Hopes Fading for New Limits for Tuition Growth
With the death of all legislation specifically aiming to re-regulate tuition costs at Texas' public universities, proponents of the idea see few avenues for implementing the idea this year. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Analysis: A Short List With Some Explosive Issues
It's not the end of the session, but Tuesday marks the end of the line for a lot of legislation. And the fates of the items at the bottom of the House's list could be determined by long debates on ethics, guns, abortion and state spending limits. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol, May 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Proposal Targets Residency Requirement for Statewide Elected Officials
Statewide elected officials would no longer be required to live in Austin under a constitutional amendment that could be headed to voters on a general election ballot. The House tentatively backed the measure on Monday. Full Story
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![House Appropriations Chair John Otto explains a budget amendment to a colleague during House Bill 1 debate March 31, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
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 -
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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Senate's Procedural Change Has an Impact, but Not a Dramatic One
When the Texas Senate changed requirements on bringing legislation up for debate, Democrats said a process intended to encourage compromise would suffer. Several bills have been unblocked, but the conservative steamroller that Democrats feared hasn't emerged. Full Story
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![Parliamentarian Karina Davis watches as new Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gavels in the Texas Senate on Jan. 21, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
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 -
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 -
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 -
Senate OKs Bill Allowing Pastors to Refuse to Marry Same-Sex Couples
The so-called Pastor Protection Act — a bill that clarifies clergy members' right to refuse to marry same-sex couples — tentatively passed the Texas Senate on Monday. Full Story
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![State Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, sits at his desk on March 16, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
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 -
"Denton Fracking Bill" Headed to Abbott's Desk
The so-called Denton fracking bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The Senate on Monday approved a bill to pre-empt local efforts to regulate a wide variety of oil and gas activities. Full Story
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![Fracking in Fort Worth, Sept. 27, 2013]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
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 -
Analysis: Does "Voucher" Label Fit the Bill?
You can slow down or even kill a piece of legislation with a single word or phrase, if it's poisonous enough. Full Story
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Analysis: How Private Opinions Can Diverge From Public Votes
Tax cuts and politics ethics legislation have this in common: When lawmakers have to vote in public view, they're often forced to set aside their private opinions. Full Story
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Budget Panel Breakdown: Democrats Short on Slots, Long on Experience
The budget conference committee will hash out a compromise of the chamber’s respective 2016-17 budget plans. Committee members include two Democrats who rank as the most experienced budget negotiators on the panel. Full Story
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![Sens. Lois Kolkhorst, Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, Jane Nelson, Charles Schwertner, Joan Huffman and Reps. Larry Gonzales, Sarah Davis, Sylvester Turner, John Otto and Trent Ashby make up the 2015 budget conference committee.]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Running for Office? Urine for a Surprise
Any candidate seeking elected office in Texas would be required to take a drug test when he or she files to run, under a proposal that the state Senate approved Tuesday. Full Story
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Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
A Look at the Priority Bills for Straus and Patrick
Here's an updated breakdown of House Bills 1-20 and Senate Bills 1-20, showing where House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are placing their priorities for the 84th legislative session. Full Story
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![House Speaker Joe Straus (left) and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.]()