Three indicted in Harris County on allegations of trying to illegally influence state House races
The indictments announced Friday were tied to races in Texas House Districts 132 and 142. Full Story
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![Jolie McCullough, reporter for The Texas Tribune, moderated the “Criminal Justice Reform We Can All Agree On” panel featuring Mark Gonzalez, Marc Levin, Joe Moody, Kim Ogg and Vikrant Reddy at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2017.]()
Credit: Kelly West for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick says people may need to take a coronavirus test 24 hours before testifying during the legislative session
Patrick and Republican state Rep. Dade Phelan, the likely next House speaker, “hope to be able to make an announcement regarding the Session shortly," a senior adviser to Patrick said Saturday. Full Story
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![Wide view of the Senate gallery as Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, begins a filibuster of SB 5 a bill that would tighten regulations on abortion providers in Texas, on the last day of the special session, June 25, 2013.]()
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Analysis: Despite vaccine hopes, lawmakers plan for more months of pandemic
The state's leaders are as anxious as everyone else to talk about vaccines and a Texas without the coronavirus. But this is going to take time, and while they're hopeful, they are planning for more months of pandemic. Full Story
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![State Affairs Committee member Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, at the hearing on Senate Bill 4, the "sanctuary cities" bill, on March 15, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Key Texas House leader says Capitol occupancy may be limited in upcoming legislative session
The Legislature is set to convene in January. Full Story
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas elections are over. Now it's time to govern.
The seasons change in the political world, too. We're in that periodic move from electioneering to governing. The Washington version is noisy. The Texas version is a bit quieter, but it's underway. Full Story
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![Exterior of the state Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: The presumptive House speaker and remote learning struggles in Texas
In this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Ross, Aliyya and Cassi about how state Rep. Dade Phelan became the likely next speaker of the Texas House and why remote learning has been so difficult for schools. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, held a press conference at the Capitol to declare that he had enough votes to become Speaker of the House. Nov 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
In Dade Phelan's bid for Texas House speaker, trust was key
Phelan was a prominent lieutenant of current House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, whose handling of the 2019 legislative session was popular before scandal brought him down. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, held a press conference at the Capitol to declare that he had enough votes to become Speaker of the House. Nov 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Lawmakers discuss the state budget, redistricting and their priorities ahead of Texas’ 2021 legislative session
Plus, what the Legislature will look like in a pandemic, and what Tribune reporters are watching most this legislative session. Full Story
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Allen West takes sharp-elbowed approach as Texas GOP chair, raising intraparty tension ahead of legislative session
West has protested outside the Governor's Mansion and called the likely next speaker of the Texas House a "political traitor." The upcoming legislative session will put his influence within the party to the test. Full Story
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![The Honorable Allen West gives remarks during TPPR's Policy Orientation on February 9, 2018]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Impeachment is a political option in Washington. In Texas, not so much.
Texas lawmakers rarely resort to impeachment proceedings, even when elected officials like Attorney General Ken Paxton are accused of misusing their public offices. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton walked across the Supreme Court plaza to hold a press conference in 2016.]()
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A handful of battleground races in Texas remain unsettled days after Election Day
Candidates have not yet conceded in at least three contests for state House, saying they want to see more ballots come in. Full Story
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![Harris County election workers process the MBB data cards which contain ballot results at the NRG Arena in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Bill filing for 2021 Texas session begins with legislation on abortion, police stops and redistricting
Thousands of bills are expected to be filed during the legislative session, when lawmakers will tackle issues including the next state budget and redrawing the state's political maps. Full Story
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![The Sergeant-At-Arms' team prepares bills, mostly House bills, marked on the calendar for the next day on May 21, 2019.]()
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Analysis: In Texas, a seasonal shift away from election politics
The seasonal change in Texas politics and government always seems fast, and it's upon us again. Lawmakers, elected last Tuesday, start filing legislation Monday, even as they fill campaign accounts in advance of the legislative session that starts in January. Full Story
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![Bills stack up on the Senate dais on May 24, 2017. The Senate is facing a midnight deadline to consider House bills less than a week before the end of the 85th Legislature.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
After 2018 wake-up call, Texas Republicans were ready to fight back this year
Republicans held the line against the biggest push to turn Texas blue in recent history. Full Story
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![A Trump supporter with his truck at Harris County Trini Mendenhall Community Center in Houston,Tuesday, November 3, 2020 as voters head to the polls.]()
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Analysis: Texas voters elect to stay the course
If you're going by the numbers of Republican and Democratic winners, nothing really happened in the general election in Texas this year. But there's a lot beneath the numbers. Full Story
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![A view of the state capitol on Election Day. Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas 2020 elections: 815 Texas mail-in ballots recovered and sent to counties in USPS sweep
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan earlier Wednesday ordered the agency to conduct two sweeps of processing facilities in the state for returned mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Tuesday. Full Story
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![Supporters of President Donald Trump outside of the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center during Election Day in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020.]()
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State Rep. Dade Phelan says he has votes to become speaker of Texas House
Phelan, a Republican from Beaumont, made the announcement the morning after the GOP maintained its control of the lower chamber in the 2020 elections. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, announces he has the votes to be elected the next speaker of the Texas House at a press conference at the Capitol in Austin on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020.]()
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Analysis: Texas voters still fly a red political flag
Texas Republicans might not be able to do everything their most ardent partisans would like, but Tuesday's election left them in the driver's seat in what remains a GOP-controlled state government. Full Story
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![Flags wave on Election Day at a merchandise stand in Kingwood owned by resident Homer Price.]()
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Democrats' hopes of flipping Texas again fall short as Republicans dominate the state's 2020 elections
This year proved another disappointment for Texas Democrats, who underperformed the high expectations they had set for themselves, particularly in a hotly contested battle for dominance in the Texas House. Full Story
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![A Republican party flag at an event by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in College Station in October.]()
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President Donald Trump wins Texas, Republican John Cornyn wins another Senate term
Texans were poised to set a record for voter turnout with Tuesday's election. Voters cast ballots in a litany of races, from president and U.S. Senate to seats in the Texas House. Full Story
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![Will Cash waves a Trump flag for motorists outside the Kingwood Community Center on Election Day. He and his friends biked around Kingwood with flags to show support.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune
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