The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Supporters and opponents of two controversial new gun laws passed last year — open carry and campus carry — will update Texas lawmakers Tuesday on how the measures are working so far. Full Story
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At our 1/22 symposium on urban public education, John Fitzpatrick of Educate Texas talked about widening the high school-to-college pipeline with David Anthony, CEO of Raise Your Hand Texas;Susan Simpson Hull, superintendent of the Grand Prairie Independent School District; Daniel King, superintendent of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District; and William Serrata, president of the El Paso Community College District. Full Story
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At our 1/22 symposium on urban public education, Chris Coxon of Educate Texas led a discussion about social and emotional learning with Paul Cruz, superintendent of the Austin Independent School District; Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District; Terry Grier, superintendent of the Houston Independent School District; and Airick West, member of the board of directors for Kansas City Public Schools. Full Story
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At our 1/22 symposium on urban public education, I talked about the intersection of policy and population with superintendents Juan Cabrera of El Paso, Richard Carranza of San Francisco and Michael Hinojosa of Dallas and UTEP's Elena Izquierdo. Full Story
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A Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the University of Texas at Austin declared Monday that he will try to ban guns from his classroom this fall, even if university rules and state law say he can't. Full Story
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A Harris County grand jury on Monday indicted the videographers behind undercover recordings of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston and cleared the clinic of any wrongdoing. Full Story
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Taking aim at a new Texas law making it a state felony to harbor undocumented immigrants, a national civil rights group announced Monday that it is suing the state. Full Story
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The “lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key” crowd has given way to another wave — across party lines, by the way — that’s trying to rework everything from whom police take to jail to who remains there overnight. Full Story
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At our 1/22 symposium on urban public education, I talked accountability, demographic change, school choice and school finance with Mike Morath, the state's new commissioner of education. Full Story
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State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, will remain on the primary ballot for re-election in Senate District 13, despite his plan to seek the Harris County Commissioner's seat left open when Commissioner El Franco Lee died on January 3. Full Story
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Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth announced Friday that it will opt out of the state's new campus carry law, making it the 21st private college to decide to continue to ban guns. Full Story
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In the crowded race for Senate District 24, the challenge candidates face is standing out to voters across a sprawling district that stretches from Abilene to the northwest suburbs of Austin to tell the difference between them. Full Story
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In the Roundup: The U.S. Supreme Court will consider President Obama’s controversial immigration program, Gov. Greg Abbott travels to Israel and the state’s attorney general says participation on fantasy sports sites can involve illegal gambling. Full Story
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Texas should consider scrapping its top 10 percent automatic admissions rule for universities, which hurts the prestige of the University of Texas at Austin, UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven said in two separate public appearances this week. Full Story
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University of Texas System Chancellor Bill McRaven told the state's higher education oversight board Thursday that he probably should have consulted with them before buying about 100 acres for a new campus in southwest Houston. Full Story
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Full video of my 1/21 conversation with Glenn Hegar, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Topics discussed: oil prices, taxes, jobs and economic incentives. Full Story
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The chancellors of Texas’s top university systems defended their ambitious expansion plans to lawmakers Wednesday and some pushed back against the idea of more oversight of their growth. Full Story
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Despite a major victory in federal court last month, advocates for reforms to Texas’ long-term foster care system are steeling themselves for a lengthy battle to force Texas officials to follow through on changes ordered by a federal judge. Full Story
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While placing bets in fantasy sports leagues may involve skill, there is still an element of chance that would equate such leagues with illegal gambling in Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a nonbinding opinion released Tuesday. Full Story
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At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, explained why the border isn't secure, who's responsible, and what can be done about it. Full Story
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