Texas Legislature 101: Understanding the state government and how it passes laws
Here’s a rundown of how a bill becomes a law, how the Texas Legislature works and the power players who keep things moving under the Pink Dome. Full Story
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![A visitor of the House gallery listens to legislators speak during a debate on an abortion bill being considered on the House floor on May 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislative session begins today. Here are 6 things we’re watching.
Lawmakers begin work today for their biennial legislative session. They’ll debate over the state budget, school issues, border security and property taxes, among other issues. Full Story
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![A legislator fist bumps a House Administration staffer as they entered the House Chamber on Aug. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
“I want to fight”: LGBTQ Texans ready for legislative session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills
Republicans are backing legislation targeting gender-affirming care for children, classroom lessons about sexuality and drag shows. Full Story
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![Austin Pride Parade attendees wave rainbow flags as they pass the Capitol building, on Aug. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Democrats enter session with bipartisan hopes — and a new leader who’s prepared to fight
There are 64 Democrats in the 150-member House, one fewer than before the election. There is also one fewer Democrat in the Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, speaks at a press conference in reaction to a property tax reform proposal by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. The trio laid out their proposal earlier in the day. Jan. 31, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Republican Caucus backs Dade Phelan as Texas House speaker
Republican members of the Texas House endorsed Phelan’s bid for reelection in a nonbinding vote on Saturday. An official vote from the entire Texas House will take place in January. Full Story
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![Newly-elected House Speaker Dade Phelan speaks to the House of Representatives during opening ceremonies as the 2021 legislative session begins. Jan. 12, 2021.]()
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By tradition, the minority party gets to chair some Texas House committees. Some in the GOP want to end that.
Republican critics say conservative priorities will always be hamstrung if Democrats, who are in the minority party, get a say in which legislation reaches the floor. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan gavels the House into session on Saturday, August 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, one of the most far-right members of the House, announces he’s running for speaker
The current speaker, fellow Republican Dade Phelan, is expected to seek the gavel again but has not made an official announcement yet. Full Story
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![State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, speaks to a colleague on the House floor on July 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
1836 Project promotes sanitized version of Texas history, experts say
The Texas Tribune reviewed the 15-page document, which will be handed out to new drivers, and asked historians to comment on how accurately and thoroughly it chronicles the state’s history. Full Story
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![The Texas and U.S. flag wave in the wind outside of the John Reagan State Office building on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Republican Texas senator says he will support new rape exceptions for abortion
One of the longest-serving Republican state senators, Robert Nichols is among the first to say publicly he’d support revising the state’s abortion prohibition. He spoke Friday at The Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![Senate Republicans Peter Flores, Kevin Sparks, Robert Nichols and Phil King speak on a panel moderated by Tribune political reporter James Barragán at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022 in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan rules out raising the minimum age to buy a firearm
At the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, the Texas House speaker also signaled willingness to consider exceptions to the state’s abortion ban. Full Story
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![Dade Phelan, Speaker of the Texas House, speaks with Evan Smith at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022 in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Delayed: Mandatory maternal mortality rate data won’t be ready for Texas lawmakers in time for 2023 session
Lawmakers say they need the latest pregnancy-related death data to more precisely address the problem during the legislative session. But delays means they won’t see it until after the session ends. Full Story
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![Vanna Waldron (left) evaluates Erika Piñon at the Holy Family Birthing Center in Weslaco, Texas. Waldron is a Certified Nurse Midwife from Seattle, Washington, who is volunteering at the birthing center for a year.]()
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After Uvalde shooting, Texas leaders will spend more than $100 million on school safety, mental health
Almost half the money is going toward bullet-resistant shields for school police officers, a move that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on fellow state leaders to support. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference at Uvalde High School on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 in Uvalde. Twenty one people were killed after a gunman after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on Tuesday where two teachers and 19 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Uvalde was a mental health desert before a school shooting prompted Texas to respond with resources
After the May 24 school shooting, mental health help is now pouring into Uvalde, where a fourth of residents are uninsured and counseling options are few and far between. Full Story
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![People pray during the vigil at Uvalde County Fairplex on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/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 -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls for spending $50 million to buy bulletproof shields for school police
Patrick said he wants police in as many Texas schools as possible to have bulletproof shields before the fall. He’s asked other state leaders to move around money in the state budget to make it happen. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sits down at a press conference at Uvalde High School on May 25, 2022, in Uvalde. A gunman killed twenty-one people after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School on Tuesday where two teachers and 19 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
House Speaker Dade Phelan announces legislative committee to investigate Uvalde shooting
Phelan said it is an “outrage” that officials still do not have a clear picture of what happened during the shooting. The committee’s findings will inform the House’s legislative response. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 14.]()
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Republican Texas House races become high-dollar affairs as Tuesday’s primary runoff nears
The pricey fights illustrate how much of the action in Texas politics has shifted back to the primary after redistricting dramatically reduced the number of competitive seats. Full Story
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![An empty chair on the House floor on Oct. 12, 2021.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott voices clear support for school voucher program
Abbott said he supports giving parents the option to attend private school “with state funding following the student.” Such measures have failed in the Legislature in the past. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a rally in Conroe on Jan. 29, 2022.]()
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State GOP leaders win big in Texas legislative primaries
Almost all the preferred candidates of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan nabbed enough votes to head into the November general election. And nearly all sitting House and Senate members seeking to return to the Texas Capitol kept their seats. Full Story
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Las Vegas Sands launches $2 million PAC to continue its push to legalize casinos in Texas
The new Texas Sands PAC has already spread over half a million dollars across roughly three dozen primaries for the state House and Senate. Full Story
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![The Sands Expo and The Palazzo resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.]()
Credit: REUTERS/David Becker
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