The latest 85th Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
Health facilities that perform abortions may soon have to release data on complications that arise during and after the procedure — another move by GOP lawmakers to crack down on abortions in Texas. Full Story
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The Senate sponsor of a bill meant to create statewide regulations for ride-hailing companies said Thursday he had stripped a controversial amendment that would define "sex" as "the physical condition of being male or female.” Full Story
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State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, isn't giving up hope on passing a bill that she said would help starving school kids, despite some lawmakers killing its consideration earlier in the week. Full Story
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A Senate committee passed the House’s major school finance reform bill, after adding a controversial provision subsidizing private school tuition for special needs students — a move unlikely to go over well in the House. Full Story
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With a major bill for students with disabilities flying to the governor's desk, special education advocates are looking ahead to smaller bills that might not survive the upcoming deadlines for legislation to pass. Full Story
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As a House bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18 languishes in the Senate in the final weeks of the legislative session, the bill's author promises "a funeral" for Senate bills if his bill dies. Full Story
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After failing by one vote on the House floor Wednesday night, a bill to penalize law enforcement agencies that don't report police shootings to the state was reconsidered and passed. Full Story
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Discussion over a bill that would improve the state’s Child Protective Services agency turned into a heated debate over vaccines — and whether they should be required for children placed in foster care. Full Story
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The House substitute of controversial Senate Bill 2 was left pending after state Rep. Dennis Bonnen railed against local leaders still unhappy with changes to the property tax bill. Full Story
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Once Senate Bill 4 goes into effect on Sept. 1, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he's prepared to lead a police force that allows officers to inquire about the immigration status of people they detain. Full Story
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As the Legislature grinds its way through the final three weeks of the regular session, the state's top three leaders are pushing and shoving, figuratively speaking, to the finale and beyond — to the 2018 elections. Full Story
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Faith-based adoption agencies in Texas would be able to reject prospective parents on religious grounds under a bill the state House approved Tuesday over objections from Democratic lawmakers. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Tuesday has approved a measure that could keep transgender athletes from competing in high school sports. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to legislation that would make it easier for the state to license privately-run detention centers as "family residential centers" in order to hold immigrant families in detention centers longer. Full Story
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A Democratic senator on Tuesday made a last-ditch effort to beef up a bill aimed at reforming and reauthorizing the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency — legislation environmental groups and watchdogs have decried as toothless. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Tuesday in a radio interview that he has urged pastors to pressure the Texas House to advance the so-called bathroom bills that have languished there for weeks. Full Story
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Border town El Cenizo and Maverick County have sued the state of Texas over Senate Bill 4, claiming constitutional violations. Full Story
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One of the country’s largest civil rights groups is cautioning against traveling to Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott signed what critics have called an extreme state-based immigration bill. Full Story
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Last week, House lawmakers advanced a bill requiring high school students to pass the civics test that immigrants take when applying for citizenship. We created a similar quiz, and more than 25,000 of you took it. Here's how you did. Full Story
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Check out how each public university in Texas would fare under the House and Senate budgets. Full Story
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