The latest Dan Patrick news from The Texas Tribune.
Senate Bill 7 includes provisions to limit early voting hours, curtail local voting options and further tighten voting by mail. The upper chamber suspended its own rules to approve it after debating it for hours overnight. Full Story
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Senate Bill 7, a Republican priority voting bill, would limit early voting hours, curtail local voting options and further clamp down on mail-in voting, among several other provisions. Full Story
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House Bill 1535 expands eligibility for the Texas Compassionate Use Program to people with cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder. It's effective Sept. 1. Full Story
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Tensions between the two chambers are peaking, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is putting pressure on Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session for unfinished business on conservative priorities Full Story
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Abbott has the power to veto individual line items he objects to. Full Story
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Some conservative lawmakers are worried right now about bills falling to end-of-session deadlines, but several top Republican priorities have either crossed the finish line or are very close. Full Story
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In this week's TribCast, Matthew speaks with Ross, Patrick and James about the politics and the policy surrounding the lieutenant governor's push to reconvene the Legislature in June. Full Story
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HillCo lobbyist Rick Dennis did not slip GHB into the drinks of two legislative staffers, an investigation found. But a history of complaints against him for inappropriate behavior raises questions about how seriously the Legislature takes misconduct. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott responded, "Some are trying to end the game before the time clock has run out. There’s still time remaining for the House and Senate to work together to get important conservative legislation to my desk." Full Story
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GOP bills that sought to restrict or punish transition-related health care, like puberty blockers, missed key deadlines. But LGBTQ advocates say the mere specter that such measures could become law does mental health damage to transgender people. Full Story
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House Bill 1535 would expand the state’s medical cannabis program to include those with chronic pain, all cancer patients and Texans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Full Story
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The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions intended to make the law harder to challenge are poised to be tested in the courts. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers filed thousands of bills during the 2021 legislative session. Here are the big bills that passed – and the ones that failed. Full Story
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A key deadline passed Monday without action in the Texas House on casino legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands. A measure to allow sports gambling looks similarly doomed. Full Story
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Patrick, who twice chaired Trump's campaign in Texas, is up for a third term in 2022. Full Story
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Some heroes of the Texas Revolution were enslavers, a neglected piece of history that has helped stall a badly needed overhaul of the revered battle site. Full Story
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The Legislature still has plenty of big issues to address in its last month: electric outages, the budget and policing. At the same time, the Republican majority has its eye on issues that are dear to the conservative base: abortion, guns and elections. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott has called for expanding the state's civic education curriculum, but the House and Senate are quickly advancing bills that would restrict the discussion of current events and public policy in the classroom and prohibit critical race theory in public schools. Full Story
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Texas voters have a strong preference for politicians from their own parties, but overall, the president is as popular here as the governor or either of the state's U.S. senators. Full Story
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The bill would nix the requirement for most Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns. Texans would also no longer be required to receive training before carrying a handgun in public. Full Story
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