Brief for Thursday, March 19, 2015: http://trib.it/1DBHcgD

(Photo by Bob Daemmrich)

As the state’s largest health agency reels from a scandal over how it awarded contracts to private vendors, lawmakers on Wednesday said they are slowing down on their ambitious — and controversial — plan to restructure it.

Edgar Walters: http://trib.it/1FC9ffh

(Photo by Bob Daemmrich)

Saying the economics make sense, Georgetown decides to abandon traditional power plants and use just wind and solar electricity suppliers.

Jim Malewitz reports:

With Texas' population projected to double by 2050, we can’t afford small measures, Scott Haywood of Move Texas Forward writes in TribTalk.

House Bill 11 would add state troopers permanently to the border, set up a criminal intelligence center and increase penalties for human smuggling.

Julián Aguilar reports:

“Costco proudly stands with Texans for Consumer Freedom in its efforts to eliminate the unusual Texas spirits laws that artificially restrict competition,” said Executive Vice President Dennis Zook.

Ryan McCrimmon reports.

Attorney General Ken Paxton does not want married Texas same-sex couples including one federal employee to be eligible for Family and Medical Leave Act benefits.

Edgar Walters reports:

“Before, during, and after the 1992 trial, [Jackson] knew of the existence of evidence that tended to negate the guilt of Willingham and failed to disclose that evidence to defense counsel,” the bar investigators charged.

Sid Miller voted for deep budget cuts as a member of the Texas House. But now he’s Texas agriculture commissioner, and he wants the Legislature to dramatically increase funding to his cash-strapped agency, which he says has been doing a lousy job protecting consumers.

In this week's TribCast, Emily talks with Evan, Ross and Jay about the presidential ambitions of Jeb Bush and Rand Paul, the gun bills moving in the Legislature and the fiscal needs of former lawmakers now at the helm of state agencies.

Lots of action in both chambers today. Watch the livestreams from our Texas Legislative Guide page: http://txlege.texastribune.org/livestream/

Sources close to the UT president search told The Texas Tribune earlier this month that Hamilton was the leading candidate to replace the current president, Bill Powers. The other finalist, they said, was Gregory Fenves, the current provost of UT-Austin.

UPDATED: The measure by Sen. Kel Seliger would require a recommendation from a university system's chancellor before regents can fire a university president. Regent Wallace Hall said in a letter that the bill is a "Trojan horse."

Bobby Blanchard reports.

Photo by Bob Daemmrich.

The Senate's proposed changes to the state's breast and cervical cancer screening program — intended to cut funding for Planned Parenthood clinics — could hit low-income women in rural and West Texas hardest. Use our map to see how.

Alexa Ura and Becca Aaronson: http://trib.it/1x8HUzJ

State Rep. Stuart Spitzer is afraid the federal government can use medical records to identify gun owners. Over the objections of the medical community, he has filed a bill that would prohibit doctors from asking patients whether they own a firearm.

Edgar Walters has thestory: http://trib.it/1xc38gj

We've updated our Higher Ed Explorer, your go-to source for key statistics on how well Texas' 148 public and private colleges and universities perform. Use this easy-to-navigate interactive database to explore key academic, enrollment and cost records on all of Texas' institutions of higher learning.

Christopher Chang and Kathryn Beaty: http://www.texastribune.org/higher-ed/explore/

A bill allowing the carrying of handguns on college and university campuses wasn't heard on the Senate floor on Tuesday because of a paperwork error. But it is expected to be heard today and will likely pass.

John Reynolds with The Brief for Wednesday, March 18, 2015 http://trib.it/1EpoELt

(Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera)

New in TribTalk: "Postulating on what a man or woman would do in another time, on another issue, is hazardous territory for anyone, let alone a historian. … But here goes."

If a school isn't adequately helping a special needs student, the state would cover the cost of transferring to another school under a bill heard Tuesday.

Eva Hershaw reports:

More cases of over billing tollway users are being discovered, and the state Department of Transportation says it will be refunding another $1.7 million.

Aman Batheja reports:

The Senate Finance Committee voted Tuesday to send proposals cutting property taxes and business taxes to the full Senate, though some senators questioned whether the property tax cuts could be better spent in other ways.

Aman Batheja reports: http://trib.it/1GS6Jjc

(Photo by Bob Daemmrich)

Senator Kel Seliger, the Amarillo Republican who authored the bill, said it was "not designed to provide some kind of easy exit,” but to give some qualified high school seniors a way to graduate if state standardized exams are the only obstacle preventing it.

"It’s infuriating to know that so-called campus carry legislation could hurt cancer research funding," writes Catherine Nance, a stage 4 cancer patient. Read on in TribTalk.

“If I’m a madman that wants to rack up a big body-bag count and beat the last guy’s body-bag count, I’m not going to go to an NRA convention or the dreaded gun show,” said former state Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp. “I’m going to go where the Legislature has said people can’t protect themselves.”

Plenty of lawmakers are siding with the oil industry in response to Denton's vote to ban fracking inside city limits. What's surprising this session is how few are weighing in for local control.

Jim Malewitz: http://trib.it/1O1aIPH

(Photo by Mark Graham)

Lawmakers riled up by higher education costs want to regain their control of setting tuition at state colleges and universities. But at most schools, tuition has gone up more slowly since the schools took over the job, a Tribune analysis shows.

Ryan McCrimmon and Bobby Blanchard report: http://trib.it/1GN9xy3

(Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera)

As former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gears up for an expected presidential run, longtime friends and colleagues say the native Texan always had the aura of political potential hanging over him. From his backyard ballpark in Houston to his years with Texas Commerce Bank, Bush stood out for his abilities — and his relatability.

Ryan McCrimmon: http://trib.it/1Ftk1EA

In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: How healthy lifestyles lead to a healthier brain, a big milestone in Liberia's fight on Ebola and an interview with Belinda Reininger of the University of Texas School of Public Health Brownsville Regional Campus.

http://trib.it/1z8B1IH

Subscribe today — it's free! http://www.texastribune.org/subscribe/

Oil prices are falling again with worries growing anew that the price per barrel might dip below $40.

John Reynolds with The Brief for Tuesday, March 17, 2015: http://trib.it/1Es0DG4

"Gov. Greg Abbott made pre-K one of his top priorities, but some legislators aren’t treating it that way," state Rep. Eric Johnson writes in TribTalk.

Morgan Smith reports on the lengthy floor debate leading up to Senate approval of open carry for handguns.

"The main considerations are logistical," he said. "First of all, is it a site that can support the traveling circus that goes with the presidential debates?"

Patrick Svitek has more: http://trib.it/18TNdrc

Longtime elected officials would no longer be able to use an obscure perk to boost their take home pay under a bill that sailed out of a House committee Monday. The proposed double-dipping ban now heads to the House floor.

Jay Root reports: http://trib.it/1FtenCa

Both Rick Perry and Ted Cruz are showing New Hampshire voters that they are willing to brave icy weather travel across the state to get their messages to voters. But the two likely Republican presidential candidates are taking different paths.

D.C. Bureau Chief Abby Livingston: http://trib.it/1CnSzc2

Ever wonder just what it is that the House speaker does? The position carries enough clout that we often refer to the "big three" — the governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house. In this video, Aman Batheja gavels in with an explanation.

Our Texas Legislative Guide is your go-to resource for the 2015 Session: http://txlege.texastribune.org/

The Texas Senate has started debating a bill that would lift some restrictions on handguns.

Morgan Smith reports.