Texas colleges will soon be able to pay their athletes
House Bill 126, which allows student athletes to receive a slice of the billions Texas colleges generate in revenue from their teams, now awaits the governor’s signature. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f4ac6467b75a1ffbb1713ef63d7feaa8/UT%20Football%20EG%20TT.jpg)
-
![The University of Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin on August 31, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Daily Texan -
Bill that gives Texas increased oversight of largest energy users wins Legislature’s approval
Senate Bill 6, which now heads to the governor’s desk, gives the state’s electricity managers the ability to shut power to large consumers during emergencies. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e9707f846e16719a9ce1e0e8b906051f/Corpus%20Christi%20Industrial%20MGO%2003.jpg)
![Flint Hills Resources, a manufacturer of fuels and chemicals, site in Corpus on Nov. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Legislature approves $8.5 billion boost for public schools after years of stagnant funding
Gov. Greg Abbott has already said he intends to sign the bill, which will give schools funding for salary increases, special education, teacher preparation and operational costs. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/986658b7de604911087f55467589335e/090519-Hemphill%20Elementary-006%20TT.jpg)
![Pre-K students learn their numbers at JoAnn Zavala's classroom on Sept. 5, 2019 in Hemphill Elementary.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House, Senate will seek middle ground on bill to scrap STAAR test
The chambers differ on how much power districts should have to push back in courts over their accountability ratings. They risk keeping STAAR by default if they don’t reach an agreement. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/42ae4fc0ad3cde250b79620d3dc1ecfb/STAAR%20Prep%20MS%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Math teacher Becky McLaughlin during a STAAR prep session for 7th graders at Blocker Middle School in Texas City on March 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Stricter bail rules win final passage in Texas Legislature, will go to voters in November
The House passage of the measure asking voters to amend the state Constitution to tighten the state’s bail laws hands a major policy win to Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b575b9fa6759b1cb7048f0bd20925a23/0519%20John%20Smithee%20LW%20TT%2003.jpg)
![State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, urges his fellow representatives to vote for his bill regarding bail bonds in Texas on May 19, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
The one thing Texas won’t do to save its water supply
Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/51098967c1c550c3af67d05420afd365/0521%20Wild%20West%20Water%20AR%2016.jpg)
![High Plains Underground Water District field technician supervisor Billy Barron, left, and IT and permit administrator Gray Sanders measure a well, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, outside of Slaton.]()
Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune -
Texas poised to add $100 million to child care scholarship program
Reallocated funding for the program that will go to providers will benefit nearly 95,000 children on a waitlist for scholarships. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/40e5b29639a55b331336bcd6af49d21c/Yoakum%20Child%20Care%20AM%2029.jpg)
![Teacher Pita Espinosa leads a group of young children in a song that teaches Spanish words at the Learning Tree childcare center in Yoakum on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas just defined man and woman. Here’s why that matters.
Critics say House Bill 229, which has gone to the governor, discriminates against trans people, but the full effect remains to be seen. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/050ac76f3fad0b40e7f8635966972af1/Trans%20Rights%20Rally%20LW%20TT%2007.jpg)
![Naia Fulton-Jones chants in front of the Texas Capitol to protest for transgender kids' rights on Tuesday, Mar. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
A bill to air-condition all Texas prisons likely to fail again in the Senate
House Bill 3006 would have required the installation of climate control in state prison by 2032. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/07/19/PrisonFan.jpg)
![Inmates shuffle past new fans in the TDCJ Memorial Unit in Brazoria Co. on July 12, 2017. The prison was called the Darrington Unit until 2023.]()
Credit: Jolie McCullough/The Texas Tribune -
Bill that would have banned Texas minors from social media misses key deadline
House Bill 186, approved by the lower chamber in May, never received a vote in the Senate. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c00eed6d9f45b6e1ebacbb76d9df1920/0127%20School%20Choice%20Lufkin%20CO%20TT%2020.jpg)
![Students check their phones while waiting for the bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to expand how schools discipline students
House Bill 6, which now heads to the governor, targets the increase in violence that has plagued schools since the pandemic. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d6eac3ff9c37d0d0b2dc663dd7bf048d/0127%20Student%20Discipline%20CO%2001.jpg)
