Senate panel approves bill banning bestiality in Texas
"These are serious crimes," said state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, the bill's author. "The state's response should be as well." Full Story
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Postpartum depression bills get hearing before House lawmakers
House Public Health Committee members heard testimony on three measures — House Bill 2466, House Bill 2604 and House Bill 2135 — that would aim to increase access to postpartum depression screenings and treatment for mothers. Full Story
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Senate approves two-year tuition freeze, 1% cap on increases after that
The Texas Senate voted 29-2 to freeze tuition for two years, and then cap tuition increases at 1 percent plus inflation after that. The idea will now go to the House, where leaders are skeptical of tuition freezes. Full Story
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Judge denies request to dismiss some felony charges against Rep. Dawnna Dukes
A Travis County judge denied a request to dismiss four of the 13 felony charges against state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin at a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Feb. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Senate passes court security bill named in honor of Austin judge who was attacked
The Judge Julie Kocurek Judicial and Courthouse Security Act of 2017 passed the chamber Tuesday. Full Story
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![District Judge Julie Kocurek, who was severely injured in a 2015 shooting, greets state Rep. Tomas Uresti after she was mentioned in Chief Justice Nathan Hecht's State of the Judiciary speech on Feb. 1, 2017.]()
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House approves bill focused on mental health insurance benefits
Texas House members approved a bill that would prevent health insurance companies from offering mental health benefits differently from medical benefits. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune Conversation event with Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, and Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo, on January 26, 2017]()
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Five ways you can influence Texas lawmakers
If you're not a lobbyist or longtime activist, can your views still be heard at the Capitol? Full Story
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![View of the Texas House floor during the budget debate on House Bill 1 on May 29, 2015.]()
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House budget amendments seek to ignite controversial topics
House lawmakers seek to force debate on controversial topics such as transgender rights, bathroom use, border security and abortion when the state's proposed two-year budget comes up on the House floor on Thursday. Full Story
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House committee considers bill that would allow lottery winners to remain anonymous
On Monday, the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee considered House Bill 59, which would allow lottery winners of $1 million or more to remain anonymous. Full Story
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![A Texas Lottery sign in Austin on April 3, 2017.]()
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Houston foster child death spurs concerns over placement shortages
The death of a 15-year-old girl who ran away from a Houston Child Protective Services office on Sunday has advocates and legislators grappling with the worst-case scenario of the state's shortage of homes for abused and neglected children. Full Story
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![The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services building in Austin.]()
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Bills that would regulate powdered alcohol sent to House floor
Despite pushback from some opponents, a House committee approved two bills Monday that would regulate the sale of powdered alcohol in Texas. Full Story
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Analysis: At the Texas Capitol, a bill is merely dead, not sincerely dead
You might rejoice or bewail the death of a piece of legislation, but remember this time-proven adage: Nothing is really dead while the Texas Legislature is still in Austin. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers consider declaring fantasy sports sites like DraftKings legal
In a hearing Monday, Texas lawmakers will weigh whether to proclaim fantasy sports are legal. This comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton equated them to illegal gambling. Full Story
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Austin bar ends battle with TABC after agency returns crowler machine
A local Austin coffee bar has been fighting the TABC since 2015 for the right to sell crowlers, aluminum cans filled with draft beer and sealed with a pull tab lid. Legislators are trying to prevent similar conflicts in the future. Full Story
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![Mike McKim is on the front lines of state alcohol regulators' attempts to ban "crowlers," or tap beer sold at bars in cans. After more than a year and a half of legal battles, the TABC returned his crowler machine on Thursday and he resumed crowler sales on Friday.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Thompson and White on CPS, public ed, mass incarceration (video)
Full video of Evan Smith's 3/31 conversation with state Reps. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, and James White, R-Hillister. Full Story
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Analysis: In Texas, principles matter, but exceptions may apply
Things almost never come out of the Texas Legislature — if they come out at all — in the same shape they went in. Principles give way to exceptions and compromise, and the final product can differ greatly from the original idea. Full Story
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Texas Republicans defend "bathroom bill" as North Carolina tweaks its law
As North Carolina lawmakers voted Thursday to revise that state's "bathroom bill," Texas Republicans pushing a similar measure said they are not backing away from their proposal. Full Story
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Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Despite concerns, Texas legislators push to regulate powdered alcohol
Concerns about powdered alcohol have led 34 states to ban or considering banning it. However, both the House and Senate are considering legislation that would regulate the product in Texas. Full Story
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House panel hears testimony on child welfare religious liberty bill
House State Affairs Committee members heard testimony Wednesday afternoon on House Bill 3859, which would allow faith-based organizations to exercise their “sincerely held religious beliefs” when participating as providers in Texas’ child welfare system. Full Story
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![State Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, the chairman of the House State Affairs Committee, listened to testimony about how researchers use fetal tissue on April 28, 2016.]()
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Texas Senate tentatively approves fetal remains bill
The Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill that would change how health providers in the state handle fetal tissue Wednesday. Full Story
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![Protesters of Texas' fetal remains burial rule gather outside the Governor's Mansion on Jan. 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune
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