Check what happened to this regular session's most high-profile bills
After 140 days, what did Texas lawmakers actually accomplish? Here's our guide to what happened with the regular session’s most high-profile measures. Full Story
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Chris Essig is the data visuals editor at The Texas Tribune. Based in Austin, he leads a team of developers who build charts, maintain public databases and analyze data to help reporters hold elected officials accountable. Chris has been a newsroom developer for 10 years and has worked in several local newsrooms. As a native of the Midwest, Chris received his journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University and spent six years in Iowa working at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids and at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo.
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Despite "Texas miracle," affordable housing difficult for many urban dwellers
A new Harvard study found that Americans — especially poorer ones — are having a harder time find a suitable place to call home. Texas lawmakers, experts and development industry leaders say there are plenty of reasons why that's true here, too. Full Story
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![A home in West Dallas sits just a few blocks from where new developments are being built. The new construction is driving up the cost and property taxes of nearby homes. A new report from Harvard University says Americans in cities across the U.S. are having a harder time finding affordable places to rent or buy.]()
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Small beer makers say bill creates "extortion fee" as they seek Abbott's veto
Craft brewers want Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill that would put limits on some regulatory relief that benefits them. But supporters, including some major distributors, say the bill is needed to stop big beer companies that gobble up independent craft brewers from taking advantage of relaxed regulations. Full Story
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![Colorado-based Oskar Blues, which has a tap room in Austin, is opposed to a bill that would require it to pay what critics call an "extortion fee" to beer distributors.]()
Credit: Erika Rich for The Texas Tribune -
Take a closer look at the budget Texas lawmakers just passed
Did the Texas Legislature boost funding for border security? What about public education? Did they dip into the Rainy Day Fund? Here’s a wide-angle look at what's in the $217 billion budget the two chambers ultimately settled on. Full Story
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Survey of Texas delegation finds few Republicans weighing in on Russia
The Tribune asked all 38 members of the Texas congressional delegation whether Congress is appropriately overseeing investigations into relationships between Russia and members of the Trump team. Full Story
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![Former FBI Director James Comey (l.) was fired by President Trump on May 9, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles: James Comey/Bob Daemmrich: Donald Trump -
Here's what's at stake for Texas universities in Legislature's budget fight
Check out how each public university in Texas would fare under the House and Senate budgets. Full Story
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How do the Texas House and Senate budgets compare?
Both chambers have passed state budgets that spend around $218 billion but significant differences remain. With just a few weeks to go before the end of the session, here's a look at the key sticking points. 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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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 -
Here's where Texans in Congress stand on Trump's Syrian airstrikes
Texans in Congress mostly backed President Donald Trump's recent airstrikes in Syria, according to a Tribune survey of the delegation. Full Story
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![U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) conducts strike operations in the Mediterranean Sea, which the U.S. Defense Department said was a part of cruise missile strike against Syria on April 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Ford Williams/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS -
Harris County loses residents to other areas; Texas suburbs growing
In Texas, suburban counties lead in population growth as they continue to receive residents from other areas while urban counties are more dependent on international migrants and expanding families, new census figures show. Full Story
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