Melissa Ayala

The end of the 82nd legislative session is drawing near, leaving lawmakers scrambling to hear, vote and amend a bevy of bills.

Concealed carry on campus may have hit another dead end after Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, pulled down her higher education bill Tuesday.

Texas senators are expected to debate two controversial pieces of legislation this week — the budget and concealed carry on campus.

While Texas House members moved forward Thursday tentatively approving changes to education, Gov. Rick Perry reiterated his plan to increase college affordability.

Senators anticipated voting on the concealed carry on campus bill Monday, but it stalled on the floor for the second time in a week.

Megan Metzger will delay her plan to teach in Texas and head to South America for a job with international volunteer program Cross-Cultural Solutions after she graduates in December.

House members gathered under the Capitol dome for more than 15 hours Friday and again Sunday to hash out details of the 2012-13 biennium budget, which passed in a 98-49 vote mostly along party lines.

Jamie Schanbaum gave a tear-filled testimony before the Texas Senate Committee on Higher Education on Wednesday, recounting her sophomore year at UT, when bacterial meningitis left her hospitalized for seven months.

AUSTIN — A bill to require Texans to show photo identification before voting passed the Texas House on Wednesday night despite repeated efforts by Democrats to derail it.

It’s the 1970s, and she sits at a registration table helping administrators guide students through the registration process. Inside Gregory Gym, she flips through to find index cards that have students’ names on them.

After Rep. Charlie Howard, R-Sugarland, spoke at the funeral of a constituent who died from bacterial meningitis, he decided to push legislation that would require all students to get a vaccine against the disease before entering college.

President William Powers Jr. testified before the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday to explain how the budget cuts will hurt UT while students both inside and outside the committee room made their voices heard.

Standing at the top of the South Mall, he leans forward as momentum builds and he glides down the sidewalk of the hill.  

President William Powers Jr. testified to the Texas House Higher Education Committee about the UT-ESPN network that is expected to bring $300 million in additional revenue for UT over the next 20 years. The committee commended Powers’ investment for bringing additional funding to the University during legislative budget cuts.  

Census data released Thursday verifies what most Texans already know — in the last 10 years, the state has seen a huge population boom and dramatic demographic shifts.

Presidents of UT's six medical branches asked state senators Tuesday to reconsider funding cuts that could impact research, residency slots and overall funding for Texas health-related institutions for the 2012-2013 biennium.

The commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board told the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday that lawmakers must make conservative cuts to higher education grants and funding.

Higher education campuses in Texas have been designated gun-free zones for 15 years, but lawmakers will try again to change that this legislative session.

A Florida district judge ruled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act unconstitutional Monday because of its mandate requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance or face a penalty.

Lawmakers in the Texas Senate voted 19-11 in favor of voter ID on Wednesday along party lines.

Six soldiers who served in Iraq and are now recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center received a warm welcome on the Capitol grounds in commemoration of Wounded Warrior Day on Monday.