The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Our reporters crisscrossed the Texas Capitol and traveled to the Panhandle and East Texas — as well as the Netherlands and Honduras — to tell stories about the state's politics, people and places. From a story on a migrant's desperate journey to a look at how coal companies are leaving behind contaminated land, here is a selection of their best work of the year. Full Story
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Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen went from his January election to hero of the legislative session to historical footnote in less than a year. Several of the year's columns analyzed the politics of a speaker quickly losing the trust of the House that elevated him in the first place. Full Story
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The Texas 2020 primary will take place on March 3. See the full list of candidates statewide, and find out who's on your ballot based on where you live. Full Story
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Big election campaigns take years to mount. So some politicians aren't thinking about the 2020 elections. They're dreaming and planning for 2022. Full Story
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The Texas billionaire wanted U.S. courts to throw out a hefty judgment won against him in Morocco. The law wasn’t on DeJoria’s side. So Texas legislators changed it. Full Story
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A panel on the conservative-leaning U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sent the lawsuit back to a district court in Texas to reassess how much of the Affordable Care Act can stand if the individual mandate must fall. Full Story
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Political endorsements don't mean a lot, unless they bring in a lot of money or support — or attention to a particular candidate in a pack of unknowns. Full Story
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One of the proposed rule changes could make SNAP recipients ineligible if their vehicles are valued at more than $4,650. Full Story
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Dianne Hensley, who received a warning last month from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, will be represented by First Liberty Institute, a high-profile religious liberty law firm with close ties to the Texas Attorney General's Office. Full Story
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Abbott responded to criticism about his language by pointing to a decade's old Pace salsa ad. He told a critic to "lighten up." Full Story
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Fort Worth ISD fired Georgia Clark after she asked President Trump on Twitter in May to "remove the illegals from Fort Worth." The Texas Education Agency reversed their decision late last month mostly on procedural grounds, but the school district plans to appeal. Full Story
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Some elections are local; some are about state issues. The 2020 election in Texas is probably not going to be either of those things — national issues and personalities are leading the parade. Full Story
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The school's former police chief and his top deputy were accused of hiring unqualified officers to patrol the San Marcos campus — including one who allegedly slept with a sexual assault victim while investigating her case — university records show. Full Story
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The proliferation of mass shootings has opened up the debate about gun laws among politicians in Texas, and about whether new restrictions are needed. But not among all Texas politicians. Full Story
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In what promises to be a tumultuous and competitive election year, races for the Texas House are going to be a lot more interesting than those for the Texas Senate. Full Story
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The Granbury Republican filed Monday evening for Hood County commissioner. Full Story
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Political plans aren't necessarily clever or novel, as a recently leaked memo from the Texas GOP illustrates. But they do provide some insight into what worries the plotters. Full Story
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When state Rep. Rick Miller said two of his opponents were running because they're Asian, the real news was in the result, not in the gaffe. Top Texas Republicans reacted, publicly and quickly. Full Story
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After those two appointees left the commission, it handed down just a warning to the judge, Dianne Hensley. Full Story
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Two years ago, nobody knew who Beto O'Rourke was. It turned out not to matter in a race with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. But the current race for Senate is different. Full Story
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