An amendment about waste facility fees was added to a widely supported domestic violence bill. Will it stick?
Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's office said Saturday that she "is still evaluating all options available to save SB 1804." Full Story
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![Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, at a state Senate Committee on Nominations hearing for Texas Secretary of State David Whitley on Feb. 7, 2019. Whitley was appointed to the job by Gov. Greg Abbott, but Whitley must first clear the committee, then win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Texas picklers get a victory from the Legislature
A proposal on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott would make it easier for pickled beets, carrots and other produce to be sold at farmers markets alongside pickled cucumbers. Full Story
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![Anita McHaney displays a photo of her beets and carrots. She and her husband stopped farming after learning that they could not sell pickled beets.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Bill to better protect landowners during land condemnations passes Texas House
Although it cut some provisions from the Senate version, the House committee substitute to Senate Bill 421 keeps public meeting requirements and protects against low-ball offers for landowners facing eminent domain actions. Full Story
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![A warning sign indicates where the Exxon Mobile Pegasus pipeline cuts through the Harbor Point Estates neighborhood and into the Cedar Creek Reservoir in Gun Barrel City on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2013.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes bill to spend more than $3 billion to help pay for flood control projects
With the damage from Hurricane Harvey in mind, lawmakers approved two bills aimed at better preparing the state for natural disasters. Full Story
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![Damage from Hurricane Harvey near the gulf coast on August 27, 2017.]()
Credit: Tomas Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A rumor of a game of succession in the Texas Senate
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has done his best to knock down rumors he might take a job with the Trump administration. That hasn't stopped talk about what might happen if he leaves his current job. Full Story
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![Senator Kirk Watson, who was recently elected Senate President Pro Tempore, receives a senate gavel from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes bill defining fantasy sports as legal game of skill
While critics say fantasy sports sites are hubs for illegal online gambling, others contend the games are based on skill and are therefore legitimate. Full Story
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![Fanstasy sports sites Fan Duel and Draft Kings financially supported the Texas Fanstasy Sports Alliance to advance fantasy sports legislation in Texas.]()
Credit: Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
A creek flowing to the Colorado River turned black. Now the state has sued the alleged polluter.
Residents near Altair began complaining that Skull Creek reeked of chemicals. The Texas attorney general's office says a local company is to blame. Full Story
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![Contaminated black water flows through Skull Creek and crosses over a country road downstream from Inland Environmental & Remediation, Inc., near Columbus, Texas, on April 15, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
State lawmakers aim to lock in funding for Texas parks, historic sites
In 1993, the Legislature passed a law that said state parks and historic sites could receive all of the money generated by a tax on the sale of sporting goods. Since then, state lawmakers have given the parks department only about 40 percent of those collections. Full Story
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![Balmorhea State Park.]()
Credit: Chase A. Fountain/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department -
Texas Legislature sends another tree bill to Abbott
Days after approving an amended version of a House bill on tree regulations, the Senate voted to reverse itself late Monday night, rolling back two amendments that House Speaker Joe Straus had rejected. Full Story
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![A neighborhood in East Austin on Feb. 23, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texans with disabilities say bathroom bill could further complicate their lives
When it comes to this summer's "bathroom bill," Texans with disabilities say they — like many transgender men and women — believe the Legislature is further complicating something that’s already difficult to navigate. Full Story
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![Octavio Armendariz, 8, smiles as he watches cartoons on his iPad in his living room at his home in El Paso, Texas. Octavio has moderate-to-severe autism and severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers consider declaring fantasy sports sites like DraftKings legal
In a hearing Monday, Texas lawmakers will weigh whether to proclaim fantasy sports are legal. This comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton equated them to illegal gambling. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
In Texas House, uncertain fate of bathroom bill could reverberate
The Texas “bathroom bill” has made it to the House but chamber leaders are hinting that the controversial legislation may never reach the chamber's floor for a vote. Full Story
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![With less than a week before lawmakers convene, preparations are underway to welcome members of the state House of Representatives for the 85th session of the Texas Legislature.]()
Credit: John Jordan -
Republicans expected to revise Texas "bathroom bill"
Texas Republicans are expected to offer a new version of the controversial “bathroom bill” on Tuesday with two significant changes, according to a copy of a committee substitute obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick unveil the text of Senate Bill 6, which would require transgender people to use bathrooms in public schools, government buildings and universities based on “biological sex,” on Jan. 5, 2017.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman / The Texas Tribune -
How the Texas "bathroom bill" compares to North Carolina's revised law
The Texas proposal shares elements of both the original North Carolina law as well as the revised version approved last week by the Tar Heel State’s lawmakers. Full Story
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![An accessible unisex bathroom at The University of Texas at Austin.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang/The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick makes only one change atop Senate committees
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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Credit: Rick Mach -
How one transgender boy sees the "bathroom bill" debate (video)
A new bill would mandate that people use bathrooms in public schools, government buildings and public universities based on “biological sex.” A business group and families with transgender members are working to oppose it. Full Story
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Credit: Qiling Wang -
Here’s what the Texas bathroom bill means in plain English
The so-called bathroom bill has drawn national attention to the Texas Legislature. But what would the proposed bill actually do? We've annotated the text to explain in plain English how the bill would impact communities across Texas. Full Story
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![An all-gender restroom at The University of Texas at Austin.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang / The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The will of the voters — when the Legislature agrees
The so-called "bathroom bill" unveiled by Republican leaders last week is the latest piece of legislation that would overwrite local laws with state regulations cooked up in Austin. Full Story
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![State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick discuss details of a so-called "bathroom bill" on Jan. 5, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Citing "bathroom bill," Percy Jackson author declines Legislature invitation
Author Rick Riordan is declining to attend the Texas Legislature’s celebration of authors event, saying the reason is because of the proposed "bathroom bill." Full Story
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![Author Rick Riordan.]()
Credit: Rick Riordan website -
Texas lawmakers mulling addition of paper backups to voting machines
Amid concerns about "rigged" voting machines, both Gov. Greg Abbott and state Sen. Lois Kolkhorst have expressed interest in legislation to add paper trail backups to the state's electronic voting machines. Full Story
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![An election judge in south Texas tests a voting machine for accuracy after the end of voting hours on Oct. 26, 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune