The latest 84th Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
At our 5/4 symposium on health care, state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, the chairman of the House Public Health Committee, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, the chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, talked about how the issue is playing out in the 84th session. Full Story
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Responding to claims that he improperly registered witnesses at a committee hearing, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland released a statement Monday standing by his actions. Full Story
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May is the final full month of the 140-day regular legislative session, which concludes June 1. And the deadlines that start in a week form a bottleneck that will ultimately block most proposed legislation. Full Story
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Sophomore state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, has poured a seemingly inexhaustible supply of populist indignation into exposing what he sees as ideological hypocrisy within his own party. Full Story
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Some folks in a small town in Central Texas had a strong reaction to a large-scale military exercise on U.S. soil called “Jade Helm 15,” so we start this week’s playlist of the news with Steve Earle‘s “Conspiracy Theory.” Full Story
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A bill to let Texans register to vote online is dead, its sponsor said Saturday, five days after a small but vocal group of Harris County officials voiced their opposition to it during a committee hearing. Full Story
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State Rep. Jonathan Stickland's ejection from a House Transportation Committee hearing aside, activists devoted to purging Texas of red light cameras say they aren't thrilled with the bills under consideration this session. Full Story
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Voters in Tarrant County's House District 92 have sent two very different types of politicians to Austin recently — and both the new guy and the old one made news this week. Full Story
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At our 5/1 conversation, Julián Castro, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, explained why he doesn't like Gov. Greg Abbott's plan for pre-K. Full Story
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The chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics said he plans to investigate allegations that witnesses were signed up improperly to speak at a meeting from which state Rep. Jonathan Stickland was escorted out. Full Story
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You can slow down or even kill a piece of legislation with a single word or phrase, if it's poisonous enough. Full Story
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State Rep. Dennis Bonnen has become a go-to mouthpiece for House leadership, and the votes for his legislation are indicative of how closely in step with him his colleagues are. If he were out of line, someone would yank his leash. Nobody has. Full Story
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As state lawmakers enter the last month of the 84th Legislature, they advanced a number of measures that would further restrict abortions, drug test political candidates and facilitate engagement with constituents on social media. Full Story
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The bill that helped spark last week's blowup between the state's top officials is suddenly moving in the Senate, despite fierce opposition from Tea Party conservatives. Full Story
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State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, managed to add an amendment to a bill Thursday that would make it more difficult for some local entities to raise property taxes. Full Story
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At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor, talked about the work of the budget conference committee. Full Story
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A Texas House committee on Thursday considered a pair of bills taking aim at the state film incentives program. One would block state grants for films and video games containing adult content. Another would abolish the program altogether. Full Story
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Full video of my 4/30 conversation with state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor. Full Story
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Tax cuts and politics ethics legislation have this in common: When lawmakers have to vote in public view, they're often forced to set aside their private opinions. Full Story
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A plan to give public schools A through F grades cleared a Texas House panel Tuesday night — but not without other changes in accountability standards reducing the role student assessments play in measuring public school performance. Full Story
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