![A student walks through the halls of Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Automatic denial of bail for some migrants fails to pass Texas House
Supporters said the proposal, which sought to amend the state constitution, would improve safety. Critics said it would violate due process and unfairly target minority groups. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a41bec553660f951751854c88a7f0576/Operation%20Lone%20Star%20VGC%20TT%2055.jpg)
![An undocumented migrant after being arrested in Kinney County on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Gabriel V. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune/ProPublica -
Lawmakers near deal to spend $20 billion over two decades on water crisis
The deal allocates $1 billion a year to water projects for 20 years, which some groups estimate is a fraction of what Texas needs to save its water supply. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e0c16659eb94e872169745ed78c88cc6/SA%20Water%20Treatment%20CS%20TT%2012.jpg)
![The SAWS’ Steven M. Clouse Water Recycling Center in San Antonio on Aug. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill allowing smaller homes on smaller lots amid housing affordability crunch advances in House
Senate Bill 15, a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is part of a broad push by lawmakers to put a dent in the state’s high home prices. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e2565da3d040b26c473fc3d16b4d4acd/1230%20Migrant%20Workers%20SB%20TT%2014.jpg)
![A construction worker builds homes in far west San Antonio on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.]()
Credit: Scott Stephen Ball for The Texas Tribune -
New limits for personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits may become a reality in Texas
The House made changes to the proposal that leave open ways for victims to be compensated beyond medical bills. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a7f4d2ec20806f2f13e710774c7b7659/Seton%20Trauma%20Center%20LS%20TT%2004.jpg)
![An ambulance is parked at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas
at Austin in 2018.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Top deputies to Attorney General Ken Paxton pushed out over sexual harassment allegations, lawsuit says
The harassment allegedly took place while the two were on leave from the agency working on Paxton’s impeachment defense. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5169eeadcae7c4361fa6abc087404125/SCOTUS%20Paxton%20Presser%20EL%20TT%2016.jpg)
![Then-Texas Solicitor General Judd Stone II speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on April 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Proposal to automatically deny bail to some previously accused of felonies falls in Texas House
Democrats declined to support Senate Joint Resolution 87, which sprinted through the Senate and needed 100 votes to clear the lower chamber. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f78fe279c06fc71376220964c1fa0627/0604%20Trinity%20County%20Jail%20MF%2015.jpg)
![Groveton, Texas: Inmates sleep in their cell on June 4, 2024 at the Trinity County Sheriff’s office and jail in Groveton, Texas. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Oil companies win protections from Texas Legislature ahead of selling fracking water
At least four companies say they are prepared to treat the water well enough to be released into rivers in West Texas. Environmental groups say the state is moving too fast. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f1b32537b79e6c171c301f3d55480487/0224%20Martin%20Produced%20Water%20JM%20TT%2030.jpg)
![Produced water ponds, constructed by Martin Water, in Lenorah, on Feb. 24, 2024. The Railroad Commission approved the construction of the ponds, used to treat and recycle produced water from fracking, next to the Circle 6 Baptist Camp in the Permian Basin.]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News -
Once again, Texas Legislature unlikely to pass ethics legislation this year
Lawmakers filed dozens of bills that would increase transparency around spending in elections and strengthen penalties for campaign and lobbying violations. None are poised to pass. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/93ed16974ecb1ca9d874e5f5ff82849c/0515%20House%20Deadline%20Day%20LW%20TT%2045.jpg)
![Members work to get bills in by deadline on the House floor on May 15, 2025. May 15 was the final day for the House to file bills, with the hard deadline at midnight.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Bill curbing the flow of abortion pills into Texas likely dead
Proponents of SB 2880 have singled out Rep. Ken King, House State Affairs committee chair, for letting the bill languish. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/faf28ae00aa423285e699a85348cad82/0102%20Mifepristone%20REUTERS%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Nurse practitioner Debra Lynch holds a box of mifepristone, the first drug used in a medication abortion regimen. Practicing under Delaware's shield law, Lynch prescribes the pills via telehealth, largely to patients in abortion-restricted states like Texas.]()
Credit: Bridget Grumet/American-Statesman/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS