Bill to ban texting while driving clears Senate
The bill's author, state Rep. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, said he will concur with the Senate's changes. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
House delays vote on bill Patrick calls crucial to preventing special session
A controversial property tax bill may not get a House vote for a few more days, as the legislative clock winds down and the lieutenant governor's threats of a special session linger. Full Story
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![House Speaker Joe Straus confers with State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, during the House session on May 15, 2017. Bonnen is Speaker Pro Tempore and acts as the presiding officer of the House when Straus is absent.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Plan to overhaul Texas Rainy Day Fund and boost returns losing steam
A proposal to dramatically reshape the state’s savings account to set aside more funds for tough economic times has effectively died in the final days of the legislative session. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Axel Alfonshartmann -
Author of effort to peel back Top 10 Percent Rule says his bill is dead
State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, says he doesn't have enough votes to repeal or peel back the Top 10 Percent Rule for college admissions. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, discussed higher education issues during a Texas Tribune event on April 4, 2017. Seliger is chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers facing talk of a potential special session
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says state lawmakers might be staying in Austin past May 29 if some key measures, including the “bathroom bill,” don’t pass the House. Full Story
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Analysis: Property tax relief doesn’t equal extra money in your pocket
There's a simple test to tell you whether the promise of a tax cut is really a tax cut: Is there money in your hand? Full Story
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![At a May 17, 2017, news conference, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told reporters that the House had to pass two items — property tax reform and the "bathroom bill" — or he'd look to force a special session.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Rick Perry throws support behind bills to reform criminal justice in Texas
In a Houston Chronicle op-ed, Perry endorsed two measures moving through the Texas Legislature: one that would seal certain offenders' records and another that seeks to make the grand jury process more fair. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry addresses media at a press conference following the unveiling of his official portrait at the Texas Capitol on May 6, 2016]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas House halts effort to ensure access to public information
The Texas House has thwarted an effort to patch what some called “glaring loopholes” in public records law, recently punched by the Texas Supreme Court. Full Story
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Credit: The Sunlight Foundation -
Educators take issue with Senate plan for school assessment
Educators and advocates found it hard to concur on the Senate's version of House Bill 22, either finding it too restrictive and tied to standardized tests or not quite strict enough. Full Story
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![State Sens. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood (center), and Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville (right), during a Senate Education Committee meeting March 21, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes child welfare reforms
The Texas House on Thursday passed a package of sweeping measures aimed at addressing a crisis in the state's child welfare system. Full Story
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Senate budget writers approve bill to plug two-year-old funding holes
The Texas Senate Finance Committee has voted to spend about $800 million in state funds to cover a Medicaid shortfall in the current two-year budget. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, visits in the House chamber with state Rep. Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock, on April 25, 2017. Nelson is co-chair of the conference committee working out the details of Senate Bill 1, the state budget.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
After waiting 3 days to see dead son, grieving mom hopes to change Texas law
Currently, parents need permission from a justice of the peace or medical examiner to see their deceased child if his or her death occurs outside a hospital or health care institution. Full Story
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![Wyatt McDaniel died in an accident while playing in a sand pile with his little brother on Jan. 25, 2013. His mother, Lara McDaniel, was not able to view his body until after his autopsy and is advocating for Texas lawmakers to adopt "Wyatt's Law."]()
Credit: Facebook page/used with permission -
Senate sends bill creating statewide ride-hailing regulations to governor
After a debate among lawmakers over the best way to regulate services like Uber and Lyft, the Texas Senate tentatively backed a proposal that would override local regulations concerning ride-hailing companies. Full Story
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![Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, visits with State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, after Senate passage of HB 100, which would regulate ride-hailing companies statewide.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas budget negotiations turn to higher education as a deal inches nearer
Members of both chambers of the Texas Legislature say they are getting closer to agreeing on a budget. One of the last sticking points? Higher education. Full Story
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![House Appropriations Chairman John Zerwas, R-Richmond, and Senate Finance Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound.]()
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Texas Senate approves ban on straight-ticket voting
The Texas Senate gave initial approval Wednesday to legislation that would eliminate straight-ticket voting in all elections. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-Richland Hills, debates Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, on the merits of House Bill 25, which would eliminate straight-party voting in Texas. Garcia argued that the measure would result in discrimination and in even lower voter turnout.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Patrick takes hostages — and control of legislative session
Amid rumors of a special session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick put out a short list of bills he wants the House to pass if he's going to let the Senate advance must-pass legislation. And he appears to have the upper hand in the last days of the session. Full Story
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![At a May 17, 2017 press conference at the Capitol, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warns he'll seek a special session if the House doesn't pass certain legislation.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Patrick threatens to force special session over tax, bathroom bills
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened to push for a special legislative session to pass bills to regulate bathroom use for transgender Texans and set new thresholds for when cities and counties must get voter approval for tax rates. Full Story
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![At a May 17, 2017 press conference at the Capitol, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warns he'll seek a special session if the House doesn't pass certain legislation.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The only two reasons the Legislature needs extra time
Rumors of a special session are a normal feature in the last days of a regular session. There's no emergency that would force a special session, but don't discount the Texas Legislature's ability to force one by failing to finish its work. Full Story
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![State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, chairman of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee, meets with fellow members on the Senate floor on May 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
West Texas churches pray to Legislature for electricity rate relief
Facing sky-high electricity rates, several West Texas churches hope lawmakers will answer their calls for relief in the final days of the Legislative session, but the odds look slim. Full Story
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![Champion Baptist Church in Roscoe, west of Abilene, is among several West Texas churches grappling with high power line prices.]()
Credit: Pastor Bruce Parsons -
Even in Texas, sometimes the billionaires lose
After billionaire Warren Buffett met with Gov. Greg Abbott and other top leaders, a bill to grant him a loophole from protectionist Texas auto laws seemed to be fast-tracked, until Tea Party activists found out about it. Full Story
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![Warren Buffett in 2010.]()
Credit: White House