State Rep. Naishtat Changes Mind, Will Not Seek Re-election
Longtime state Rep. Elliott Naishtat announced Thursday he will not seek re-election to the House seat he first won in 1990, despite saying earlier this week that he would. Full Story
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![State Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, at the at the Texas A&M Health Science Center in Round Rock.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: Equal Numbers of District Voters — or District Constituents?
When political districts are based on population, each official represents the same number of people. If the lines were based instead on voting-age populations, their districts could have large variations in the numbers of people — voters plus nonvoters — they represent and serve. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
State Rep. Reynolds Guilty of Ambulance-Chasing
State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, convicted of five counts of illegal solicitation of legal clients last week, was sentenced Monday to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine, but plans to appeal the verdict and will seek reelection in 2016.. Full Story
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![Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, during a House Environmental Regulations Committee meeting on April 16, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Court: Texas Elections Should Proceed with Current Maps
The state’s 2016 elections for Congress and the Texas House can proceed under the current political maps, a three-judge federal panel in San Antonio said late Friday. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Ahead of 2017 Session, Straus Issues Directives for Texas House
House Speaker Joe Straus issued more than 150 interim charges Wednesday, directing committees to study issues such as the effectiveness of border security operations and the impact of the plummeting cost of oil on the local economy. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is shown during a June 9, 2015, interview with The Texas Tribune.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
2015 Tribune Festival: Videos of the Keynote Sessions
During the keynote sessions of the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival, we featured one-on-one conversations with Dan Patrick, Joe Straus, Nancy Pelosi and Julián Castro. You can watch those interviews and videos of our other keynote sessions here. Full Story
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![The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival's keynote sessions included one-on-one conversations with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (clockwise, from top left), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, U.S. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Texas House Speaker Joe Straus. There was also a panel discussion on the 2016 presidential race.]()
Credit: Illustration by Shelby Knowles -
Video: Their Last Sine Die
Here's video of the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival's "Their Last Sine Die" panel, which featured former state Rep. Joe Farias and state Reps. Patricia Harless and Jim Keffer. Full Story
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2015 Tribune Festival: Audio From the State Keynote Track
The State Keynote track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival included interviews with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, as well as a pair of panel discussions focused on the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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Video: Joe Straus at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival
Here's full video of our conversation with Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Oct. 17 at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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Video: How Conservative Was the 84th Session?
Here's video of our "Really, How Conservative Was the 84th Session?" panel from Oct. 17 at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival. Panelists included State Sens. Paul Bettencourt and Konni Burton and state Reps. Stephanie Klick, Matt Rinaldi and Jonathan Stickland. Full Story
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Patrick Signals Interest in More Tax Cuts in 2017
Following a legislative session in which lawmakers debated whether to cut property taxes, business taxes, sales taxes or a combination of the three, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick signaled an interest Wednesday in continuing the conversation. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Analysis: Patrick Makes An Old Bill Come Due
Legislation that would have blocked public employees from paying union or association dues with paycheck deductions failed last session. But the Senate is reopening the issue, and it could play against a powerful House chairman up for reelection next year. Full Story
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![State Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, debates an amendment to SB19, an ethics bill on May 26, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: A Defense, but Where's the Threat?
State leaders are sending a signal that lawmakers are going to continue walking the margins between church and state, and religion and politics, through another election and legislative cycle. Full Story
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![A look at the dais on the Texas Senate floor on Oct. 8, 2015.]()
Credit: Emily Albracht -
Analysis: The Names Might Change, but the Party Labels Won't
By the numbers, there are some federal and state legislative districts in Texas that can be considered competitive in November general elections. There just aren't many of them. Full Story
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![Congressman-elect Will Hurd answers a question during a Texas Tribune event on Dec. 18, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Winning by Packing the Ballot
It should come as no surprise when political plotters and schemers try to pack a primary election to force an incumbent into a runoff. Their hope is that the runoff's greater concentration of partisan voters will be harder on the incumbents. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Joe Straus listened to a Jan. 13, 2015, speech by a fellow member nominating him for another term as speaker.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: A Look at Texas Voter Preferences by Political District
As the presidential political season starts in Texas, here's a look — based on the results in past general elections — at how the state's congressional and statehouse districts stack up for the candidates from both parties. Full Story
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![Early voting at the Acres Home Multiservice Center in Houston on Oct. 26, 2014.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Hard Way to Win a Speaker's Race
Anti-establishment Republicans have tried three times to knock House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, out of the top job. Now they're entering an election season nearly five dozen votes short of what they need. Full Story
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![House Speaker Joe Straus gavels out the 84th session of the Texas Legislature on June 1, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: Dancing With Those Who Brung Ya
Splitting the majority party in the House of Representatives leaves a potential speaker with two routes to the top. Lawmakers did it one way in Texas and another way in Washington, D.C. Full Story
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![TribFest 2014 Joe Straus interview with Ross Ramsey
Conversation San Antonio event on May12th, 2014 with Speaker of the House John Boehner
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Analysis: More Voices on State Business, and Perhaps, More Headaches
Allowing more people to register their opinions on issues before state legislators is technologically easy. But is it really something legislators want to do? Full Story
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![A hearing on Senate Bill 1 is shown on July 8, 2013.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Analysis: Citizen Feedback, Without the Road Trip to Austin
After a committee confrontation and a state police investigation, there's still a question about allowing people who aren't in the Capitol to register their support or opposition to legislation: Why not? Full Story
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![State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, being escorted out of a House Transportation Committee hearing chaired by Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, on April 30, 2015.]()