With a little more than a week left in the veto period, requests for Gov. Greg Abbott to kill bills are piling up. Four ethics commissioners, acting solely on their own behalf, sent a letter to Abbott asking for vetoes of two ethics bills that were modified to allow officeholders to withhold information about a spouse's property and financial activity from personal financial statements. Over the weekend, the executive committee of the state Republican Party asked for a veto of a Senate bill reworking school academic standards that critics are calling "Common Core Lite." And progressive activists are calling on Abbott to veto budget language that cuts Planned Parenthood from a cancer screening program.

Abbott signed a bill Thursday that allows clergy members to refuse to conduct marriages that violate their beliefs. He said that because of Senate Bill 2065, "pastors now have the freedom to exercise their First Amendment rights."

Abbott on Tuesday signed House Bill 11, the comprehensive border security legislation that culminated a massive effort by lawmakers to bolster the ranks of state police, increase technology and establish intelligence operations units on the Texas-Mexico border.

Abbott also made waves this week by openly wooing General Electric to move its headquarters from Connecticut to Texas. As part of his pitch, Abbott touted the Legislature's passage of $3.8 billion in tax relief during the recently concluded legislative session.

A three-judge panel at the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals this week upheld a requirement passed by the Legislature in 2013 that abortion facilities be built to the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers. The judges concluded the state was not imposing an "undue burden" with the requirement, which lawmakers said was aimed at safeguarding women's health and safety. Abortion rights advocates said the requirement would leave just eight clinics in the state. The decision is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Reverberations continued in McKinney after police actions to break up a gathering at a pool party last week thrust the Dallas suburb into the national conversation on race and police.

GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz visited the Rio Grande Valley this week, a trip built around a fundraiser being held there for him. While there, he reiterated his promise to repeal "every word" of Obamacare and affirmed that border security shouldn't be a permanent responsibility of the National Guard.

The University of Texas at Austin is reviewing several possible cases of cheating or academic noncompliance by former basketball players following a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Chairman Carlos Rubinstein announced that he is stepping down from the Texas Water Development Board at the end of August. He was appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in August 2013, just months before voters approved $2 billion from the state's Rainy Day Fund to help pay for water projects such as pipelines and treatment plants.

Bech K. Bruun was named Rubinstein's immediate successor as Texas Water Development Board chairman by Gov. Greg Abbott for a term to expire at the pleasure of the governor. Bruun has served as a TWDB member since September 2013.

Abbott appointed John V. “Vic” Lattimore, Jr. of Plano, Nolan Perez of Harlingen and he re-appointed Ann McGinity of Pearland to the Texas Woman’s University Board of Regents for terms to expire on Feb. 1, 2021.

David Porter will take over as chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas after he was unanimously elected at a meeting of the agency this week. He succeeds Christi Craddick in the post.

Amanda Carpenter is stepping down next month as communications director for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Prior to her stint with Cruz, Carpenter worked for U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C. Her plans include a return to writing conservative commentary.

Steve Lonegan has been named chairman of GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz's campaign in New Jersey. Lonegan lost to Cory Booker in the 2013 special election to succeed U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, has endorsed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz for president. His colleague, Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, endorsed Cruz in March.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has added a big name to his political team — veteran Texas political strategist John Weaver. Kasich is laying down the groundwork for a possible run at the White House in 2016. Weaver is no stranger to presidential politics, having worked with past candidates John McCain and Jon Huntsman.

Bennett Ratliff will run again for the Dallas-area House District 115 seat he lost to Matt Rinaldi in the 2014 GOP primary election. The contest was decided by 92 votes.

Brent Graves, who is running for the House District 59 seat next year, released a list of endorsements from all 13 of the GOP precinct chairs in Erath County.