State Sen. Jane Nelson announces she won't seek reelection
The Flower Mound lawmaker is the most senior Republican in the upper chamber and has served as its top budget writer for the past four sessions. Full Story
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![State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flowermound, on the Senate Floor on March 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas border wall project receives over $450K in donations, a week after Gov. Greg Abbott announced plans
Gov. Greg Abbott pledged $250 million in state funds for a Texas-Mexico border wall and is soliciting donations to fund the rest. Full Story
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![A section of the border fence in the Rio Grande Valley.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas will build a border wall, but doesn’t yet give details on cost or location
The governor suggested more details would be released next week. The announcement Thursday of several initiatives is the latest in an ongoing conflict between Abbott, a Republican, and Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. Full Story
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![Asylum-seeking migrant families surrendered themselves to the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing the Rio Grande river into the United States from Mexico, in Roma, Texas, on April 16, 2021.]()
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Texas lawmakers send $248 billion two-year budget to Gov. Greg Abbott
Abbott has the power to veto individual line items he objects to. Full Story
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![A view inside the state Capitol on the opening day of the Legislative Session. The Capitol was mostly empty on opening day because of COVID-19 restrictions. Jan. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Allocating $16 billion in coronavirus relief funds will be part of special legislative session in the fall, Gov. Greg Abbott says
Abbott already planned to call a special session later in the year for the Legislature to do its decennial redrawing of Texas political maps. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference regarding Texas’ emergency response to an unprecedented winter storm gripping Texas on Feb. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Point of Order: What we learned from a year of disruption to public education in Texas
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to LaTonya Goffney, the superintendent of Aldine Independent School District, about public education’s disrupted year — pivoting online, learning loss, budget woes, and what it will take to put the whole thing back together by fall. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas lawmakers are working on an incomplete budget
The Texas Legislature is working on a budget that spends around $250 billion. But it doesn't include billions in federal COVID-19 relief money or account for big changes that could rock the state's Medicaid programs. Full Story
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![Lawmakers on the House floor on March 30, 2021. The Texas Legislature lacks diversity as 73% of lawmakers in both chambers are male, compared to 50% of Texas residents.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A $5.5 billion shift in who pays for public education in Texas
It's an old and bittersweet story in Texas: Property values rise, local property tax revenue rises and the state government spends less on public education. Full Story
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![Students walk with their desk barriers to their next class on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: A Texas state budget — minus $38.6 billion in federal stimulus money
The state budget approved by the Texas Senate on Tuesday is just the start: Lawmakers still have to decide what to do with billions in federal COVID-19 relief money. Full Story
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![Levi Pedrick peaks out of his kindergarten class window on the first day of in-person classes at Highland Village Elementary on Sept. 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Austin officer charged with murder in Michael Ramos' death as lawmakers file bills making it harder to withhold body camera footage
Almost a year after Michael Ramos, a Black and Hispanic man, was killed in Austin, Christopher Taylor, the officer who shot him, has been charged with murder. Full Story
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![A protester holds a sign at a rally for George Floyd and Michael Ramos at Austin Police headquarters on May 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: How Gov. Greg Abbott's attack on "defunding the police" has divided Texas Democrats
The governor's pivot from a focus on racism and policing after protests last summer to an emphasis on police funding and public safety, creates cross-pressures for Texans of color — particularly those who are Democrats, our pollsters write. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a news conference with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, left, and Speaker Dennis Bonnen before signing a Texas Backs the Blue Pledge at the Austin Police Association on Sept. 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via USA TODAY NETWORK -
Most white Texas voters believe the deaths of Black people in police custody aren’t a systemic problem
Texas voters support the police and don't want to cut their budgets. But they disagree on the reasons behind the deaths of Black people in encounters with law enforcement, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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![Austin police officers stand guard outside of their headquarters during a protest against the death of George Floyd. June 2, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Pandemic response tops Texas voters’ legislative priorities, poll finds
Texas voters also think the state spends too little on mental health, and public education, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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![The Senate Floor on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Rural Texas communities face long recoveries and stretched budgets without federal aid
Debbie Gosnell, city manager of Cross Plains, said it could take months for her community to recover from the winter storm. Without approval for federal aid, Gosnell worries the town's budget will not cover the numerous broken pipes and damaged buildings. Full Story
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![Marfa is covered with snow a second time. Another snowstorm came in early Thursday morning, the day after the power was restored in town. The temperature dropped to 7 degrees on Friday morning. Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Sarah M. Vasquez for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: State Rep. Harold Dutton, chair of public education committee, discusses how Legislature should respond to pandemic, winter storm
Dutton joined The Texas Tribune on Thursday for a conversation moderated by Aliyya Swaby, the Tribune's public education reporter. Full Story
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Speaker Dade Phelan shakes up Texas House leadership with new chairs on key committees
With assignments out, legislation that has been filed can be referred to committees for potential hearings. The committees overseeing public education, budget writing and redistricting are among those with new chairs. Full Story
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![A committee hearing room featuring plexiglass dividers on Jan 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Not every legislative day in Texas is a workday
During the first month of the Texas legislative session, the House and Senate will have met for less than a week, and most lawmakers will have been away from the Capitol for most of that time. It’s an early sign that this pandemic-shadowed session might be limited in scope. Full Story
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![The Senate floor on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House and Senate propose similar spending amounts in preliminary budgets
The proposals are about $7 billion over the amount Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said lawmakers have to spend during the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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![The Texas House of Representatives on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The odds for legal pot and casinos in Texas just got worse
One argument for legalizing casino gambling and marijuana sales in Texas is that they would produce tax revenue for the state during the recession started by the pandemic. But a new, optimistic economic forecast for the state takes some wind out of those sails. Full Story
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![Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City is open for the first time since closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. July 2, 2020.]()
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The Texas Legislature convenes for its 2021 session Tuesday. Here are 5 things to watch.
Much about the session — including how it will be conducted during a pandemic — remains uncertain. Full Story
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![House floor on April 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune