The latest Joan Huffman news from The Texas Tribune.
Political candidates wanting a major boost from a public education voting bloc last week saw their hopes fall when teachers did not show up to the polls in the numbers they had expected. But educator voting advocates argue their political strength is only growing. Full Story
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Free speech on campus has become a hot-button issue, but it’s unclear how lawmakers can better protect it — or if they need to. Full Story
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Kristin Tassin, the president of the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees, is running against state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, in the 2018 GOP primary. Full Story
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The state of Texas on Saturday moved one step closer to joining the large majority of states that consider sexual conduct between humans and animals or fowl a crime. Full Story
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The Texas Senate tentatively approved legislation that would revamp the state’s voter identification rules, a response to court rulings that the current law discriminates against minority voters. Full Story
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Top Texas Republicans unveiled legislation Tuesday that would overhaul the state’s voter identification rules, an effort to comply with court rulings that have found the current law discriminates against minority groups. Full Story
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Sen. Kirk Watson's proposed bills would require universities to provide an anonymous online sexual assault reporting process and would prohibit administrators from punishing victims who reveal they were drinking underage at the time of an attack. Full Story
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Lawmakers want to stop deducting dues for union and non-union employee associations from state paychecks — but only for the employees they disagree with. Full Story
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After Harris County’s move to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, Texas lawmakers disagree about whether local jurisdictions have the discretion to enact such policies. Full Story
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Only one committee received a new committee chair in the Texas Senate. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, will chair the Senate Administration Committee. Full Story
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The governor and lawmakers promise to reignite their efforts to tighten ethics laws in Texas, but they have so far been missing a key incentive to make reluctant officeholders go along: public interest. Full Story
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State senators on Tuesday urged Texas' six university system chancellors not to single out students who carry guns on campus when the state's new campus carry goes into effect this August. Full Story
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Houston state Sen. Joan Huffman, who tried to shield the spouses of elected officials from ethics disclosure rules, has now revealed on her personal financial statement a slew of business interests held by her husband. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott accurately predicted the death of ethics reform months ago and concluded in a candid and prescient email to top staffers that he would likely be forced to call one or more 30-day special sessions to push meaningful reforms through a recalcitrant Texas Legislature. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed legislation that would have opened up a new loophole allowing elected officials to cloak assets held by a spouse. State Rep. Sarah Davis, whose bills contained the controversial amendment, said she wound up adding her voice to those calling for a veto. Full Story
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When the gavel comes down on the legislative session on Monday, lawmakers will have failed to pass into law about two dozen different proposals aimed at curbing conflicts of interest and shining light into the dark corners of the Capitol. Full Story
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The 84th Legislature closes the books on its 140-day regular session today. As the Tribune's Ross Ramsey writes, it isn't one for the history books. Full Story
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State Sen. Joan Huffman is facing criticism after authoring a measure allowing elected officials and bureaucrats to disclose less information about their spouses' property and financial activity. She says the change was needed to clarify an “unclear” Texas Ethics Commission rule. Full Story
Texas politicians are on the verge of creating a new system for prosecuting a unique type of white-collar crime — the type that involves them. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott wanted to "dedicate this session to ethics reform," and now must decide whether to sign a bill limiting the information he and other elected officials must disclose information about their spouses' property and finances. Full Story
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