Texas Voter ID Law Violates Voting Rights Act, Court Rules
Texas’ voter identification law violates the U.S. law prohibiting racial discrimination in elections, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. Full Story
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Analysis: For Some Texas Republicans, Useful Distractions Back Home
Republicans who want to stay out of the national conversation about the presidential race — the speaker of the Texas House, to name one — there are a handful of races at home that offer plausible excuses. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is shown at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 19, 2016.]()
Credit: Alana Rocha / The Texas Tribune -
Texas Lawmaker: Legislature Should Invest in Maritime Ports
The state Legislature should increase its focus on maritime ports and dedicate money to increasing their capacity during next year's session, said state Rep. Larry Gonzales during a House committee hearing Monday. Full Story
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![Shipping container cranes in the Port of Houston]()
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Greg Abbott: Targeted Killing of Police Officers Should Be a Hate Crime in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott's proposal comes after weeks of targeted killings of police officers and growing tension over disproportionate encounters between black Americans and law enforcement. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott accepts Site Selection's 2015 Governor's Cup Award on behalf of the state of Texas on March 9, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Miles Nominated to Replace Ellis for Houston Senate Seat
State Rep. Borris Miles of Houston has captured the Democratic nomination to replace state Sen. Rodney Ellis, putting him on track to win the seat in November. Full Story
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![Outgoing state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and state Rep. Borris Miles, D-Houston, chosen by a majority of precinct chairs to replace him.]()
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Lawmakers Ask Whether Agencies Abused Emergency Leave Policy
Lawmakers peppered policy experts with questions about whether state agencies who keep departing employees on the state payroll by placing them on "emergency leave" violated state law, during a hearing on Tuesday. Full Story
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![State Reps Todd Hunter, Lyle Larson and Chris Turner listen as representatives of the State Auditor's Office testify before the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics July 12, 2016. The committee is investigating the use by state agencies of emergency leave and settlement payments to departing employees.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Six Months In, Few Open Carry Complaints
Six months ago when properly licensed Texans began openly carrying handguns, anti-gun activists and Second Amendment backers were sharply divided over what to expect. So far, gun owners seem to have the most complaints. Full Story
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![Delegate James Blair of Cherokee County open carries a firearm while leaving the Dallas Convention Center at the Republican Party of Texas gathering on May 14, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick Blames Black Lives Matter Movement for Dallas Shooting
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joined a handful of other Texas Republican officials Friday in blaming previous Black Lives Matter protests for the shooting in Dallas that left at least 5 police officers dead. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick assures the audience at the Freedom, Faith and Fellowship event May 12, 2016 that he will uphold conservative principles as leader of the Texas Senate in 2017.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune/Bob Daemmrich -
Divided Anti-Abortion Groups Map New Strategies
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has thrown out their greatest legislative victory — the House Bill 2 abortion restrictions — Texas abortion opponents are trying to decide what comes next. Full Story
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![Demonstrators celebrate at the U.S. Supreme Court after the court struck down HB2 in Washington, D.C. on June 27, 2016.]()
Credit: Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS -
Paxton Ramps Up Fight Against Transgender Policy
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked a federal judge in Wichita Falls to put a nationwide halt on the Obama Administration’s directive instructing school districts across the country not to discriminate against transgender students. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton holds a press conference on June 9, 2016 in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to discuss the filing of a lawsuit against the state of Delaware]()
Credit: Bill Clark for The Texas Tribune -
Pay Caseworkers and Fosters More, Chief Says
In a wide-ranging interview, Hank Whitman, the new commissioner overseeing Child Protective Services, explains how he thinks he can turn around a child welfare agency crippled by low morale, high turnover and a spate of high-profile child deaths. Full Story
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![Hank Whitman, commissioner of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, took office May 1.]()
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State Leaders Ask Agencies to Cut Budgets by 4 Percent
Texas' top elected officials are asking state agencies to scale back their budget requests by 4 percent, seeking to further rein in state spending for the 2018-2019 cycle. Full Story
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![From left: Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are shown on May 21, 2015.]()
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Analysis: No Political Benefit if Voters Can't Feel Property Tax Relief
Texas lawmakers want to get a leash on property taxes, which requires them to restrain local governments. The local governments point to expensive state government mandates that drive up their costs. It's hard to fix blame, or credit. Full Story
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![Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Sharp Drop in Abortions Followed Restrictions
The number of drug-induced abortions in Texas plummeted in the first full year after the state's strict 2013 abortion law took effect, according to statistics released Thursday by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Full Story
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![Lara Chelian, center, and her mother, Renee Chelian, both abortion providers from Michigan, hold signs in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., as Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt is argued inside on March 2, 2016. The case is focused on the Texas law known as House Bill 2.]()
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More Lawmakers Call on Texas to Postpone Therapy Cuts
With two weeks to go before Texas is set to slash a program's funding that pays for therapy services for children with disabilities, therapy providers are announcing new support from state lawmakers to postpone the cuts. Full Story
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Abortion Legal Fight Cost Texas More Than $1 Million
The legal battle to defend Texas' 2013 abortion restrictions — which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional on Monday — cost Texas taxpayers more than $1 million, according to records obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![Demonstrators celebrated at the U.S. Supreme Court on June 27, 2016, after the court struck down a Texas law imposing strict abortion regulations.]()
Credit: Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS -
Here Are the Texas Abortion Clinics That Have Closed Since 2013
Though the Supreme Court on Monday handed Texas abortion providers a major victory by striking down the state’s most stringent abortion restrictions, House Bill 2 leaves behind a trail of shuttered clinics. Take a look. Full Story
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DMV Board Votes to Hike Some Vehicle Registration Fees
Over the objection of some local officials, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Board passed proposals Monday that will impact how much Texans pay for vehicle registrations as well as potentially drive some private firms out of business. Full Story
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![Fry Auto Title Service in South Austin.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang / The Texas Tribune -
Vindication For Wendy Davis and "Unruly Mob"
Almost three years to the day after Wendy Davis held the Texas Senate floor in a filibuster against abortion restrictions that galvanized reproductive rights activists, vindication came Monday in the form of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Full Story
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After Supreme Court Ruling, What's Next for Abortion in Texas?
After the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that found a Texas anti-abortion law unconstitutional, state lawmakers here are already plotting a course for new rules that could limit the practice of abortion. Full Story
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![Anti-abortion activists on the Texas Capitol lawn on the first day of the second special session of the Legislature, July 1, 2013.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman
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