State Rep. David Leibowitz, D-San Antonio, discusses his concerns about the way the Texas Department of Insurance is run and why it needs a more thorough review by the Legislature.

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State Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, says Senate Bill 98 is the most important piece of legislation he has filed in 23-year legislative career. It will establish a four-year medical school and a health science center covering 12 counties in South Texas. It was passed by the 81st Legislature.

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State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond, D-Laredo, gave a powerful personal privilege speech against a proposed voter ID bill. He also helped prevent the measure from coming to the House floor by slowling down passage of other bills in order to run out the clock. That fierce opposition to voter ID has led the Senate Republican leadership to yank $5.5 million from the state budget that was going towards a much needed border security and intelligence center in Laredo.

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State Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, discusses House Bill 1541, his legislation to allow Medicaid recipients to stay on the health insurance program for a year at a time, rather than apply and re-apply every six months.

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Texas state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, pays his respect to Al Ramirez, the first Hispanic to be elected mayor of Edinburg. Ramirez passed away on Wednesday, April 22, 2009. He was 86.

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Former state Senator Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, was heavily involved in the legislation that set up Texas' Top Ten Percent rule back in the mid-1990s. The UT System and some legislators want to revise the the rule. Barrientos tells the Guardian why he opposes those attempts.

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Manuel Benavidez, a founding board member of South Texas College, died of cancer on March 28, 2009. He was 57. His friend, state Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, said Benavidez will be remembered for his tireless work to secure greater educational opportunities for South Texas students, particularly those in Starr County.

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Texas State Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., has said upgrading the Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen into a fully-fledged medical school is his number one legislative agenda item in 2009. In this interview with the Guardian, Lucio says he has had to amend his bill, SB 98, to take into account the fact that there is no state money for any new big ticket items this session.

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Texas state Rep. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, chairs the House Committee on Border and Intergovernmental Affairs. In an exclusive interview with The Guardian at the state Capitol on Tuesday, March 24, Gonzales said she welcomes the new border security initiative announced by President Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

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Brownsville Mayor Pat Ahumada testified against the border wall at a Texas House hearing at the state Capitol on Monday, March 23, 2009. In an interview with the Guardian, Ahumada discussed border security and border violence.

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Jose Maria Vasquez, commander of America's Last Patrol # 3 in Elsa, Texas, walked 260 miles from Edinburg to San Antonio in March 2009 to push for a VA hospital in South Texas. The Guardian interviewed him when he arrived at the Audie Murphy VA Hospital in San Antonio.

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State Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, is concerned about legislation that could result in windstorm insurance rates going up 60 percent in Texas counties along the Gulf Coast.

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