The fight over property tax rates is really about state leaders telling local officials how much their revenues can grow before voters get to step in.

Several government entities — from appraisal districts to city councils — play independent roles that collectively determine how much money Texas landowners owe local governments each year.

The Senate panel's vote came despite fierce pushback from city and county leaders, who say a lower election threshold on increased property tax revenues could hamstring their budgets.

The leaders of both legislative chambers say they will be united this year — even if cities and counties push back — and that local officials should come to Austin with solutions in hand if they don't like new proposals.

A bill authored by state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, would make it a felony to threaten a romantic partner into taking on debt or financing expensive items like cars.

It was the closest a Democrat came to toppling a Republican incumbent U.S. senator since 1978. And while O'Rourke beat Cruz in some traditional GOP strongholds, it wasn't enough to overcome rural Texas counties and some suburbs that remain fiercely loyal to Cruz.

Houston and San Antonio firefighters are at odds with their mayors over local ballot measures. Austin is asking residents for $250 million for affordable housing. And in Dallas, voters will replace a city council member facing jail time for corruption.

A proposed high-speed rail line between the state's two largest urban areas represents the collision of two things Texans hold dear: private property rights and an unrestrained free market

We analyzed housing data in hundreds of Texas ZIP codes to create a searchable tool so readers can see how affordable their neighborhood is.

Demographics, income and location all play roles in the difficulties Texans face finding an affordable home in a neighborhood they like.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke held a feisty debate Friday evening at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

The city council is slated to discuss a new University of Texas at Austin study that identifies neighborhoods where redevelopment threatens to push out existing residents.

Meanwhile, 15 percent of homes damaged or destroyed by the storm are still unlivable. Yet FEMA and Texas officials aren't keeping track of how many people remain displaced one year later.

Amid a fierce battle over the city's attempts to improve traffic and combat housing unaffordability, Austin leaders are looking to drop CodeNEXT and start a new process.

While officials on Tuesday provided more details on reuniting families who will be deported, it's not clear how — or if — they plan to reunify thousands who came to the U.S. seeking a safe haven from violent situations back home.