Austin.YNN.com

Capital Tonight: Breaking down the budget deal

In Friday's episode: Our Reporter Roundtable sorts through the details of what could be the final budget deal; Sen. Carlos Uresti talks about the need for transportation funding, especially in areas affected by the oil in gas boom; and the acting director of the IRS faces tough questioning in a Washington, DC hearing.

Texas lawmakers reach deal on state budget

After going back and forth all week, the state's top budget writers have come up with a compromise. And at the adamant request of Democrats, the new budget lays the groundwork for $3.9 billion for education.

Capital Tonight: Comptroller weighs in on budget numbers

The House and Senate have overcome a major hurdle in budget negotiations at the State Capitol; State Comptroller Susan Combs talks about how the budget is adding up; and bills dealing with with criminal justice and guns on campus get the go-ahead.

05/14/2013 07:38 PM

‘Michael Morton Act’ clears path to governor’s desk

Texas Lawmakers celebrated a success in the efforts to combat wrongful convictions in Texas. Bearing the name of the Texas man exonerated after 24 years in prison, the Michael Morton Act hopes to bring transparency to the criminal justice system. YNN's Sebastian Robertson spoke to the bill's authors.

05/14/2013 06:03 PM

State budget deal within reach at State Capitol

A budget deal among lawmakers at the State Capitol is within reach, according to the House's chief budget writer. The agreement is said to include a compromise on how to provide $2 billion for water projects and more than $3 billion for schools.

05/14/2013 04:44 PM

Capital Tonight: House passes disclosure bill after Senate stumbles

A hotly debated measure to force politically active nonprofits to reveal their donors moved forward in the House, in spite of Senate efforts to quash it; Rep. Drew Darby talks about where lawmakers are headed on transportation funding now that several efforts have stalled; and Harvey Kronberg of the Quorum Report talks about the possibility of a special session.

05/13/2013 08:21 PM

House passes ethics bill recalled by Senate

Members of the House are proving to be more successful in passing a transparency bill than their counterparts in the Senate. The House passed a bill Monday that had been recalled by the Senate earlier in the session. Our Karina Kling explains why things went different in the House.

05/13/2013 07:21 PM

Texas House approves Morton criminal justice bill

The House has approved the Michael Morton Act, mandating that prosecutors share more case files with defense attorneys in an effort to prevent wrongful convictions.

05/13/2013 06:48 PM

Lawmakers cooperate to tackle priorities as deadline looms

Just two weeks away from the end of the legislative session, state lawmakers still have a lot of work to do. From the start, legislators agreed they needed to come up with ways to prepare the state for growth, but there's still no concrete road on how to get there. YNN’s LeAnn Wallace has the details.

05/13/2013 06:45 PM

Rifles in hand, gun rights advocates march on State Capitol

Gun rights advocates marched on the State Capitol Monday morning, working to get the attention of lawmakers. YNN’s John Salazar spoke with protestors who said enough is enough when it comes to stalled legislation addressing what they call “gun freedoms.”

05/13/2013 05:28 PM