Different pace and priorities separate Texas Senate and House on school vouchers
The gaps over eligibility and on spending levels are narrower than the fundamental differences of the previous session. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows applaud as Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock gives the biennial State of the Judiciary speech in the Texas House chamber on Feb. 26, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers weigh moving bingo operations out of Texas Lottery’s purview amid agency’s uncertain future
A possible reassignment of the charitable games comes as 15 bills in the Legislature seek to either alter or abolish the troubled agency. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, Christian right grows confident and assertive
Emboldened by court rulings and election victories, the Christian right is outspoken as it pushes its moral views through the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![FILE: The 10 Commandments plaque on the Capitol grounds in Austin on July 17, 2012.]()
Credit: Ariel Min for The Texas Tribune -
These are the proposals lawmakers hope will save Texas’ water supply. Track them here.
Most lawmakers — as well as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — want to invest big in water. Here are the proposals that would do it. Full Story
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![Cotton fields near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans seek to clarify when doctors can intervene under abortion bans
A Senate bill filed Friday does not expand abortion access, but aims to give doctors clarity while operating under laws that come with up to life in prison. Full Story
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![A surgical suite at Eastland Memorial in Eastland on March 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Gary Rhodes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers will debate saving the state’s water supply after key legislation is introduced
The state House and Senate have similar proposals to solve the state's water crisis, but there are stark differences on how to invest billions of dollars to resolve. Full Story
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![A water tower in Starr County near the Falcon Dam on Aug. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill would increase oversight of universities’ hiring, curriculum and compliance
Senate Bill 37 would create a state office to investigate complaints against universities and require governing boards to ensure courses don’t endorse certain ideologies. Full Story
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![View of the Administration building on the Texas Tech University campus on July 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Want to understand Texas’ water crisis? Start with the guide to water terms.
Water is complex. So are the terms used to describe it. Get to know the language as Texas debates how to save its water supply. Full Story
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![The secondary clarifier at the Bustamante Waste Water Treatment Plant expansion in El Paso on March 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Southern University asks for $120 million to replace aging law school
Law students might lose financial aid if TSU does not address health and safety concerns about the building. Full Story
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![Students walk along the Tiger Walk through campus on the first day of class at Texas Southern University on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate panel sends message to Trump: Get our water from Mexico
Farmers and elected officials told a Senate committee Monday that the lack of water is becoming dire, with little relief in sight. Full Story
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![Water marks are seen on the dam gates and concrete at the Falcon Dam in Starr County on Aug. 18, 2022. This area of the reservoir is normally under water, but because of an extended drought, water levels have been below 20% full since earlier this year. The Falcon Dam was dedicated by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines in 1953.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Why a Rio Grande Valley hospital is helping to feed its patients
As the Edinburg facility and others seek to assist people experiencing food insecurity, state lawmakers have more than a dozen bills that could tackle Texas’ food deserts. Full Story
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![Evangelina Yzaguirre, a cancer patient at DHR, receives food aid from the hospital food pantry program.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves bill changing how schools select library books
Senate Bill 13 would create school library advisory councils largely made up of parents. It would give school boards, rather than librarians, the final say over new books. Full Story
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![Shelves filled with books at a school library in San Marcos.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas officials still don’t know how West Texas measles outbreak started
Texas’ health commissioner fielded questions from state lawmakers about the outbreak and vaccine risks. Full Story
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![An Austin Public Health truck is decorated with an advertisement encouraging vaccinations while parked outside the Austin Public Health office at the Bergstrom Technology Center in Austin, Feb. 28, 2025.]()
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New Texas Supreme Court chief justice calls for judicial raises, changes to bail laws
Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock embraced constitutional originalism, a judicial philosophy tied to conservatism, in addressing the Legislature. Full Story
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![Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock gets applause from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, and House Speaker Dustin Burrows as he starts the State of the Judiciary speech on February 26, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
“We’re in competition”: An East Texas school district faces hard choices as education options grow
The Lufkin school district says it must do a better job of promoting itself amid growing competition from charter schools and homeschooling. Full Story
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![Students get onto a bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
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Texas House unveils plan to cut property taxes, setting up fight with Senate
Lawmakers will debate how to spend $3.5 billion in proposed tax cuts, a legislative priority for Republican leaders. Full Story
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![Newly developed apartments sit next to older homes in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas on July 11, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Watch crypto leaders on the future of bitcoin mining and energy innovation in Texas
Crypto mining facilities make up the bulk of new power demand on the grid, which is projected to nearly double by 2030. Full Story
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Texas bill could help turn empty offices into housing
Supporters hope easing zoning rules will entice landlords to renovate and ease the state’s housing crisis. Full Story
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![A view of downtown Dallas from The Tower Club on the 48th floor of the Santander Tower in downtown Dallas, on Nov. 07, 2023. Texas metros have a glut of vacant offices space driven by the rise of remote work, overbuilding and other factors during the pandemic. One option companies are doing to combat the changes, is to convert office space into residential housing.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House wants to give public schools $220 more per student
The proposal, filed Thursday, comes well short of the increase school administrators and education advocates have been asking for. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students take part in a class activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Under Texas House bill, value of education savings accounts would be tied to public school funding
The proposal sets a few possible points of contention between the House and Senate, including how much money should families get through the program. Full Story
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![Corina Pannabecker teaches first grade at Ogden Elementary in San Antonio on April 30, 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune
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