Texas has the most people without health insurance in the nation — again
For the second year in a row, the number of Texans without health insurance increased, and fewer people enrolled in Medicaid. Full Story
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![A medical clinic in Austin.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and NRA feud over gun background checks
The frequent allies traded jabs in the wake of two mass shootings in Texas. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Parliamentarian Karina Davis on the Senate floor on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune. -
Analysis: After botching one shot at peace, the Texas GOP establishment tries again
After a month of silence, a state representative tangled in a political misadventure in the Texas Capitol emerged to say he'll seek reelection with the endorsement of the governor. But the harmony is tentative, and the scandal is still under investigation by the Texas Rangers. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 25, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Safety Commission discusses guns, terrorism and social media at post-El Paso roundtable
The new panel met Thursday at the state Capitol in Austin and is scheduled to convene again next week in El Paso. Full Story
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![From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen at a meeting of the Texas Safety Commission, at the Texas Capitol on Aug. 22, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
State leaders are looking for solutions after El Paso. Texas Latinos say they can start by changing the words they use.
"Words not only matter but in today’s world, words are having more and more significant existential consequences in our society," said Miguel Solis, a Dallas school board member. Full Story
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![Hundreds mourn for the victims and their family outside the El Paso Walmart where a mass murderer killed 22 people.]()
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How a secretly recorded Dennis Bonnen-Michael Quinn Sullivan meeting could raise the stakes for the 2020 elections
Democrats hoping to flip the Texas House are touting the controversy surrounding the meeting as a sign of Republican dysfunction. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dennis Bonnen presiding over his first votes as speaker of the house. Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Five takeaways from the $80 million raised by Texas campaigns the first half of this year
Gov. Greg Abbott is a fundraising juggernaut, and Republicans still dominate campaign finance in the state. Full Story
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![State Capitol in the late afternoon on June 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Dennis Bonnen, Michael Quinn Sullivan and the Texas political roller coaster
In May, the House speaker was at the top of the political world. In terms of influence, Sullivan and his Empower Texans organization were near the bottom. And now? Full Story
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![From left: Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the Texas Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony on May 25, 2019.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
President Trump is talking about red-flag laws. Texas lawmakers have blocked those bills in the past.
In the wake of shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, the president and Congress are discussing laws blocking access to firearms for people considered an imminent threat. But here in Texas, bills that would do that have made little traction. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.]()
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After El Paso shooting, some Texas Republican leaders decry "white" terror
Land Commissioner George P. Bush linked the shooting with "white terrorism," while U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz called it a "heinous act of terrorism and white supremacy." Full Story
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![From left: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
After El Paso shooting, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says video games teach young people "to kill"
Patrick told "Fox & Friends" on Sunday that he believes a lot of factors contributed to the deadly shooting in El Paso, including violence on social media and the video gaming industry. Full Story
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![Lt. Governor Dan Patrick at a press conference regarding property taxes on May 1, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: For Texas lawmakers, a ballad of rope and dope
Texas lawmakers made it legal to farm hemp and, incidentally, harder to prosecute people caught with small amounts of marijuana, which is still illegal. Now they're bickering about whether that's the fault of the new law or of local prosecutors. Full Story
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![Industrial hemp plant (Cannabis sativa).]()
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Watch Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Dennis Bonnen's unexpected press conference
The "Big Three" announced additional National Guard deployments to the border and bashed Congress for failing to do more to halt a surge in migration. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen hold a joint press conference on the lawn of the Governor’s Mansion on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Texans approve of Trump’s job performance but have questions about his character, UT/TT Poll says
More than half of the state's voters think President Donald Trump is doing a good job, but they're not as pleased with some of his character traits, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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After House Republicans tackle big challenges in session, they face another one: saving themselves
Some Democrats are mobilizing in hopes of taking the nine House seats they need for a majority in 2020 as Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen tries to prevent intra-GOP challenges in the primaries. Full Story
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![Opening Day of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature with action in the Texas House
Election of Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, by unanimous vote.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill designed to limit property tax growth
A top priority of state leaders, the legislation requires voter approval before local governments increase their property tax revenue by more than 3.5%. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott signs Senate Bill 2 to limit property tax growth during a press conference at Wallyâs Burgers in Austin on June 12, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott signs $11.6 billion school finance measure into law
The high-priority bill boosts per-student funding and reduces property taxes across the state. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott signs the $11.6 billion school finance bill into law while surrounded by lawmakers at Parmer Lane Elementary School in Austin on June 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas Republicans, squeezed between tariffs and immigration
The president's threat to impose tariffs unless Mexico stops the flow of migrants into the U.S. has put Texas Republicans in a tough spot — choosing between their loyalty to Donald Trump and their worries about tariff's effects on the Texas economy. Full Story
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![U.S. President Donald Trump greets supporters as he disembarks Air Force One after landing at El Paso International Airport in El Paso on February 11, 2019.]()
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Some Texas gun rights groups oppose a state-funded gun storage safety campaign. But not the NRA.
Some gun rights groups want Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a line item in the Texas budget that puts $1 million toward a public safety campaign on gun storage. But one powerful bloc isn't actively opposing the measure: the National Rifle Association. Full Story
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![Rifles on display at McBride's Gun Inc. in Austin.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
After blocking David Whitley's confirmation, Senate Democrats see bills die on Abbott’s desk
A monthslong push from the governor’s office to confirm his longtime aide as secretary of state heated up in the session’s final days. Some Democrats feared retribution for defying the governor. Full Story
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![Texas Secretary of State David Whitley at a state Senate Committee on Nominations hearing on Feb. 7, 2019. Whitley was appointed to the job by Gov. Greg Abbott, but Whitley must first clear the committee, then win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune