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Chris Essig is the data visuals editor at The Texas Tribune. Based in Austin, he leads a team of developers who build charts, maintain public databases and analyze data to help reporters hold elected officials accountable. Chris has been a newsroom developer for 10 years and has worked in several local newsrooms. As a native of the Midwest, Chris received his journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University and spent six years in Iowa working at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids and at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo.
House Bill 3287, which Gov. Greg Abbott didn't veto, will force larger breweries to pay a distributor to deliver their beer — even if they're delivering it to on-site taprooms just yards away from where it's produced. Full Story
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After 140 days, what did Texas lawmakers actually accomplish? Here's our guide to what happened with the regular session’s most high-profile measures. Full Story
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A new Harvard study found that Americans — especially poorer ones — are having a harder time find a suitable place to call home. Texas lawmakers, experts and development industry leaders say there are plenty of reasons why that's true here, too. Full Story
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Craft brewers want Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill that would put limits on some regulatory relief that benefits them. But supporters, including some major distributors, say the bill is needed to stop big beer companies that gobble up independent craft brewers from taking advantage of relaxed regulations. Full Story
Did the Texas Legislature boost funding for border security? What about public education? Did they dip into the Rainy Day Fund? Here’s a wide-angle look at what's in the $217 billion budget the two chambers ultimately settled on. Full Story
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The Tribune asked all 38 members of the Texas congressional delegation whether Congress is appropriately overseeing investigations into relationships between Russia and members of the Trump team. Full Story
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Check out how each public university in Texas would fare under the House and Senate budgets. Full Story
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Both chambers have passed state budgets that spend around $218 billion but significant differences remain. With just a few weeks to go before the end of the session, here's a look at the key sticking points. Full Story
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State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has missed more than 100 record votes during the current legislative session, the most of the 150 members of the House, according to a Tribune analysis of data from a legislative analytics website. Full Story
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Texans in Congress mostly backed President Donald Trump's recent airstrikes in Syria, according to a Tribune survey of the delegation. Full Story
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