Here's what's at stake for Texas universities in Legislature's budget fight
Check out how each public university in Texas would fare under the House and Senate budgets. Full Story
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"Bathroom bill" in House misses key deadline — but issue stays alive
A key deadline passed on Monday without the House "bathroom bill" getting out of committee, meaning the bill won't make it to the House floor this session. But that doesn't mean the issue itself is dead. Full Story
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![Bathroom stalls at the Austin Convention Center.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
House passes bill on inappropriate teacher-student relationships
The House passed Senate Bill 7, which would penalize principals and superintendents who purposely hide incidents of teachers having sexual or romantic relationships with students. Full Story
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![State Reps. (l-r) Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, Ken King, R-Canadian and Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont at a Public Education meeting on March 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
House tweak to Houston pension bill could buy firefighters' fund more time
Houston’s problematic pension funds, which have caused financial woes and spurred political battles for years, just moved closer to getting a massive makeover. Full Story
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![Retired Houston firefighters and police officers packed the Texas House gallery on May 8, 2017, as they await debate on a municipal pension bill that would affect their retirement payouts.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Bill stripping pensions from felon politicians advances
The Texas House voted Monday to strip government pensions from elected officials who commit serious acts of public corruption, moving the first major piece of ethics reform toward the governor's office. Full Story
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![State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth; Gov. Greg Abbott; and state Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Everything you need to know about Texas’ “sanctuary cities” law
Here’s everything you need to know about Senate Bill 4, a controversial immigration enforcement measure banning “sanctuary cities” across Texas. Full Story
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![Monserrat Garibay of Education Austin speaks in front of the Texas Governor's Mansion on May 8, 2017, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4, known as the "sanctuary cities" bill, the night before.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
House aims to improve process of removing kids from dangerous homes
House lawmakers on Monday voted to streamline how courts work with the state's child welfare agency to protect abused and neglected kids — and laid out concrete reasons children can be removed from their homes. Full Story
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![State Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, leaves the front mic after the House voted for his House Bill 7, a child welfare reform bill, on May 8, 2017. Child welfare reform is a key target of the 85th Legislature after reports of mismanagement surfaced.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Despite bipartisan support, medical marijuana bill likely won’t reach House floor
House Bill 2107 would expand the “Compassionate Use Act” and allow the use of medical marijuana for qualifying patients with debilitating medical conditions, such as terminal cancer or post-traumatic stress disorder. Full Story
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Paxton looks to get ahead of legal challenges to "sanctuary cities" ban
Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to get ahead of an anticipated barrage of legal challenges to Texas' ban on "sanctuary cities." Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: Sorry, your bill is probably dying
The Texas Legislature is moving into the part of the calendar when certain dates are circled in red. More bills are killed by clocks and calendars — by those circled deadlines — than by votes. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, leads a discussion on House Bill 501, an ethics bill, on May 3, 2017. The bill passed, 147-0.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Proposed higher education funding overhaul could come with collateral damage
Initiatives to boost small businesses and help poor students get through college could lose their funding amid the Senate's attempt to fix how the state pays for higher education. Full Story
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![Freshman Samantha Salas (center) hangs out with friends before going to class on the first day of school on Aug. 25, 2014, at South Texas College's Pecan Campus in McAllen.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott signs "sanctuary cities" bill into law
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a ban on "sanctuary cities" on Sunday, putting the final touch on legislation that would also allow police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on the first day of the 85th Legislature on Jan. 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves ban on “pay for play” appointments
Big donors to Texas governors would be banned from appointments to state boards and commissions under legislation approved Saturday by the Texas House. Full Story
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![State Reps Todd Hunter, Lyle Larson and Chris Turner listen as representatives of the State Auditor's Office testify before the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics July 12, 2016. The committee is investigating the use by state agencies of emergency leave and settlement payments to departing employees.]()
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Bill to abolish “one-punch” voting approved in Texas House
House Bill 25, approved by the House on Saturday, could drastically change Texas politics considering straight-ticket ballots accounted for almost 64 percent of total votes cast in the state’s 10 largest counties in 2016. 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 -
House defeats bill that would’ve allowed the expansion of toll road projects
The Texas House shot down House Bill 2861, a measure that would’ve allowed the Texas Department of Transportation to use tolls to fund the construction, renovation or widening of several highways. Full Story
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Opponents of proposed Dallas-Houston bullet train push lawmakers to kill it
As the legislative session reaches its final weeks, opponents of a private firm's plans to build a bullet train line between Dallas and Houston are urging lawmakers will pass one of several bills that would likely kill it. Full Story
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![The JR Central N700 Series, a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train.]()
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Hot or not, bill would simplify sales tax on baked goods (video)
A measure advancing in the Texas Legislature would make baked goods, regardless of their temperature when served, exempt from sales tax. Full Story
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Analysis: Think Texas has a weak governor? Not in the month of May
A Texas governor's powers peak at the end of a legislative session, as deadline-haunted legislators begin to fear the threat of a veto from the state's chief executive. Full Story
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![Gov. Abbott delivers his State of the State address in the House Chamber on Jan. 31, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas works to market health program without Planned Parenthood
The Healthy Texas Women Program is the state’s second attempt at reimagining how to provide health services for low-income women without organizations that provide abortions at some of their locations. Full Story
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![A billboard advertising the Healthy Texas Women program in downtown Austin.]()
Credit: Tim Park for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House OKs bill to discourage lawsuits over weather-related claims
The Texas House on Thursday tentatively approved a bill that would discourage home and business owners from seeking big payouts from insurance companies after hailstorms, floods and hurricanes — payouts their lawyers say are appropriate. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman