After months of speculation, Texas A&M made it official: It’s leaving the Big 12 and will likely join the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies have reportedly been looking to leave the Big 12 over dissatisfaction with the Longhorn Network, a collaboration between UT and ESPN, although A&M’s president, R. Bowen Loftin, has said the move would increase visibility for the Aggies and their athletes. The move would take effect next season if A&M’s application is accepted.

Many of the new laws passed by the Legislature in the spring take effect Sept. 1 — the beginning of the fiscal year. Though many changes to state laws may go unnoticed, this is when we find out how deep budget cuts actually play out, and how the public will react to cuts in education and social services. Other new laws to note: a ban on teen sexting, an end to the ban on allowing firearms in employees’ parked cars at work, speed limits that are the same day and night, and a new requirement for providing identification upon requesting a homestead exemption.

In spite of the budget crunch this session, legislators found funding to improve — they hope — the process of getting or renewing a driver’s license. Providing $63 million to upgrade existing systems, the Legislature hoped to cut down on the time Texans spend in line at Department of Public Safety offices. DPS says it will use the money to update existing centers, improve technology to streamline processes and create so-called megacenters in urban areas — all geared toward reducing waiting times.

After spending years in litigation limbo, the state’s tax on strip clubs that serve alcohol was upheld by the state Supreme Court. The $5-per-customer fee was passed in 2007 and should have already generated more than $40 million, but some clubs have held back on their payments as the case worked its way through the courts. The plaintiffs are now considering an appeal.

With an eye on other states’ battles, a gang of Houston businessmen is organizing a group bent on overhauling the pension systems for public employees. Texas currently pays its retirees a fixed amount over their lifetime, but Bill King, a Houston attorney, is forming the group Texans for Public Pension Reform, which hopes to convince lawmakers to replace pensions with retirement accounts.

Part of University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa’s sweeping higher education plan, recently approved by UT regents, includes plans for a new medical school in the Rio Grande Valley. With an investment of  $30 million dollars, system officials hope to boost the number of doctors in training and in residence in the traditionally underserved area. The money will go to a simulated teaching hospital, a biomedical research program and programs to boost medical residency rates. Regents also set aside money for universities to train math, science, technology and engineering teachers in the area. Meanwhile, Central Texas residents were hopeful that Cigarroa’s statement in his plan advocating medical education and research in Austin signals the beginning of a long-sought medical school in the area as well.

Amid controversy, the city of Dallas is trying out a new program to track down individuals who owe municipal fines. The system involves cameras and license-plate-recognition software. When an offender's vehicle is spotted, a bright sticker will be placed on it, notifying the driver that he or she owes a fine and could be subject to arrest. Privacy advocates are protesting the new process, arguing that the data collected could be built into a tracking database shared by various agencies.

Shots were fired through the window of U.S. Rep. Gene Green’s office in north Houston, but police said no threat was posed to Green's life. Green himself characterized the shots, which likely came from a pellet or BB gun, as random, and police are investigating the matter as criminal mischief. The shots were spread over an area including Green’s office and a branch of Lone Star College and destroyed several windows, but caused no injuries.

The Innocence Project filed another motion in the case of Michael Morton, who has been in jail for 25 years for the murder of his wife, Christine. DNA evidence unveiled this summer spurred a judge to order the sealed case file reopened, revealing only the lead investigator’s initial five-page report and a signed consent form from Morton allowing officials to search his home and truck. Not included was a transcript brought to light in 2008 of a conversation between the investigator, Sgt. Don Wood, and the victim’s mother when she informed Wood that the murder had been witnessed by the Mortons’ 3 year-old son.

Dr. Ron Anderson, longtime jefe at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, is being replaced as the chief executive there and will move into a newly created salaried position there. His contract expires at the end of the year, and the board acted after federal officials raised questions about patient safety at the regional hospital. No replacement has been named.

John Barton will head the Texas Department of Transportation on an interim basis while the board looks for a permanent replacement for Amadeo Saenz, who retired at the end of the fiscal year (the last day of August). Barton has been at the agency for more than two decades and had been the interim deputy director. He's losing the "deputy" part, but not the "interim" part.

Anne Heiligenstein, head of the state's Department of Family and Protective Services, will retire by the end of the year after three years running the agency. She's been a state employee (with a break serving in the Bush administration in Washington) since 1980.

Brian Guthrie is the new executive director of the Teacher Retirement System, and Ken Welch is the new deputy director. Guthrie, the former deputy, is taking over for Ronnie Jung. Welch has been the agency's chief financial officer since April 2008.

David Baker is the new deputy director of law enforcement operations at the Texas Department of Public Safety, if the agency's board approves the appointment by DPS Director Steven McCraw. Baker started as a trooper in Lubbock in 1978 and has been the chief of the Texas Highway Patrol since 2009.

Ian Randolph, chief of staff to Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, is retiring after 22 years in the Texas Senate. Before Lucio, he worked for Sens. Ted Lyon, D-Mesquite, and David Cain, D-Dallas.

Richard Kouri is the new executive director at the Texas State Teachers Association, replacing E.C. Walker, who is retiring. And Ed Martin, a longtime Democratic strategist and consultant, joins that association as the head of its public affairs operation.

Press corps moves: Patti Kilday Hart, who has been reporting for the Houston Chronicle and writing a once-a-week column for the paper, will drop the reporting gig in October and become a full-time columnist for the paper. She joined the Chronicle earlier this year after freelancing for years at Texas Monthly, where she co-wrote the biennial list of Best and Worst Legislators.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Raymond Palacios Jr. of El Paso to the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2013. Palacios is president of Bravo Chevrolet Cadillac and Hummer.

Perry has appointed four members to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees: T. Karen Charleston of Houston, a space management assistant for Prairie View A&M University; Joe Colonnetta of Dallas, a private investor; David Kelly of Plano, managing partner of Straight Line Realty Partners; and Anita Palmer of Wichita Falls, a published artist and author, community volunteer and retired educator in the Wichita Falls Independent School District.

Perry has appointed seven members to the Juvenile Justice Services and Facilities Transition Team. Chelsea Buchholtz of Austin is a policy adviser for the Office of the Governor Budget, Planning, and Policy Division. Albert Hawkins of Austin is a public policy consultant and former executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon of San Antonio is the state representative for House District 120. David “Scott” Matthew of Georgetown is chief juvenile probation officer of Williamson County Juvenile Services, and a municipal judge for the Cities of Jarrell and Granger. Vicki Spriggs of Austin is executive director of the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. Cheryln “Cherie” Townsend of Austin is executive director of the Texas Youth Commission. Debbie Unruh of Austin is the Independent Ombudsman of the Texas Youth Commission.

Perry also appointed three members to the University of North Texas System Board of Regents. Donald Potts of Dallas is founder of Capital Institutional Services and an institutional broker and dealer. Al Silva of San Antonio is COO of Labatt Food Service. Michael Williams of Fredericksburg is CEO of Hill Country Memorial Hospital.