The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Senate tentatively approved legislation that would revamp the state’s voter identification rules, a response to court rulings that the current law discriminates against minority voters. Full Story
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Last month, major business interests told Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick that his high-priority hailstorm insurance bill was a no-go. Now, support from other business leaders is pouring in. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott raised eyebrows last week when he threw his support behind a "broad-based law" that pre-empts local regulations. On Monday, Abbott did not back away from the idea — but offered more detail about what he meant. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Ted Poe resigned his membership from the Freedom Caucus, a hardline conservative group that helped derail the Obamacare overhaul bill. Full Story
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Before a rowdy town hall audience a day after House Republicans' efforts to repeal Obamacare collapsed, U.S. Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, did not back away from the GOP's years-long push to scrap the law. Full Story
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Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, said Friday he will be vindicated in the conspiracy case against him while his lawyers brushed off the suggestion a "deep state" shadow government was behind his arrest. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus said the controversial bathroom bill felt "manufactured and unnecessary." Full Story
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Watch a livestream of Texas House Speaker Joe Straus discussing the 85th Legislative Session with Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project. Full Story
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What issues matter most to you this session? Texas House Parliamentarian Chris Griesel explains one of the most basic ways to engage elected officials on those issues: speaking up. Full Story
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Groups suing Texas over its political maps have asked a federal court to ensure new congressional districts are drawn ahead of the November 2018 elections. Full Story
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An advocacy group says thousands of letters sent to rural lawmakers suggests widespread support for legislation that would create education savings accounts. But lawmakers — and some constituents — say the letters are dubious. Full Story
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In Wednesday's dawn-to-dusk fight over repealing the law that served as a central campaign issue for Republicans over the last four election cycles, Texans were right in the middle. Full Story
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As local control battles rage at the Texas Capitol, Gov. Greg Abbott is voicing support for a much more sweeping approach to the issues that have captured headlines. Full Story
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Texas GOP chairman Tom Mechler, an Amarillo oilman, insists that he wasn't lobbying when he asked the state to intervene in his clients' dispute with a pipeline giant. Full Story
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Though the proposals are unlikely to get very far, House Democrats are again pushing for a minimum wage increase in Texas. Full Story
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In opening remarks before the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz suggested Neil Gorsuch was "no ordinary nominee" and that his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court must be viewed in light of the 2016 presidential election. Full Story
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U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, a Midland Republican, questioned FBI Director James Comey at Monday's hearing on whether the intelligence community was certain that Russia intended to help Donald Trump become president. Full Story
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The Texas “bathroom bill” has made it to the House but chamber leaders are hinting that the controversial legislation may never reach the chamber's floor for a vote. Full Story
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Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, has been charged with violating federal election law. Full Story
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More than 600 people signed up on Wednesday to testify before the House State Affairs Committee on the lower chamber's version of the controversial proposal to outlaw "sanctuary" jurisdictions. Full Story
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