The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from Texas

Drones, Fences and Sensors Influence Immigration Debate

Border security is a big part of the immigration overhaul. But who will define it?

Safety Net Hospitals Won’t Be Docked in States That Don’t Expand Medicaid

Hospitals in non-expansion states feared they would be hit with bigger federal funding cuts than those in expansion states. HHS says that won’t happen – at least for the first two years.

Obama Administration Poised to Approve Arkansas-style Medicaid Expansions

The Obama Administration is inviting states to apply for Arkansas-style Medicaid expansions in an effort to woo those balking at traditional Medicaid expansion.

States That Skip Medicaid Expansion May Favor New Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens

The law of unintended consequences will strike states that decline to expand Medicaid.

Red River Showdown: Texas-Oklahoma Water War Could Reverberate Across US

Where Texas and Oklahoma’s showdown over the Red River Compact has huge implications for how states across the country manage their water. The case centers on questions of state sovereignty and interstate commerce.

Lawmakers Chew on Weighty Issues: ‘Whose shad fry is the best?’

Photo Slideshow: Lawmakers call time out to weigh delicious legislation.

Registry Finds More Exonerations in 2012

Since 1989, at least 1,089 people convicted of crimes have been officially cleared based on new evidence of their innocence, according to the National Registry of Exonerations annual report released Wednesday.

Sequester Cuts at Justice Department Threaten Local Drug Investigations

The partisan gridlock in Washington, D.C. threatens to curb drug investigations in rural communities.

Supreme Court Will Review Michigan’s Affirmative Action Ban

The nation’s highest court will decide whether a Michigan affirmative action ban passed by voters in 2006 can prevent colleges and universities from using race when they decide which students to admit.

In Drought Ravaged Plains, Efforts to Save a Vital Aquifer

The Ogallala Aquifer, which feeds some of the world’s most productive croplands, is running dry.

30 Cities: An Introductory Snapshot

Pew recently updated its 30-city snapshot interactive, with new data on population, home values, income and unemployment. Pew's American Cities Project focuses on the biggest city in the nation's 30 largest metro areas.

Why Tax Revision Is an Inexact Science

Several governors are talking about major change in their state tax structures this year. How do they know how much money a revised tax system will bring in? Often, they don’t.

Can Texas Beat Its Fund-Balance Addiction?

To balance the budget, lawmakers rely on money they can’t spend. Will that change this year?

Will Moderation Win in Texas?

The budget has improved dramatically in Texas, but spending more isn’t necessarily an easy sell.

Gas Tax Loses Favor as Governors Look for New Transportation Money

In the search for more transportation money, governors and state lawmakers are largely avoiding one of the most obvious and straightforward funding sources: state gasoline taxes.

Texas State of the State Address 2013

AUSTIN, Texas -- Jan. 29 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Rick Perry's (R) 2013 State of the State Address:

Issue To Watch: School Testing

A number of states are pushing to up the stakes on reading tests for younger students and assign letter grades to schools.

Hard Realities on the Environmental Disaster Front

After another year marked by expensive and deadly disasters, states all over the country are still picking up the pieces from what Mother Nature wrought in 2012. But they confront equally sobering expectations for 2013.

In Michigan and Wisconsin, Some Lawmakers Want to Go Part-Time

Should lawmakers in Michigan and Wisconsin cut their work hours? That’s what some hope to do, as they push constitutional amendments that would convert their states’ full-time legislatures into part-time bodies.

Public Safety in Texas

Public safety in Texas.

Governors Kick Off Legislative Sessions

Two of the country’s most prominent Republican governors opened their states’ legislative sessions with state of the state speeches from different fiscal vantage points. One day after a strong revenue projection for the upcoming two years, Texas Governor Rick Perry was somewhat optimistic, but warned lawmakers aga

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: Texas

How well is Texas protecting kids from tooth decay?

State School Funds On Trial, Again

Texas, Colorado, Kansas and others will see action on school finance lawsuits next year, but it could be years before they make a difference in the classroom.

States Begin Giving Driver’s Licenses to Young Immigrants

The federal government thrust states back into dealing with the contentious issue of driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, after years when the practice had become rare and the issue dropped off most legislative agendas.

