Texas Legislature 2019

The measure aims to prohibit caller ID spoofing — when callers tamper with information transmitted to people’s phones to disguise their identities. Full Story 

One of the big bills of the session — a sales- for property-tax swap — was put on ice this week. Lots of other bills are ready for their post-session burials, too, but keep your eyes open. In the Texas Legislature, dead legislation has a way of coming back to life. Full Story 

But an amendment to the bill could keep the devices in place until cities' contracts with vendors expire. Camera proponents say they make intersections safer, but critics say they undermine due process. Full Story 

The bill would also prevent what abortion opponents call "discriminatory abortions" — where a woman or a doctor pursues an abortion on the basis of the fetus' sex, race or disability. Full Story 

In a party-line vote, the upper chamber advanced a bill that would make it more difficult for cities and state agencies to remove or alter historical markers. The legislation comes amid a larger debate over whether to keep or remove Confederate monuments. Full Story 

It was the second time in as many days that the lower chamber moved to increase which medical conditions allow Texans to use CBD oil for treatment. But both bills face an uphill battle in the Senate. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott and other legislative leaders endorsed the sales tax increase, intended to help fund ongoing cuts to school district taxes. But it has been effectively killed this session. Full Story 

"Having a hearing is sometimes a victory," said state Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, whose conversion therapy ban was debated for the first time this year. Full Story 

State leaders are pushing a plan to drive down property taxes using revenue from a one-cent increase to the sales tax. They have said the plan would result in roughly $250 a year in savings on a $200,000 home. Full Story 

The so-called tax swap wouldn't make a big difference in average Texans' tax bills, according to a new analysis. But it would shift the tax burden from higher-income households to the less well off. Full Story 

The bill by state Rep. Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, is one of two that aim to expand the scope of the narrow Compassionate Use Act and have gained traction this legislative session. Full Story 

The chambers will need to negotiate how to give teachers pay raises, whether to adjust how students take standardized tests and how to provide long-term property tax relief for Texans. Full Story 

The pieces are in place. There's a month to go. And the three leaders who bet big on school finance, education and property taxes are in a familiar place, imploring reluctant legislators to take the kinds of high-stakes votes that make and break political careers. Full Story 

Lawmakers moved to apply the state's sales tax to goods sold by remote vendors who don't have physical operations in Texas. Full Story 

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen did not close the door on passing a sales tax swap with a simple majority instead of the current approach requiring two-thirds support of lawmakers and voter approval. Full Story 

Texas legislators have two versions of their sales-tax-for-property-tax swap in motion, and if they run out of time, lawmakers have more tricks in their pocket. If they don't get the property tax cuts they want, it won't be because of end-of-session deadlines. Full Story 

The revision was made in the House. But the high-priority property tax bill is expected to head to a conference committee, where negotiations could change or remove the provision. Full Story 

State Rep. Dade Phelan added the provision to a Senate bill that would bar cities from enacting rules on how businesses schedule their employees’ shifts. LGBTQ groups worried that without the language, businesses could pick which employees get certain benefits. Full Story 

The upper chamber passed a bill Wednesday that would add several restrictions on the popular, but controversial, machines. The measure would require scooter renters to be at least 16 years old and it would prohibit more than one person from riding at a time. Full Story 

The Texas House tentatively approved a bill Thursday that would repeal the tough-to-kill Driver Responsibility Program, which critics say traps low-income drivers in a cycle of debt. Full Story