The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
Anti-establishment Republicans have tried three times to knock House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, out of the top job. Now they're entering an election season nearly five dozen votes short of what they need. Full Story
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Carrizo cane sprouts along the banks of the Rio Grande, providing easy cover for smugglers and drug mules. A new state law says it should be eradicated, but lawmakers neglected to set aside any money for razing cane. Full Story
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Splitting the majority party in the House of Representatives leaves a potential speaker with two routes to the top. Lawmakers did it one way in Texas and another way in Washington, D.C. Full Story
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The Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Friday shot down allegations that it is manufacturing its own hard-to-find execution drugs after federal defense attorneys in an Oklahoma death row case accused the Texas prison system of doing exactly that. Full Story
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A Travis County judge on Friday sentenced former state representative Jack Stick to six days in jail and a 90-day driver's license suspension for driving while intoxicated, according to prosecutors. Full Story
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Allowing more people to register their opinions on issues before state legislators is technologically easy. But is it really something legislators want to do? Full Story
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Following a directive from the Legislature, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced Wednesday that it would combine two of the state's main women’s health programs to create the “Healthy Texas Women” program on July 1. Full Story
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When and how local clerks can make poor plaintiffs pay court fees to get divorced will be argued before the Texas Supreme Court Wednesday, with both sides hoping the justices provide clarity on the contentious issue. Full Story
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To the better-known name of Sandra Bland — whose death by apparent suicide in the Waller County Jail this summer sparked national outrage — state Sen. John Whitmire on Tuesday linked three others with mental or emotional problems who have recently died in custody. Full Story
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Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt blasted the funding deal that allows a giant insurance company to pay for criminal prosecutions of its fraud cases, but said Tuesday that the Commissioners Court is powerless to stop it. Full Story
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Texas' largest health agency says it has not studied how budget cuts will affect children’s access to medically necessary therapy treatments — and appeared this week to place the blame for that on Texas A&M University. The university is denying the state's account. Full Story
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State agencies are now required by law to screen potential hires through the federal E-Verify system to ensure they can legally work in the United States. But does an order by former Gov. Rick Perry still require the same for state contractors? Full Story
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New evidence presented in court on Monday paints a clearer picture of discussions taking place inside the state’s main health agency as it seeks to make deep cuts ordered by state lawmakers to a therapy program for poor and disabled children. Full Story
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At our 9/21 conversation, Gregory Fenves, the President of the University of Texas at Austin, talked about the coming implementation of campus carry legislation. Full Story
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At our 9/21 conversation, Gregory Fenves, the President of the University of Texas at Austin, addressed the ongoing controversy surrounding UT's admissions policies. Full Story
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Thousands of children with disabilities would be harmed by impending state budget cuts to therapy services, several dozen parents told state health officials on Friday. Full Story
After a committee confrontation and a state police investigation, there's still a question about allowing people who aren't in the Capitol to register their support or opposition to legislation: Why not? Full Story
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Saying he was making good on a promise he made to the supporters who helped usher him into office, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday launched a nine-city tour of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Full Story
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A Waller County judge who helped choose grand jurors to consider the evidence in the death of Sandra Bland is not happy about the state's new grand jury selection process, saying it unfairly puts too much of the selection process on judges. Full Story
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A Texas Rangers investigation released Tuesday found that the staff of state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, filled out witness registration forms for people who were not in the Capitol but that no one committed any prosecutable offenses. Full Story
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