The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and state Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, acknowledged that there's no way to take politics out of the mapmaking process. Full Story
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Is "family planning" a euphemism for abortion? For many House Republicans, yes. It's not that they don't understand the difference — it's that they don't trust family planning clinics not to steer women toward abortions. Full Story
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In this week's episode, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben discuss the House budget and what it means for the Senate, pansexuals and Western civilization. Full Story
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The dust-up over who should be the steward of the Alamo continued into today's House Culture, Recreation & Tourism Committee, where three bills addressing the historic site were heard. Full Story
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Texans on all sides of the budget equation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for vastly different priorities. Full Story
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Texans on all sides of the budget equation rallied at the Capitol Wednesday for vastly different priorities. Full Story
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A bill from state Rep. Rob Eissler modifying how end-of-course exams factor into graduation led House Republicans into a debate over how best to handle student testing during what one called "extraordinary times" in public education. Full Story
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A Senate committee on Wednesday unanimously passed a bill that would prevent the Texas Veterans Commission — which faces a proposed 20 percent budget cut — from dipping into a fund it is barred from using for administrative purposes. Full Story
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Thousands of protesters chanted "They say, 'Cut back.' We say, 'Fight back'" as they marched to the Capitol this afternoon to rally against proposed budget cuts. Full Story
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The Senate today passed a bill that would reduce restrictions on post-conviction DNA testing by allowing biological evidence that was previously untested, or tested by older, potentially inaccurate techniques, to be tested and used as evidence in court. Full Story
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Data enthusiasts may be cringing at proposed federal cuts to data transparency websites, but the Texas Senate passed a bill today that would promote state transparency by requiring agencies to post high-value data sets online. Full Story
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Talk has resumed in the Senate — albeit quietly — about a so-called quality assurance fee, a revenue generator that would effectively tax hospitals to prop up the state’s cash-strapped Medicaid program. Full Story
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She’s volunteered at Emancipet, an Austin animal rescue group. Her Facebook page is populated with posts from animal rights groups. And she’s also an attorney for the state’s regulating agency who is helping to draft a bill that dog breeders say is designed to kill their industry. Full Story
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Lawmakers are looking for ways to reduce the effects of budget cuts on local governments — community colleges, school districts, cities and counties — by easing the unfunded mandates the state imposes on them. Full Story
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A House panel today considered bills that would decriminalize homosexual sex in Texas. Full Story
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Less than two days after approving a state budget that cuts $23 billion from current spending, Rep. Jim Pitts says House leaders are already talking among themselves about how much more money they'd be willing to spend. Full Story
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Fresh off its voter ID victory last month, the majority party in the House made good on its promise to go beyond that controversial measure to combat what it alleges is serious voter fraud with several new proposals. Full Story
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Texas need to address its structural deficit during the current session, or it will face even deeper financial problems in two years than it faces today, senate leaders said Tuesday afternoon. Full Story
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Texas needs to address its structural deficit during the current session or it will face even deeper financial problems in two years than it faces today, Senate leaders said Tuesday afternoon. Full Story
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There aren't any maps yet, but now there are two Texas redistricting lawsuits. The Mexican American Legislative Caucus has filed suit to block the use of what it calls flawed census data in drawing new political maps for legislative, congressional and State Board of Education districts. Full Story
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