The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Giving a nod to franchised auto dealerships, Gov. Greg Abbott has suggested that Texas doesn’t need to carve out a loophole in its laws that would allow Tesla to sell its high-end electric cars directly to consumers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/15/UP9A0772.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott's appeals to New Hampshire business are proving mutually beneficial for him and Granite State Republicans. As Abbott seeks the jobs-snatching mantle of his predecessor, New Hampshire's state GOP gets new ammunition against a Democratic governor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/04/21/UP9A8642.jpg)
With most Texas counties now issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, legal experts and gay rights activists say it may take individual lawsuits to compel the handful of county clerks still refusing to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling legalizing same-sex marriage. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/01/TexasSupremeCourt.jpg)
It will be more than a year before we know everyone who is and is not coming back to the Texas Legislature, but the trickle has started, and some big players are leaving the field. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/01/_BDB5446OttoandJDA.jpg)
Over the course of this year's legislative session, House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made their priorities known by what bills got the lowest bill numbers. Take a look at how those proposals fared. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/20/StrausPatrick.jpg)
State Sen. Konni Burton sent one bill to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk this past session, and that's one more than fellow conservative Republicans Don Huffines and Bob Hall. But that's just one legislative yardstick among many, supporters say. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/07/HallBurtonHuffines.jpg)
After a decade in the Texas House and fresh off his first session as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, announced Tuesday that he is not planning to seek re-election. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/29/7C2A6469.jpg)
Five Democratic lawmakers have asked Gov. Greg Abbott to form a task force to consider the appropriateness of Confederate monuments located on the Capitol grounds in Austin. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DSC_8861.jpg)
State Rep. Cecil Bell Jr. didn't announce a speaker bid on Monday, instead focusing his much-hyped "major announcement" on a call for citizens and states to resist the U.S. Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/14/IMG_9733.jpg)
A Granbury gay couple on Monday obtained a marriage license from the Hood County Clerk's office after filing a lawsuit against the clerk in federal court. Full Story
With Republican leaders vowing to protect the religious freedom of government officials who refuse to recognize same-sex marriages, here's a look at the legal arguments conservative attorneys plan to use to defend those officials in court. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/29/7C2A0311.jpg)
A program created this year will help pay mental health professionals’ student loans if they practice in a medically needy area. The program seeks to alleviate the state’s shortage of mental health professionals, which watchdogs are calling a "public health emergency." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/03/01/untitled-006-2.jpg)
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is dissolving the grassroots advisory board he established in January, saying several of its members, including Tea Party organizer JoAnn Fleming, "expressed a desire for greater independence." Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/01/UP9A6516.jpg)
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling allowing some Texas abortion clinics to remain open, the Texas Department of State Health Services said on Thursday that doctors performing abortions must still obtain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/07/22/Protesters-Split.jpg)
State Rep. Cecil Bell Jr., R-Magnolia, has a “major announcement” to make on Monday — and while he’s mum on the details, the Southeast Texas lawmaker didn’t deny that it would include a bid for speaker of the Texas House. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/13/IMG_9736.jpg)
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on Friday, the Texas attorney general's office conceded a separate legal challenge to the state's ban on same-sex marriage. A federal appeals court then affirmed a lower court's ruling that overturned the state's ban. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/07/5thCircuit_copy.jpg)
Full video of my 6/29 conversation about Houston and the 84th legislative session with state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, and state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/houston_Jv2bZ45.jpg)
As of Wednesday, public employers including Texas agencies and universities will allow current and retired gay and lesbian employees to enroll their same-sex spouses in the same benefit programs and services available to opposite-sex couples. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/26/_BDB8490guys.jpg)
On the first day of legal same-sex marriage, more than 465 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses in 10 of the state's largest counties. But keeping track of how many licenses are issued over time may prove difficult. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/26/7C2A9628_1.jpg)
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has legalized same-sex marriage, family law attorneys in Texas are gearing up to make sure same-sex couples who adopt children get full parental rights. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/06/29/7C2A0437.jpg)