Closed on Sundays: A guide to some of Texas' confusing alcohol regulations
You can't use credit to buy beer from wholesalers, but you can own more liquor stores if you do business with family. Full Story
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![Colorado-based Oskar Blues, which has a tap room in Austin, is opposed to a bill that would require it to pay what critics call an "extortion fee" to beer distributors.]()
Credit: Erika Rich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate gives local governments more breathing room for property tax revenue growth
After a key Republican holdout agreed to bring a priority bill to the floor, the upper chamber increased an election trigger on revenue increases from 2.5% to 3.5%. But now both chambers must reconcile how they want to tackle rising school district taxes. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks from the dais in the Senate chamber on April 9, 2019.]()
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Beto O’Rourke releases 10 years of tax returns
The former El Paso congressman and his wife, Amy, made more than $370,000 in 2017 — including $11,000 from an internet company he co-founded and $53,000 from her consulting work. Full Story
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![Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke, 46, speaks with supporters during a three day road trip across Iowa, in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, U.S., March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Ben Brewer]()
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Long delays at border bridges bring anxiety for businesses as Holy Week begins
This week is one of the busiest shopping seasons on the border, but after hundreds of federal agents were diverted from international bridges to help with a surge of migrants, retailers and other businesses are fretting about how hours-long wait times will impact them. Full Story
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![A man waits outside his car as the CBP conducts a "operational readiness exercises" at the Paso del Norte Port of Entry on Friday, November 9, 2018, in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas Legislature is stuck. Don’t worry about it.
The Texas Legislature is in its biennial spasm of drama, with big bills stuck and some state leaders saying it will take a special session to get property taxes, school finance and all of that done. But they have six weeks to go, and they often do their big work on deadline. Full Story
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![From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen speak at a joint press conference addressing property tax reform. Jan 31, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
"We're all afraid to go to school": After Santa Fe, Texas seeks to make students safer
Almost a year after the massacre at Santa Fe High School, state lawmakers are considering ways to make students and teachers feel safe in the classroom again. Full Story
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Julián Castro raises $1.1 million in first quarter for his presidential bid
The haul puts the Democratic presidential candidate behind rivals who've chosen to announce their numbers ahead of a Monday deadline. But his campaign says his fundraising has been on the upswing in recent weeks. Full Story
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![Presidential candidate Julián Castro speaks at a rally in San Antonio after an earlier visit by President Donald Trump, on April 10, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick threatens to use "nuclear option" to skirt Senate tradition and bring property tax bill to the floor
"I respect our Senate rules, but I do not intend to let a procedural motion stop the Senate from passing this important bill," the lieutenant governor said. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Parliamentarian Karina Davis on on the Senate floor on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
State Supreme Court rules Texas can hide the identity of execution drug supplier
Citing security concerns, the state has fought for years to keep the supplier's name secret. Full Story
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![Texas' execution chamber in Huntsville.]()
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Texas defies congressional request for information on voter roll review
The U.S. House's main investigative committee had asked for documents and communications from state officials involved in the review. Full Story
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![Vote signs outside early voting locations in Austin on Feb. 23, 2014.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
For many Texas teachers, health insurance premiums are huge — but so are the hospital bills
It's not unusual for teachers to spend over $1,000 a month on health insurance. Full Story
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![Liz and Jeremiah Pena are educators in Birdville ISD in Haltom City and last year they estimated they paid over $11,000 in health insurance premiums alone. They think that the pay increases and per student increases included in House Bill 3 are a good thing but that it would have helped many educators like them more to focus on lowering TRS (Teacher Retirement System) insurance premiums. Photographed at Haltom High School where Liz Pena is Assistant Principal.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: For the Texas Legislature right now, it’s bipartisan or bust
The state's top three leaders bet everything on public education and property taxes this year, but they can't get where they're going — especially if they want to cut property taxes — without bringing some Democrats to their side. Full Story
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![House speaker Dennis Bonnen speaks to a colleague on the House floor on April 11, 2019.]()
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Watch: A conversation on higher education outcomes
Watch video of our conversation in Fort Worth on improving higher education outcomes, moderated by the Tribune's Shannon Najmabadi. Full Story
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Texas Senate approves two bills to override paid sick leave, local control over employment practices
LGBTQ advocates and business groups have warned that the measures could imperil municipal rules that outlaw discrimination. Full Story
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![State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, lays out his bills during the Senate Education Committee meeting on Mar. 5, 2019.]()
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Property tax reform proposals stall — for now — as top Texas lawmakers scramble for votes
House leadership plans to hold a floor vote on Monday. Meanwhile, the Senate is looking for one more vote to bring the priority measure to the floor. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott visits the Senate chamber on April 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
The Texas State student senate voted to bar a conservative group. Then Gov. Abbott questioned if the school deserves state funding.
Texas State University administrators and the student body president blocked the student senate's attempt to ban the conservative group Turning Point USA from campus. Full Story
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![Texas State University campus in San Marcos, Texas.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
This Republican Texas lawmaker halted a bill to outlaw abortion. He now faces security concerns, sheriff says.
State Rep. Jeff Leach said a bill that criminalizes abortion will not advance beyond the committee he chairs. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, on the House floor on April 11, 2019.]()
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Mike Pence to hold fundraisers in Dallas, Midland next week
The vice president is scheduled to return to Texas on Wednesday. Full Story
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![Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a crowd of supporters during a campaign event for U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions' re-election bid, at the Park Cities Hilton in Dallas Oct. 8, 2018.]()
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All Texans in Congress now have money to pay interns. Will they?
Congressional internships in Washington, D.C., have traditionally been unpaid. While some Texans in Congress have paid some of their interns in the past, those opportunities were not always well-publicized. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
"It was a setup": House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, gun rights activist come face-to-face at Texas GOP fundraiser
After a man angry about a "constitutional carry" bill languishing in the House visited the speaker's home, Bonnen admonished him and lawmakers said the legislation was dead. Then lingering tensions flared up when the two were seated near each other at an event. Full Story
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![Speaker Dennis Bonnen on the House floor during the House School Finance plan deliberation on April 3, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune
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