The latest Greg Abbott news from The Texas Tribune.
This is the first legislative session since the storm devastated the Texas Gulf Coast in August 2017. Several measures are afoot to aid in recovery and mitigate the effects of future disasters. Full Story
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Top Republican leaders have proposed raising the sales tax and using the money to lower local property tax rates. Wealthier Texans and businesses would likely benefit, while poorer Texans would likely pay more. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature is in its biennial spasm of drama, with big bills stuck and some state leaders saying it will take a special session to get property taxes, school finance and all of that done. But they have six weeks to go, and they often do their big work on deadline. Full Story
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The state's top three leaders bet everything on public education and property taxes this year, but they can't get where they're going — especially if they want to cut property taxes — without bringing some Democrats to their side. Full Story
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Texas State University administrators and the student body president blocked the student senate's attempt to ban the conservative group Turning Point USA from campus. Full Story
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House leadership plans to hold a floor vote on Monday. Meanwhile, the Senate is looking for one more vote to bring the priority measure to the floor. Full Story
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On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Ross, Shannon and Emma about why the top three Republicans in Texas just got behind raising the state sales tax, why national Democrats are suddenly pouring so much money into Texas and which Texas Senator you should be keeping a close eye on as the session enters its final weeks. Full Story
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Since 2005, state lawmakers have received the agency's biennial report detailing inefficiencies in government, but this year the report was not made public. Full Story
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In recent weeks, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has swiftly sued two companies over major fires at their Houston-area plants. It's a dramatic departure from the state's usual approach to environmental enforcement. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature is trying to focus on school finance and property taxes. But flashier, more divisive political fights beckon. Full Story
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Patrick Murphy was one of the escaped convicts sentenced to death for the murder of Irving police officer Aubrey Hawkins during a robbery. The high court stopped his execution because Texas officials wouldn’t let a Buddhist chaplain into the death chamber with him. Full Story
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Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an environmental lawsuit against Intercontinental Terminals late Friday seeking tens of thousands of dollars in damages. Full Story
Busby, a Republican judge and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, served on an appellate court in Houston until voters rejected him in November as part of a Democratic sweep. Full Story
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The newfound push this session around school safety and preventing mass shootings is reinvigorating ideas about mental health care for Texas children. But advocates often cringe when legislators make the argument that mental health care is the key to preventing mass shootings. Full Story
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Halfway through the legislative session, lawmakers say they're getting along. But they have a long way to go to achieve their goals this year. Full Story
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Hall led a heated battle to reform the school's admissions procedures, which led to reforms in 2015. But after a UT tennis coach was accused of taking a bribe to help a student gain admission, Hall says more needs to be done. Full Story
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A tennis coach at the University of Texas was among those charged in the fallout from the scandal. Full Story
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O'Rourke came close to a big political upset last year by harnessing Democratic voters' desire to deny Ted Cruz another term in the U.S. Senate. Could that work in a presidential race? Full Story
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Democrat Ray Lopez won the special election runoff Tuesday night for the seat formerly held by state Rep. Justin Rodriguez, D-San Antonio. Full Story
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The announcement, made in an internal email, is part of a new but expected wave of cuts aimed at trimming the system's overhead. Full Story
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