In private school voucher push, Gov. Abbott breaks through by playing hardball
Anti-voucher Republicans said they voted for the bill so they could fight to improve it, and also to fend off political retribution. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at ‘Parent Empowerment Night’ at San Antonio Christian School, in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
House Republicans refuse to pass ceremonial resolution honoring Cecile Richards
Normally, memorial resolutions to honor Texans who have died are passed without controversy. But the resolution for Richards, a former president of Planned Parenthood who died this year, sparked a cascade of outrage from conservatives. Full Story
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![Flanked by House Republicans, state Rep. Nate Schatzline, R-Fort Worth, speaks against a memorial resolution honoring Cecile Richards in the Texas House on April 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
See how Texas House members voted on school vouchers
The House approved historic legislation that would implement school vouchers in Texas. Here’s how each representative voted. Full Story
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![Texas House of Representatives Members vote on an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
In historic first, Texas House approves private school voucher program
The bill would let families use taxpayer dollars for their children’s private schooling. Lawmakers also signed off on a sweeping $7.7 billion package to boost public school funding. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, answers questions regarding an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill increasing public school funding and teacher pay gets final House approval
The lower chamber overwhelmingly voted in favor of House Bill 2, a sweeping $8 billion piece of legislation that would also limit schools’ reliance on teachers without formal classroom training. Full Story
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![State Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe, shakes hands with Rep. Brad Buckley R-Salado, House Education chair, after the vote on school finance on April 16, 2025. The bill passed, 144-4.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Voucher vote updates: Texas House approves voucher proposal
The Texas House also approved more money for schools in a bipartisan vote. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brad Buckley answers questions from Democrats regarding an amendment for Senate Bill 2 in the House Chamber in Austin on April 16, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves push to award Attorney General Ken Paxton back pay
The vote instructs lawmakers who are negotiating a budget with the Senate to advocate for awarding Paxton the salary he missed while impeached over corruption allegations. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton stands with attorneys Tony Buzbee and Mitch Little during prayer on the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
See what each Texas state employee is paid: Search our updated database.
The Texas Tribune’s database of Texas state employees’ compensation is updated to represent salaries as of April 1. Full Story
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![Government Salaries Explorer]()
Credit: Photo Illustration by Ben Hasson / Texas Tribune -
$337 billion, two-year budget gets Texas House approval
The lower chamber’s plan largely aligns with the Senate’s proposal and puts billions toward teacher pay, border security and property tax cuts. Full Story
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![House Parliamentarian Sharon Carter, left, listens as state Reps: Cody Vasut, Richard Hayes, Tom Oliverson and Trey Martinez Fischer, negotiate in the Texas House on April 10, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Budget day in the House: Texas lawmakers approve $337 billion spending plan
Among the hundreds of amendments were ones that focused on school vouchers, the attorney general’s office and the Texas Lottery. Full Story
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![Texas House of Representatives Members convene in the House Chamber in Austin on April 10, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Store, harvest, fix: How Texas can save its water supply
State lawmakers are poised to devote billions to save the state’s water supply. These are some of the ways the state could spend the money. Full Story
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![Treated water at the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in Austin, TX. The treatment plant will undergo a billion dollar expansion starting this summer to meet the increasing demand due to the growth the city has faced. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton impeachment cost state $5.1 million, auditor report finds
The new finding is about 20% higher than previous estimates of the known cost of the effort to remove Paxton from office. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton sits with attorneys Tony Buzbee and Mitch Little on the ninth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Ted Cruz funds ads supporting pro-voucher lawmakers
The ads praise 14 Texas Republicans, including House Speaker Dustin Burrows, for their support of education savings accounts. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to residents at his bus tour rally in Huntsville on Oct. 8, 2024, finishing his six-city tour campaign for reelection against U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas.]()
Credit: Hope Capwell for The Texas Tribune -
Orator, conscience, advocate: State lawmakers honor Sylvester Turner with bipartisan accolades in Capitol ceremony
Turner, who spent nearly three decades in the Texas House and died last week, was remembered as a passionate Democrat committed to working across the aisle. Full Story
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![Two men embrace after Congressman Turner’s memorial service on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives on March 13, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Thrust into the spotlight by a school shooting, Uvalde’s former mayor finds his footing as a lawmaker
Don McLaughlin isn’t shy about speaking his mind and has disagreed with victims’ families and fellow Republicans. Now he brings his direct style to the Capitol. Full Story
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![Former Uvalde mayor and current Texas representative Don McLaughlin, Jr. (R-Uvalde) in his office at DKM headquarters in Uvalde, TX on February 14, 2025. McLaughlin’s hunting trophies sit mounted behind him.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Transgender staffer navigates Texas Capitol with guarded care amid growing hostilities
Mo Jenkins is one of only a few openly transgender staffers working in the Capitol as lawmakers are making headway in restricting rights for LGBTQ+ Texans. Full Story
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![Mo Jenkins walks with State Rep. Lauren A. Simmons (D-Houston) ahead of a House meeting on Feb. 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House majority signs on to new bill restricting the use of bathrooms in public buildings by transgender people
House Bill 239, which echoes a bathroom bill that failed in 2017, includes new provisions for shelters and prisons. Full Story
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![Bathroom stalls at the Austin Convention Center in 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas leaders defend Black official after lawmaker’s public interrogation of DEI policies left her in tears
The topic was a budget request from a state agency. The exchange grew emotional when a lawmaker pressed for answers about a strategic plan that praises diversity. Full Story
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![Then-Texas Water Development Board member L’Oreal Stepney listens to comments during a board meeting Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Austin. Stepney was named chair of the Board by Gov. Greg Abbott on January 8, 2025.]()
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Thin majority of Texas House signs on to support voucher bill
The 75 co-sponsors plus the bill’s author would provide enough votes to pass Gov. Abbott’s top priority measure in the 150-seat House. Full Story
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![Students enter a classroom at one of the 11 Houston-area campuses of Yes Prep, a public charter school system serving 7,000 low-income students.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House wants to give public schools $220 more per student
The proposal, filed Thursday, comes well short of the increase school administrators and education advocates have been asking for. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students take part in a class activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune