The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
State Sen. Joan Huffman acknowledges that a lobby firm with ties to casino interests helped her draft a GOP caucus letter blasting a proposal to allow expanded gambling at horse tracks. Now a major proponent of the tracks is crying foul. Full Story
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The day before Texas lawmakers begin considering a major transportation bill, state leaders made a concerted push for the measure as part of a larger effort to boost much-needed highway funding. Full Story
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State Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, was grilled by fellow senators Tuesday over her proposal to ban foreign control of the Alamo. Full Story
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After 24 years in the Legislature and a failed campaign for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte bid an emotional farewell to her colleagues on Tuesday. She now faces a crowded field in the race to be San Antonio mayor. Full Story
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Most Texans support carrying guns in public, but only a minority supports carrying them openly, whether the carriers are licensed or not, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Ted Cruz's wide lead over other contenders for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination in Texas has disappeared; he is now in a virtual tie with the surging Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Retired state District Judge John Dietz, who found the Texas school finance system unconstitutional last year, told teachers Sunday that Texas is "dooming a generation" of children. The Legislature, not the courts, should fix the problems, he said. Full Story
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On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, talk turns to some state Republicans' rhetoric after recent gay marriage and immigration rulings — will their celebrations now make them seem out of touch in the future? Full Story
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Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has been promoting tax subsidies for private businesses since the early 1990s. But the programs have rarely lived up to their promise, and a series of damning audits could hurt his expected 2016 presidential run. Full Story
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One day after an Austin lesbian couple obtained a marriage license from the Travis County clerk, state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, says he wants to move the distribution of marriage licenses to the Texas secretary of state’s office. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday asked the state Supreme Court to void a marriage license issued to two Austin women who became the first same-sex couple to legally wed in the state. Full Story
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A new federal report says Americans should increase their consumption of vegetables and limit intake of sugar and red meat. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says the recommendations are unfounded. Full Story
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In the Roundup: The new governor delivers his first State of the State address, leaders react to a court's decision on the president's immigration order and a county judge in Texas rules the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Full Story
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Current state law allows Texans to use lethal force out of fear or prejudice with deadly consequences, state Rep. Garnet Coleman said Thursday. The Houston Democrat will try again to tighten the rules. Full Story
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At our 2/19 conversation, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, commented on the just-decided special election in Senate District 26 and the coming mayor's race in his hometown. Full Story
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Two Austin women made history Thursday when they became the first gay couple to legally wed in the state. But after the Texas Supreme Court intervened, attorneys for the state and for the couple disagreed on whether the marriage is valid. Full Story
State parks are crumbling under the weight of decades of deferred maintenance. Lawmakers and state officials say they desperately need a funding boost from the 84th Legislature — and not just for the next two years. Full Story
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A new senator doesn't think taxpayer-supported governments should hire lobbyists to talk to other government officials and won't let those lobbyists come to her office. But she took their contributions during her 2014 campaign. Full Story
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The state agency responsible for supervising, monitoring and providing treatment to sexually violent predators is out of space to house sex offenders, agency officials told state lawmakers on Wednesday. Full Story
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Saying it will unleash "legal chaos," Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday asked the Texas Supreme Court to block a Travis County probate judge's ruling that the state’s same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. Full Story
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