Texas Senate votes to take up redistricting again
The redistricting process this year is mostly procedural and is not expected to produce very different results from the most recent process completed in 2021. Full Story
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![A woman waits for the Senate to gavel in from the Senate gallery on Aug. 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
As the share of white Texans continues to shrink, the Legislature remains mostly white and male
In the 2023 legislative session that convened Tuesday, 70% of lawmakers are men. More than half of the Senate and House members are white, and nearly half are white men. Full Story
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![Opening Day of the 2023 Texas Legislature at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directory
Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you. Full Story
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![The Texas House of Representatives on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Live video from the Texas House and Senate
The Texas Tribune is streaming the 2023 legislative session live from the Texas House and Senate chambers. The session runs from Jan. 10 to May 29. Full Story
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Texas Senate to ban reporters from chamber floor
The move to take news reporters off the Senate floor was implemented in 2021 as a COVID-19 precaution, but an official said Friday the measure would continue in the upcoming session. Full Story
![A woman waits for the Senate to gavel in from the Senate gallery on Aug. 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
After recount, Democrat remains winner of battleground South Texas Senate seat
Republican Adam Hinojosa conceded Friday after a recount that included three counties in Senate District 27, the most competitive senate district in the state. Full Story
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![Morgan LaMantia, Texas Senate District 27 Democratic Candidate, after a Futuro RGV candidate forum in Brownsville on Jan. 19, 2022.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says he will nominate retiring state Sen. Jane Nelson to be secretary of state
Nelson planned to retire from the Senate after 30 years in office. But her nomination will give Abbott a clearer path to having his nominee confirmed by the Senate after his last three have gone unconfirmed. Full Story
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![Then-state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, in the Senate on May 27, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Republican requests recount after loss in battleground race for state Senate seat in South Texas
Adam Hinojosa finished 659 votes behind Democrat Morgan LaMantia in a race that garnered 175,415 total votes. Full Story
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![From left: Adam Hinojosa and Morgan LaMantia. Hinojosa, Republican candidate for Texas Senate District 27, has asked for a recount against LaMantia, his Democratic opponent.]()
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Photos: Election Day 2022 in Texas
Texas Tribune photographers spread out all over the state to document a momentous midterm election. Full Story
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![Voters are in line at the Lark Community Center in McAllen on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick secures third term as lieutenant governor, beating Mike Collier
Patrick will get another four years leading the Texas Senate, one of the state’s most powerful positions. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks to reporters at a press conference at the state Capitol on Feb. 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans in tight races open to rape and incest exceptions to abortion ban
In some battleground state legislative races, Republicans have been making overtures to those who believe the ban as too extreme. They have said they are open to revising the ban to include the exceptions — and even voiced confidence that the Legislature will do so when it reconvenes in January. Full Story
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![People rallying for abortion rights march down Congress Avenue in Austin on May 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Democratic state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. endorses Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for reelection
The endorsement comes after Patrick’s Democratic opponent, Mike Collier, received endorsements from two Republicans, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and state Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo. Full Story
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![State Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, on the Senate floor on May 6, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Republicans, bullish on South Texas, weigh how hard to compete for a state Senate seat there
Republicans are starting to pay more attention to Texas Senate District 27 — the only competitive Senate seat in November — but whether they will go all in remains an open question. Full Story
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![Adam Hinojosa, Texas Senate District 27 Republican Candidate, answers questions during a Futuro RGV candidate forum in Brownsville on Jan. 19, 2022.]()
Credit: Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez sues DPS for not releasing Uvalde shooting records
State and local Uvalde officials have fought the release of records that could provide clarity on the botched emergency response to the shooting that killed 19 children and two educators. Full Story
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![State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, speaks during a Texas Senate Democratic Caucus press conference urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to address gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Uvalde at the Capitol on Jun. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Locks on 340,000 exterior school doors across Texas will be checked as part of Uvalde shooting response
Texas has more than 1,200 school districts, but the education commissioner promised plans for the review will be completed this summer. Full Story
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![Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath speaks to the State Board of Education members during a meeting in Austin on Jan. 29, 2019.]()
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Texas Senate Democrats call again for a special session on gun safety in response to Uvalde shooting
The senators said they would support proposals like raising the age to legally own an assault weapon from 18 to 21, creating red flag laws and regulating private gun sales. Full Story
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![State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, speaks during a Texas Senate Democratic Caucus press conference urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to address gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shooting in Uvalde, at the Capitol on Jun. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House speaker pitches spending more than $100 million for mental health, school safety programs
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked House leaders to support his push for arming school police officers with bulletproof shields after the Uvalde shooting. House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs. Full Story
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![Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, center, speaks with Gov. Greg Abbott, right, and State Rep. Ben Leman, R-Anderson, left, on the House floor on Sunday, May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, says it’s a “slap in the face” to be left off committee responding to shooting
Gutierrez, a Democrat who has been critical of the state’s response to past shootings, said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also snubbed state senators whose districts were affected by shootings in El Paso and Santa Fe. Full Story
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![State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, interrupted a news conference held by Texas Governor Greg Abbott at Uvalde High School, three days after a gunman killed nineteen children and two adults in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, on May 27, 2022.]()
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After another mass shooting, Texas Democrats again push for gun control measures
The question moving forward is whether Democrats, outnumbered in the Texas Legislature for two decades, will be able to put enough pressure on lawmakers to move on a previously intractable issue in gun-friendly Texas and that Republicans, who support looser gun laws, will fight tooth and nail. Full Story
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![Texas Democratic candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke speaks on stage at a protest of the NRA Annual Meeting in Houston on Friday, May 27, 2022.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate Democrats call for special session to raise the age to purchase guns, require universal background checks
All 13 Senate Democrats demanded lawmakers pass legislation that raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm and requires universal background checks, among other measures. Full Story
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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