Latest Contributions

• Economic incentives clear Senate committee as negotiations continue

  by Karen Brooks Harper May 21, 2023

  Lawmakers are trying hard to come up with an agreement on how to replace an embattled 20-year tax abatement program for big companies that expired in December. Full Story 

• Texas leaders want a new way to attract businesses here. But they can’t agree on how to do it.

  by Karen Brooks Harper May 19, 2023

  The two chambers have 10 days to cut a deal before the end of the legislative session, and they are miles apart on some of the very foundations of a corporate tax-abatement bill considered to be a priority for Republican state leaders. Full Story 

• State budget leaders adopt some spending plans for 2024-25 but still no compromise on property taxes, power plants

  by Karen Brooks Harper May 15, 2023

  With two weeks to go before the legislative session adjourns, chief budget writers still have not announced compromises on some of the largest fights facing the Texas Legislature. Full Story 

• Bills by the handful perish as Texas House hits crucial late-session deadline

  by James Barragán and Karen Brooks Harper May 12, 2023

  It was a night of frustration, retaliation and, for some, elation as the stroke of midnight spelled doom for a lot of legislation. Full Story 

• Texas House passes sweeping border funding bill, guts proposed policing unit

  by Karen Brooks Harper May 10, 2023

  Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle threw their support behind a new requirement that the unit use only commissioned peace officers for enforcement actions. Full Story 

• Lawmakers consider long-shot $2.3 billion proposal to keep struggling child care providers afloat

  by Karen Brooks Harper May 9, 2023

  Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic upset the fragile child care industry, about a third of the state’s child care providers remain closed. Full Story 

• New economic incentive plan clears hurdle in Texas House

  by Karen Brooks Harper Updated: May 5, 2023

  During the floor debate for a plan to replace the expired Chapter 313 program, House members added that the new version of the incentive must require companies to pay higher wages and create stiffer penalties for noncompliance. Full Story 

• Protesters decry stalled fentanyl test strip bill; Texas House passes get-tough criminal penalties

  by James Barragán and Karen Brooks Harper Updated: April 28, 2023

  Stuck in committee, the test-strip legislation has support from Gov. Greg Abbott and bipartisan lawmakers, who see it as a way to save lives. Full Story 

• Texas Senate passes $308 billion budget plan, kicking off high-stakes negotiations with the House

  by Karen Brooks Harper April 17, 2023

  There are $5 billion and several political wedges standing between the House and Senate plans, which now move into conference committee with less than five weeks before session ends. Full Story 

• Senate budget panel approves $308 billion spending plan with new money for teachers, mental health, juvenile justice

  by Karen Brooks Harper April 12, 2023

  The proposal for the 2024-25 budget cycle includes $142.1 billion in general revenue spending — about $5 billion higher than the proposal approved last week by the Texas House — at a time when lawmakers have a historic $32.7 billion surplus at their disposal this session. Full Story