The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
At our 1/22 symposium on urban public education, I talked about the intersection of policy and population with superintendents Juan Cabrera of El Paso, Richard Carranza of San Francisco and Michael Hinojosa of Dallas and UTEP's Elena Izquierdo. Full Story
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A Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the University of Texas at Austin declared Monday that he will try to ban guns from his classroom this fall, even if university rules and state law say he can't. Full Story
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Taking aim at a new Texas law making it a state felony to harbor undocumented immigrants, a national civil rights group announced Monday that it is suing the state. Full Story
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The “lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key” crowd has given way to another wave — across party lines, by the way — that’s trying to rework everything from whom police take to jail to who remains there overnight. Full Story
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At our 1/22 symposium on urban public education, I talked accountability, demographic change, school choice and school finance with Mike Morath, the state's new commissioner of education. Full Story
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State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, will remain on the primary ballot for re-election in Senate District 13, despite his plan to seek the Harris County Commissioner's seat left open when Commissioner El Franco Lee died on January 3. Full Story
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Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth announced Friday that it will opt out of the state's new campus carry law, making it the 21st private college to decide to continue to ban guns. Full Story
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In the crowded race for Senate District 24, the challenge candidates face is standing out to voters across a sprawling district that stretches from Abilene to the northwest suburbs of Austin to tell the difference between them. Full Story
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Texas should consider scrapping its top 10 percent automatic admissions rule for universities, which hurts the prestige of the University of Texas at Austin, UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven said in two separate public appearances this week. Full Story
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University of Texas System Chancellor Bill McRaven told the state's higher education oversight board Thursday that he probably should have consulted with them before buying about 100 acres for a new campus in southwest Houston. Full Story
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Full video of my 1/21 conversation with Glenn Hegar, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Topics discussed: oil prices, taxes, jobs and economic incentives. Full Story
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Olfen Independent School District, one of the smallest districts in Texas, will transition to a four-day school week in August — the first of its kind in the state. Full Story
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The chancellors of Texas’s top university systems defended their ambitious expansion plans to lawmakers Wednesday and some pushed back against the idea of more oversight of their growth. Full Story
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While placing bets in fantasy sports leagues may involve skill, there is still an element of chance that would equate such leagues with illegal gambling in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a nonbinding opinion released Tuesday. Full Story
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At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, explained why the border isn't secure, who's responsible, and what can be done about it. Full Story
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At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, explained why racial profiling is only a "perception" problem in Texas and how the agency is handling traffic stops these days. Full Story
At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, talked about the Sandra Bland case and his decision to begin termination proceedings against Trooper Brian Encinia. Full Story
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Full video of our 1/19 conversation with Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety. Topics discussed: guns, Sandra Bland, race and policing, and border security. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to discuss the Texas-Israel relationship and reiterate Abbott's opposition to Iran, according to the governor's office. Full Story
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The first significant campaign finance disclosures of this primary election season were due at midnight Friday, and candidate reports trickled into the Texas Ethics Commission’s online system over the weekend. Here’s a first look at some significant reports. Full Story
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