83rd Legislative Session

TribLive: A Conversation About the Tea Party

By Evan Smith May 10, 2013

Full video of my 5/9 TribLive conversation with first-term state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands. Full Story
TribLive: Tea Party Freshmen on the Rainy Day Fund

By Evan Smith May 9, 2013

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth; Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford; and Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, explained their objection to dipping into the Rainy Day Fund to jump-start the state water plan. Full Story
Time Running Out for Cellphone Tracking Bill

By Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project May 9, 2013

The House clock may not be on the side of a bill to regulate the use of cellphone records in law enforcement investigations. Full Story

Credit: Chris Dlugosz
House Backs Updating Rules on Political Ad Disclosures

By Becca Aaronson May 8, 2013

The House on Wednesday tentatively approved a bill that would strengthen the state's rules on disclosures for political advertisements on radio and television and add requirements for political ads on social media websites. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
House Disclosure Bill Won't Get a Vote

By Emily Ramshaw and Becca Aaronson May 8, 2013

UPDATED: Rep. Giovanni Capriglione's bill to require legislators to disclose their business contracts with government entities won't get a vote in the House — unless he can tack it onto an Ethics Commission reform bill. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
With Bill Pending, School Choice Supporters Rally

By Morgan Smith May 8, 2013

As major charter school legislation awaits consideration in the House, school choice supporters gathered at a Capitol rally to hear from several lawmakers, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
News App: Tracking the Status of House Bills

By Ross Ramsey and Travis Swicegood May 8, 2013

Most of the legislation filed this session by members of the Texas House never made it out of committee. This new app tells you the number of bills filed, referred to committee and left, forever, in committee after the deadline passed. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
King Pulls Measure on Public Integrity Unit Oversight

By Emily Ramshaw May 7, 2013

State Rep. Phil King on Tuesday pulled an amendment that would transfer power over the state’s public integrity away from Travis County DA Rosemary Lehmberg. But King said he has the support to attach it to future bills. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
House Gives Early OK to Franchise Tax Measure

By Emily Ramshaw and Aman Batheja May 7, 2013

UPDATED: The House’s most sweeping attempt at tax reform this year passed on a preliminary vote on Tuesday after hours of at times acrimonious debate. House Bill 500 which would spend an estimated $667 million over the next biennium. Full Story
Senate's High School Graduation Measure Differs From House Plan

By Morgan Smith May 6, 2013

The Senate version of House Bill 5, which it approved Monday, still allows students to complete diplomas in specialized areas, or "endorsements." But it changes the courses required to graduate under those endorsements. Full Story

Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
Big Tobacco Beats Small Tobacco on Tax Vote

By Emily Ramshaw and Jay Root May 6, 2013

Small cigarette manufacturers would face new state fees on their sales under a measure that passed the Texas House in a preliminary vote on Monday — a big win for Big Tobacco. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
Interactive: Tracking Abortion Legislation

By Ryan Murphy and Becca Aaronson May 6, 2013

Abortion is usually a contentious issue in the Texas Legislature, but this session, lawmakers have had relatively few public debates on it. Use this Tribune interactive to track the progress of bills related to abortion. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Ben Philpott / Todd Wiseman
House Votes to Keep Schools Dealing With Businesses

By Aman Batheja May 3, 2013

A controversial program that school districts around the state use as an economic incentive tool would continue for another 10 years under a bill passed overwhelmingly by the House on Friday. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Mikhail Popov
Efforts to Reform Teacher Evaluations Hit Snag

By Morgan Smith May 3, 2013

Some critics of Texas' largely subjective state teacher evaluations want them to include more emphasis on measures of student performance like standardized exams. But with support among lawmakers to scale back testing, those efforts have hit a roadblock. Full Story

Credit: Reynaldo Leal / Eric Kayne / Bob Daemmrich
TribLive: Staples on Paying for the Water Plan

By Evan Smith May 2, 2013

At Thursday's TribLive conversation, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples explained his strong reluctance to use money from the Rainy Day Fund to jump-start the state water plan. Full Story
In Legislature, Do-Over Votes Raise Questions

By Aman Batheja May 2, 2013

The Texas Legislature has gotten into the habit this session of reversing its votes, raising concerns over how well lawmakers understand the hundreds of bills they're voting on. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
House Votes to Reduce Reliance on Budget Diversions

By Aman Batheja and Audrey White May 1, 2013

House members on Wednesday passed two bills that take aim at the practice of budget diversions, in which fees collected for specific purposes are used in another manner. The measures now go to the Senate. Full Story

Credit: Bob Daemmrich
House Votes to Reduce State Exams in Lower Grades

By Morgan Smith April 30, 2013

UPDATED: A measure taking aim at the firm that develops the state's standardized tests briefly stalled legislation reducing high-stakes exams for elementary and middle school students before it finally passed the Texas House on Tuesday. Full Story

Credit: Todd Wiseman
Video: Perry Talks About Priorities for Rest of Session

By Alana Rocha April 29, 2013

With less than a month remaining in the legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry met with the Texas House GOP Caucus and talked to reporters about his support for a bill that would draw $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for water infrastructure needs. Full Story

Credit: Alana Rocha
Debate Over Water Bill Could Spur Bigger Fight

By Kate Galbraith, Aman Batheja and Jay Root April 29, 2013

A bill that would draw $2 billion for water projects from the Rainy Day Fund is set to hit the House floor Monday afternoon. The debate could turn to focus on what it means to be a fiscal conservative in the Tea Party era. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Pedro Moura Pinheiro