Constitutional or not? Paxton asked to weigh in on $2.5 billion Senate budget trick
Paxton’s answer to that question could shake up budget negotiations in the final weeks of session. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Former lawmaker takes local battle over historic zoning to the Capitol
What began as a local dispute over the demolition of a 1910 house has escalated into a statewide battle over what makes a building historic — and who gets to decide. Full Story
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![House at 405 W. 14th St. in Austin on April 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Top liquor regulator got "hazardous duty" pay on Hawaii junket
The state's top alcohol administrator received "hazardous duty" pay while in Hawaii. And the TABC brass has gotten trained as police officers, which allows them to get take-home cars, free gas and an array of weaponry, according to records and interviews. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by John Jordan / The Texas Tribune -
House committee advances scaled-down "sanctuary cities" bill
The latest version of the Texas Legislature’s bill to outlaw "sanctuary cities" in Texas is a scaled-down version of what the state Senate passed out in February. Full Story
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![A coalition of immigrant rights groups protest SB 4 at the East steps of the Texas Capitol prior to a committee hearing on the sanctuary cities bill on March 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to lose Brazos Valley children's therapy provider
Easter Seals East Texas officials have put the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on notice they are ending services for 230 children in the Brazos Valley area on Aug. 31. Full Story
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Data shows Dukes has missed most votes in Texas House
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has missed more than 100 record votes during the current legislative session, the most of the 150 members of the House, according to a Tribune analysis of data from a legislative analytics website. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, speaks on the House floor during the budget debate on April 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A law that lets political majorities cheat — and win
Another federal judge has ruled that Texas legislators intentionally discriminated on the basis of race when changing voting and election laws. But even if the laws change back, the state still got away with it. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line at the University of Texas Co-op to cast their ballots in the March 1, 2016 primary elections.]()
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Texas parents fear being outed for seeking vaccine exemptions
Under House Bill 2249, the state would require reports on the number of vaccine exemptions at each public school. But parents say it could make it easier for people to publicly shame them for not vaccinating their children. Full Story
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![Nicholas Nunez, 4, sits with his mother, Elizabeth Trejo, while he receives his shots at the Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County in Fort Worth on August 30, 2013.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill / The Texas Tribune -
Sandra Bland's mother urges House committee to pass bill named after her daughter
The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
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Senate panel weighs alternate graduation route for students who fail exams
The Texas Senate Education Committee heard Tuesday from supporters, and a few critics, of a bill that would make permanent a 2015 law that allows students to graduate even if they haven't passed their required exams by going before a graduation committee. 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 -
Bill declaring fantasy sports legal passes House committee
In a hearing Tuesday, the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures approved a bill that would affirm the legality of online fantasy sports. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
Senate approves recusals for county clerks, judges objecting to same-sex marriage
Under a Senate-backed proposal, county clerks with religious objections to same-sex marriages can recuse themselves from signing marriage licenses. Full Story
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![Pamela Holwerds holds up her marriage license following the ceremony that married over 40 same-sex couples on the south lawn of the Texas Capitol in Austin on July 4, 2015.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for the Texas Tribune -
Senate panel considers requiring rest breaks for Texas construction workers
A Texas Senate panel considered legislation Tuesday that would require construction companies to give workers mandatory rest breaks — an effort to prevent illnesses and deaths from the sweltering Texas heat. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers seek to ensure no state funds reach abortion providers
An amendment to ban abortion providers from receiving any funds from the state budget passed in the House, but it's unclear how effective it would be in fully defunding groups like Planned Parenthood. Full Story
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![State Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, speaking at a Texas Tribune symposium. Jan 14, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Has Top 10 Percent Rule impacted diversity at UT-Austin? It's complicated.
It's hard to know exactly how the Top 10 Percent Rule has impacted diversity at UT-Austin, but data suggests it does boost the school's Hispanic population right now. Full Story
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![The University of Texas Tower, Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Hazlewood plan would leave benefits for current veterans untouched
Colleges are asking the state to pare back the state program that offers free tuition to veterans or their children. But key lawmakers in the Texas House don't want to mess with what's being offered to current veterans and their families. Full Story
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![Texas A&M Kingsville Army ROTC cadets (l-r) Andrew Wilson, Nathaniel Estes, Octavio Calleja-Ponce, Daniel Obrego and Cristian Barriosalas raise the flag in front of Texas A&M Kingsville's College Hall on October 26, 2016.]()
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"David's Law" would criminalize cyberbullying, mandate school policies
A Texas senator wants to criminalize cyberbullying when it leads to a minor's serious injury or suicide. Critics of the bill say prevention is more effective than punishment. Full Story
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Senate backs bill requiring minors obtain parental consent before joining unions
Minors in the state may be required to obtain parental approval before they can join a labor union under a proposal the Texas Senate tentatively approved along party lines Monday. Full Story
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![Happy Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, watches passage of SB 1 budget bill on a 30-1 vote April 14, 2015. Lone no vote was Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston.]()
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Bill penalizing celebratory gunfire up for debate in House panel
The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee heard testimony for a bill Monday that would penalize people for discharging a firearm without an intended target. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers consider election law change for language interpreters
Texas lawmakers on Monday considered changes to the state's election code regarding language interpreters for voters who are not proficient in English, three years after a voter's son was blocked from helping her cast a ballot. Full Story
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Credit: Shelby Knowles