Texas legislative committee to investigate cause of Panhandle wildfires
The panel of three lawmakers and two residents will also look at disaster preparedness. Full Story
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![Charred ground left by the Smokehouse Creek fire after the fire burned through Currie Smith’s ranch Sunday, March. 3, 2024, in Hemphill County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ open records law is 50 years old — and routinely flouted
At the annual conference of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, two Republican lawmakers described how government officials fail to meet transparency requirements. Full Story
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![Kathy and Robert Dyer, of Paris, Texas, at the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas conference on Sept. 28. 2023. After their teenage son Graham died following an arrest, they fought for years to repeal the so-called dead-suspect loophole that had allowed state and local officials to withhold records of their son's death.]()
Credit: Sewell Chan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes new economic incentive program to lure businesses to the state
Lawmakers hope to hammer out a program to replace the embattled Chapter 313 program before the legislative session ends Monday. Full Story
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![An oilfield scene from Pecos County on Feb. 4, 2023.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
Texas leaders want a new way to attract businesses here. But they can’t agree on how to do it.
The two chambers have 10 days to cut a deal before the end of the legislative session, and they are miles apart on some of the very foundations of a corporate tax-abatement bill considered to be a priority for Republican state leaders. Full Story
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![A pumpjack operates nearby a house under construction in a new housing development on March 14, 2022 north of Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
New economic incentive plan clears hurdle in Texas House
During the floor debate for a plan to replace the expired Chapter 313 program, House members added that the new version of the incentive must require companies to pay higher wages and create stiffer penalties for noncompliance. Full Story
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![A drilling rig in Pecos County on Feb. 4, 2023.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
After House Republicans tackle big challenges in session, they face another one: saving themselves
Some Democrats are mobilizing in hopes of taking the nine House seats they need for a majority in 2020 as Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen tries to prevent intra-GOP challenges in the primaries. Full Story
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![Opening Day of the 86th session of the Texas Legislature with action in the Texas House
Election of Speaker Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, by unanimous vote.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas Legislature’s unexciting, no drama, very humdrum session
Some of the central issues are momentous, but the 86th Texas Legislature has managed — so far — not to lose its temper. That's out of the ordinary, but for a group of politicians who don't want to be compared to their federal counterparts, it counts as a kind of success. Full Story
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![State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, speaks in defense of Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1663, relating to the removal, relocation or alteration of certain monuments or memorials, on the Senate floor on May 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
New Harris County policy reignites marijuana decriminalization debate
After Harris County’s move to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, Texas lawmakers disagree about whether local jurisdictions have the discretion to enact such policies. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Otto Explains Maritime Museum Money Mixup
The mystery of a seemingly abandoned nautical appropriation in the state budget became clearer Tuesday, with a key legislator saying the $200,000 intended for a non-existent maritime museum got tangled in a miscommunication. Full Story
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![La Salle's Expedition to Louisiana in 1684, painted in 1844 by Jean Antoine Théodore de Gudin. La Belle, left, sank in present-day Matagorda Bay.]()
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The Brief: Dec. 10, 2014
Gov. Rick Perry, in an exit interview with The Associated Press, said he didn't plan to make a decision on a second run for the White House "until the middle of next year." Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry adjusts his glasses during his appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 21.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Aug. 5, 2014
SpaceX on Monday chose to place its first commercial launch complex on Boca Chica beach near Brownsville. The announcement solidified Texas' leading position in the country's space program even as it transitions to one with greater opportunities for private companies. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
The Brief: Aug. 1, 2014
Ted Cruz has become the latest D.C.-based practitioner of the Pottery Barn rule: He broke the border bill, and now, possibly more than any other single person, he owns it. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas thanks Republican delegates in Fort Worth on June 6, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Rivalry Game Fundraising a Growing Political Trend
The Longhorns and Sooners won't be the only ones looking for a win this weekend in Dallas. More than 30 Texas legislators are hoping to turn the Red River Rivalry game into campaign cash. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman / Randall Chancellor / Jason Petersen / Stephen Payne -
An Expensive Celebration, Courtesy of the Lobby
End-of-session dinners are commonplace for legislative committees at the end of the session, and they can be lavish affairs. One this week cost more than $22,000. Full Story
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The Hot Seat: A Conversation with Hunter and Farenthold
At our Hot Seat conversation at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, and U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, talked state and national politics and previewed both the 83rd session and the 113th Congress. Full Story
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Updated: The 2012 Quit List
So far, 27 26 members of the Texas House, four members of the Texas Senate, three State Board of Education members and two U.S. congressmen have said they won't seek re-election. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Defeated Candidates Ask Voters for Another Shot
They lost in 2010, but some candidates are hoping by now that voters have changed their minds. The 2012 ballot will be stippled with officeholders who were cast out by voters last election but want to try again. Full Story
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The 2012 Elections, Off to a Stumbling Start
Candidates began filing for the March 6 primary elections Monday, while the Texas attorney general asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block legislative and congressional maps drawn by a San Antonio court — even if it means delaying some primaries to May 22. Full Story
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Representatives Move Back Redistricting
House lawmakers will get another day to pore over redistricting maps, after Democratic members vehemently opposed an effort to change the deadline for submitting amendments. Full Story
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Election Contest Committee Sides With Howard
The House Election Contest Committee unanimously voted today to uphold Rep. Will Hartnett's determination that Donna Howard won the long-disputed HD-48 seat. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman
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