The already tortuous path for ethics reform at the Texas Capitol took another sharp turn Wednesday when a powerful House leader criticized the package passed by the Senate and praised by Gov. Greg Abbott two weeks ago. Full Story
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The state-owned oil company of Azerbaijan secretly funded an all-expenses-paid trip to a conference at Baku on the Caspian Sea in 2013 for 10 members of Congress. Full Story
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Full video of my 5/13 conversation with state Rep. Dennis Bonnen, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Full Story
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As they try to agree on tax cuts that are the major obstacle to a state budget, lawmakers could find themselves wishing the cuts they deliver are as big as they sounded to the public. Full Story
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The House's tax writing committee on Tuesday took up the Senate's proposal to cut property taxes by raising homeowners' residential homestead exemption. But what transpired on Tuesday was far from a kumbaya moment. Full Story
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Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday boosted University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall's efforts to dig into admissions at UT-Austin by siding with Hall in a dispute over whether regents can have access to confidential student records. Full Story
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Despite the support of nearly every Republican in the U.S. Senate, including both from Texas, economic legislation seen as key to President Obama's legacy was blocked on the U.S. Senate floor Tuesday. Full Story
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A school finance plan that would result in an extra $800 million for public education faces dim prospects in the dwindling weeks of the legislative session, a top House lawmaker said Tuesday. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Tuesday passed a measure granting Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar more flexibility to invest a portion of the $8 billion in the state’s Rainy Day Fund, sending the bill to the governor's desk. Full Story
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House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen said Tuesday that he’d be fine with scrapping the tax cut plans offered by the House and Senate in favor of instituting an even larger cut in the franchise tax paid by businesses. Full Story
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City officials are crossing their fingers that one Republican proposal – what consumer advocates call the session’s most important bill for natural gas utility customers – will pick up steam before time runs out. Full Story
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More than half of Texas women faced at least one barrier to accessing reproductive health care in the years after lawmakers dramatically altered the state’s family planning services, according to a new report. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Lawmakers tackle pending health legislation, The New Yorker's Atul Gawande returns to McAllen and an interview with Scott Walters of the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Full Story
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The reintroduction of deep fat fryers and soda machines into public schools may top the agenda of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. But some teachers and parents don't share his appetite for sugary drinks and french fries. Full Story
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Your state lawmakers are keeping busy in these final weeks of the 84th Legislature — negotiating bills, debating on the floor and, in the House, probably helping the representatives seated near them cast votes. Here's a look at the rules that govern House votes. Full Story
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The nonprofit group that has been secretly videotaping legislators this session has drawn the scrutiny of the Texas Rangers, the Houston Chronicle reports. Full Story
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The Texas House on Monday night rejected a bill that would have increased the level of detail in personal financial statements filed by lawmakers and other state officials. Full Story
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Texas moved a step closer to banning the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors after the state House gave tentative approval Monday to a bill that lawmakers say would prevent young Texans from purchasing nicotine products. Full Story
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A measure to keep the names of execution drug providers from the public won initial approval in the Texas Senate on Monday. Full Story
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County jail inmates in Texas may no longer have to look at visiting loved ones on a video screen under legislation tentatively passed by the state House on Monday. Full Story
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