Former State Rep. Leo Berman Dies at 79
Tributes poured in this weekend from Texas conservatives and Democrats alike for former state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who died Saturday. He served in the House from 1999 to 2013. Full Story
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![Former state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, is shown in 2011.]()
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Senate Approves State Employee Pension Funding Plan
The Texas Senate on Friday voted to beef up the state’s underfunded retirement system for state employees by adding about $440 million to the program, a plan that has received mixed reviews from state employee advocacy groups. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van, co-chair of the House Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations, is shown calling an executive session on May, 12, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Union Dues Spark an End-of-Session Dispute
An unexpected end-of-session skirmish over payroll deductions for union dues pits Republicans against Democrats, business against labor, and presents lawmakers with one of those votes that might be important in next year's elections. Full Story
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![Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, answers an audience question during TTEvents on April 30, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Conservatives See Payroll Deduction Bill as Key on Two Fronts
A Senate bill that arrived in the House less than two weeks ago would let Republicans put the hurt on unions and on Democrats, if it can move through the legislative gauntlet this late in the legislative session. Full Story
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![State Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, on the House floor on May 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Senate Wants Property Tax Cut This Year; House Wants to Delay It
The House and Senate negotiations over a tax cut deal have narrowed to a single sticking point: when a proposed property tax cut should go into effect. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
House Backs Senate Bill Making Execution Drug Providers Secret
Legislation that would keep the names of execution drug providers secret is headed to the governor’s office after the Texas House gave final approval on Tuesday to a Senate measure. Full Story
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Analysis: Ethics Reform Placed at Center Stage, but Hurting for Attention
In February, Gov. Greg Abbott asked lawmakers to dedicate this legislative session to ethics reform. With only two weeks left, he's still waiting. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott annouces several emergency legislative items in his first State of the State speech on Feb. 17, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
A Slideshow of Day 122: A Texas House Marathon
With a crucial deadline looming at midnight May 14, the Texas House embarked on a 15-hour legislative day that alternated between drama, comedy and forced march. Photographer Bob Daemmrich chronicles the day's waning hours. Full Story
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![8:25 p.m. — A party balloon hangs outside the south door of the Texas Capitol, left by a visitor and his daughter while inside taking pictures of the Capitol rotunda.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
House Republicans Reaffirm Support of Gay Marriage Ban
House Republicans want Texans to know they still oppose same-sex marriage – even if foot-dragging Democrats thwarted a debate on the polarizing subject Thursday night. Full Story
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![During the Defense of Texas Marriage Amendment Rally on Mar. 23, 2015 at the Texas Capitol, a protester raises questions of marriage sanctity noting celebrities who've been married multiple times.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
State Leaders Juggle Deals on Five Key Issues
Top state leaders were negotiating intensely — and optimistically — Thursday afternoon on a master settlement on tax cuts, restraints on local property tax increases, border security, prosecutions of state ethics cases and open carry of handguns. Full Story
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![The House of Representatives on May 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
House Backs Bill Denying Pensions to Lawbreakers
Texas politicians convicted of major public corruption crimes would lose their lucrative pensions under a bill that the Texas House tentatively passed Thursday in a unanimous vote. Full Story
![The House of Representatives on May 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
With Midnight Deadline Looming, Democrats Drag Their Feet
Facing a midnight deadline in the House to take initial votes on that chamber's bills, Democrats dragged their feet, working to delay a vote on a bill forbidding the use of state or local funds to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Full Story
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![House Reading Clerk Elizabeth Milam carries signed bills to the podium during the House session May 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Making a Deal on Tax Cuts That Voters Might Not Care About
As they try to agree on tax cuts that are the major obstacle to a state budget, lawmakers could find themselves wishing the cuts they deliver are as big as they sounded to the public. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Video: House Members Get By With a Little Help From Their Friends
Your state lawmakers are keeping busy in these final weeks of the 84th Legislature — negotiating bills, debating on the floor and, in the House, probably helping the representatives seated near them cast votes. Here's a look at the rules that govern House votes. Full Story
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Analysis: Candid Cameras at a Critical Moment in the Legislative Session
Without showing their hand, conservatives outside of government have captured the attention of every nervous conservative in the Legislature at exactly the right time. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Video Shows Tense Exchange Between Pickett and Stickland
A week after a dramatic committee hearing that culminated in state Rep. Joe Pickett throwing fellow Rep. Jonathan Stickland out of the committee room, video of the hearing was posted online. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, being escorted out of a House Transportation Committee hearing chaired by Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, on April 30, 2015.]()
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House Panel Refers Witness Registration Inquiry to Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers will investigate allegations that witnesses were improperly registered to testify on a bill banning red light cameras at a transportation committee hearing last week. Full Story
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State Rep. Fletcher to Leave Post in Bid to Be Harris County Sheriff
Republican state Rep. Allen Fletcher of Cypress confirmed on Thursday that he will abandon his House seat for a bid to replace Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, who is running for mayor of Houston. Full Story
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![State Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, stands among House members during the consideration of a point of order on a campus carry bill on May 4, 2013.]()
Credit: Bob Daemrmich -
Stickland Responds to Claims He Broke Rules
Responding to claims that he improperly registered witnesses at a committee hearing, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland released a statement Monday standing by his actions. Full Story
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![Rep. Jonathan Stickland R-Bedford speaks during the Texas Tax Day Tea Party Rally at the Texas Capitol on April 15th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: For Bills, May Marks the End of the Line
May is the final full month of the 140-day regular legislative session, which concludes June 1. And the deadlines that start in a week form a bottleneck that will ultimately block most proposed legislation. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman
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