The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
The Legislature passed a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training — an expansion of gun rights so divisive Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it. Full Story
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A governor targeting the Legislature’s budget would be unprecedented in Texas history. Full Story
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Lawmakers didn’t succeed in curtailing the governor's power during a disaster, but they did pass bills that prohibit so-called vaccine passports and ban the mandatory closure of churches and gun stores. Full Story
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Since House Democrats staged a walkout that killed Republicans’ priority elections bill for the regular session, the governor and the leaders of the state House and Senate have diverged notably in interviews about how they are approaching the overtime round. Full Story
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While lawmakers took significant steps toward preventing another blackout, hardly any of the proposals passed during this legislative session will aid consumers in recovering from the February storm — but they’ll see higher utility bills. Full Story
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Bush made his challenge official Wednesday evening during an event at a downtown Austin bar. Former President Donald Trump said last week that he would issue an endorsement in the race "in the not-so-distant future." Full Story
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On this week's episode, Matthew speaks with James, Patrick and Alexa about the wild end to the legislative session and the future of proposed voting restrictions in Texas. Full Story
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In an 85-page brief filed Tuesday, the attorney general’s lawyers argue that under state law, a whistleblower must believe someone has broken the law, but the aides only reported that “they expected laws might be violated.” Full Story
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Planned Parenthood sued to block the "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance, passed by voters in May, but a federal judge said he didn't have jurisdiction to hear the case. The ordinance went into effect Tuesday. Full Story
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Lawmakers consider some things so safe that regulations can be loosened, while other matters get a tighter regulatory scheme. Consider guns and voting. Full Story
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett pushed bills to reform policing, expand voting options and loosen drug laws in the state. But she made waves for her passionate dissent. Full Story
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Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, Republican U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller each delivered remarks at the event. Marketing for the event included a logo featuring a cowboy hat with the letters “WWG1WGA” around its band, a QAnon motto. Full Story
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All they could get was a temporary win. But the lawmakers said taking the extraordinary measure of breaking quorum in the Texas House was justified by the harm they felt their mostly Black and Hispanic constituents would face under the GOP’s voting bill. Full Story
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The provision deals with the window for early voting on Sundays, and the current version of the bill raised concerns that it would hinder get-out-the-vote efforts by Black churches. Full Story
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Abbott’s vow came after a Democratic walkout in the House late Sunday night blocked passage of Senate Bill 7, his priority elections bill that would overhaul voting rights in Texas. Full Story
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Members celebrated the end of the session, but also acknowledged that they’ll be back sometime soon for at least one special session. Full Story
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Republicans were assigning blame after the measure’s dramatic failure Sunday night, but were also already looking ahead to a special session. Full Story
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House Bill 20 would have made it harder for arrestees to get out of jail without cash and limited charitable bail funds’ ability to post bond for people. Gov. Greg Abbott said bail legislation will be included in a special session. Full Story
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The proposal’s low bill number signaled it was a priority of new House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican who referred to the legislation as “the House’s blueprint for pandemic response.” Full Story
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Senate Bill 7 includes provisions to limit early voting hours, curtail local voting options and further tighten voting by mail. The upper chamber suspended its own rules to approve it after debating it for hours overnight. Full Story
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