The latest 86th Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
The lower chamber gave initial approval to a bill creating a pretrial process to determine if a capital murder defendant is intellectually disabled — more than 15 years after the U.S. Supreme Court said executing such prisoners is cruel and unusual punishment. Full Story
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The House vote Monday is the first time the lower chamber approved such a measure, marking significant progress. But the opposition of the lieutenant governor remains a major hurdle. Full Story
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Senate Bill 11 is authored by state Sen. Larry Taylor, whose district includes Santa Fe High School. Full Story
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An amendment added to a Senate property tax bill ties it to school finance — a signal the Texas House doesn't want to leave the harder-to-pass education bill behind. Full Story
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Texas tries to track the number of students with vaccine exemptions every year, but the data is incomplete and doesn't include the opt-out rates for individual public schools. Amid a recent rise in measles cases across the country, some in the Legislature are calling for more detailed reporting. Full Story
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Several bills meant to protect Texas landowners facing condemnation for oil pipeline construction and electric transmission projects generated heated debate on Thursday at a Capitol committee hearing. Full Story
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The House approved the changes in amendments to a broader bill about the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's operations. The Senate still could strip the changes from the bill. Full Story
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The bill differs in significant ways from the version the House approved this month. Full Story
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Three quarters of the way into the legislative session, lawmakers are still juggling several proposals related to school district taxes, including some that would not provide any tax relief. Full Story
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The end of the legislative session — deal-making time — is looming, and the priorities set out by the state's top leaders three months ago remain undone. In fact, those centerpiece school finance and property tax measures aren't even teed up for the final negotiations. Full Story
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The executive director of Texas Gun Rights said Bonnen should apologize for how he characterized McNutt's lobbying efforts for "constitutional carry" legislation that has since been declared dead in the lower chamber. Full Story
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Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant, but it contains low levels of the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC. The House's bill will now go to the Senate. Full Story
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Most states check once a year whether children on Medicaid still qualify for the program. Texas checks more often, using an automated system that critics say leads to kids losing coverage even though they're still eligible. Full Story
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Texas cities have been debating state lawmakers over property taxes, sick leave, scooter regulation and now, over whether the cities can charge cable TV companies for using public property to connect their networks. Full Story
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It's hard to gather support for the state's most persistent problems when you're also pressing forward with issues that divide and anger Republicans and Democrats. It's also business as usual in the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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This is the first legislative session since the storm devastated the Texas Gulf Coast in August 2017. Several measures are afoot to aid in recovery and mitigate the effects of future disasters. Full Story
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The group, which was granted credentials in the Senate but denied them in the House, argues that the lower chamber's administration chairman engaged in "unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination." Full Story
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Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have already signaled opposition to the proposal from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. Full Story
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Top Republican leaders have proposed raising the sales tax and using the money to lower local property tax rates. Wealthier Texans and businesses would likely benefit, while poorer Texans would likely pay more. Full Story
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Lawmakers have proposed swapping higher sales taxes for lower property taxes — but leaving the final decision to voters. They don't have to do it that way, but it could move the blame from them — to the rest of us. Full Story
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