Best of #StateReads: United States of Subsidies

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

State Legislators on Sentencing and Corrections Reforms

Six state legislative leaders reflect on how they successfully enacted comprehensive sentencing and corrections reforms using a bipartisan, interbranch working group and focusing on data and research to craft policies that met their unique challenges.

Texas Cancer Agency Fights Controversy

The state’s $3 billion effort to attack cancer is under fire for the way some awards have been made.

Best of #StateReads: Washington State Loses Women and Latino Lawmakers

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Vote Centers, Long Lines, and Provisional Ballots in Galveston County, Texas

Election Day did not get off to a smooth start in Galveston County, Texas. Unfortunately it didn’t finish well either.

Forensic Science Falls Short of Public Image (First of Two Parts)

Many juries depend on lab evidence to make a decision in a criminal trial. They don’t often realize how fragile the crime lab process actually is.

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: Texas

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

Next Elections: Races for Legislative Leadership

For aspiring legislative leaders, the elections aren’t over yet. Even as the final counts from last week’s votes are still being tallied, lawmakers who hope to be house speakers or senate presidents are courting their colleagues.

In Redistricting Appeal, Texas Challenges Part of Voting Rights Act

Texas is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate its recently tossed out redistricting map, its attorney general announced on Friday, likely setting up a case with major implications for the role of minorities in elections nationwide.

Texas Awaits Ruling on Franchise Tax’s Fate

The Texas Supreme Court is expected within days to decide whether the state’s franchise tax, designed to cover more businesses and raise more revenue, is constitutional.

Federal Court Clears South Carolina Voter ID Law

A federal court has cleared the way for South Carolina’s voter ID law to be in place in 2013, despite the Justice Department’s decision to oppose the law.

Are Voter ID Opponents Winning the Battle but Losing the War?

Voter ID opponents have won high-profile court battles, but may be losing ground on the longer-term legal fight against the laws.

Still Risky: Checking Accounts in Texas

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Seven of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in Texas and hold 45 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in Texas may be paying.

Affirmative Action Gets a Hearing

In 2003, the Supreme Court upheld using racial preference in college admissions. A more conservative court may decide differently.

Not Dead Yet—Purging Voters from the Rolls in Texas

A law passed in 2011 in Texas mandated the state match its voter list with the Social Security Administration’s master death file. After a recent comparison of the lists, more than 80,000 matches were found statewide.

States Still Resisting National Sex Offender Law

A 2006 federal law calls on states to create a national sex offender registry. But most have not complied, and some have stopped trying.

How Governors Govern Higher Ed

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett are the latest governors to play a role in resolving crises at their state universities.

Federal Court Strikes Down Texas Voter ID Law

A federal court struck down Texas’ voter identification law on Thursday, calling it the “most stringent” of any in the country and saying it would disproportionately burden the state’s minorities and poor as they tried to cast their ballots this fall. “That law will almost certainly have retrogressive effect,” t

Best of #StateReads: N. C. Regulators Miss Catching Cheating Businesses

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Federal Court Dumps Texas Political Map

A federal court on Tuesday tossed out Texas’ redistricting plans, saying the state’s new political boundaries undercut the political influence of Latinos and Blacks.

Performance Pay Comes to Campus

Leaders in the University of Texas System will be paid, in part, on whether they meet several performance goals.

Heat Wave, Budget Cuts Strain Utility Safety Net

Budget cuts and a blistering hot spell wave left states short on cash this summer while tackling high energy demand. Now many worry about having enough heat when winter comes.

Florida Poised to Elect First Openly Gay State Lawmaker

With a narrow victory in the Democratic primary, a Miami Beach CPA is set to become Florida’s first openly gay state legislator.

Best of #StateReads: Ex-Parks Official Had Criminal Past

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Safety Net Hospitals Imperiled by High Court Ruling

Hospitals that serve the poor thought they would be helped by the Affordable Care Act. Now it looks as if they will be hurt by it.

Nine States Where Lenders Take Your Paycheck

Payday loans — small, short term loans secured against a customer’s next paycheck — are highly controversial. A new study from Pew Charitable Trusts explains that opponents believe the practice “preys” on people who, because of the high interest rates