Abbott Signs Bill to Speed Permits, Limit Protests
Gov. Greg Abbott has signed legislation aiming to quicken regulators' pace of cranking out permits for major industrial projects by limiting public scrutiny. Full Story
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![This flue gas scrubber, installed at a Valero refinery in Houston in 2006, reduces emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter.]()
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Former State Rep. Leo Berman Dies at 79
Tributes poured in this weekend from Texas conservatives and Democrats alike for former state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who died Saturday. He served in the House from 1999 to 2013. Full Story
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![Former state Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, is shown in 2011.]()
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Inside Texas Politics: Waco Shootout and Secret Tapings
On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, talk turns to the shootout in Waco and its effect on the open carry debate and the not-so-secret tapings of state lawmakers. Full Story
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![Texas Tribune Executive Editor Ross Ramsey on WFAA's "Inside Texas Politics" on May 24, 2015.]()
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Funding Program Shields Nursing Homes From Lawsuits
Hundreds of Texas nursing homes have transferred their ownership to local government entities in order to secure more federal Medicaid funding. Critics of the arrangement say it shields negligent nursing homes from lawsuits. Full Story
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House Delays Closing of Austin Assisted Living Center
An Austin assisted living facility for people with disabilities — originally targeted for closure in 2017 — won’t be shuttered until 2019 under a major agency overhaul initially approved by the Texas House on Saturday. Full Story
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Health Commission Bill Could Set Up End-of-Life, Abortion Debate
With the House set to consider legislation to re-evaluate the state’s health commission, a flurry of pre-filed amendments could set the stage for a fiery debate over end-of-life issues. Full Story
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House Panel OKs Bill Banning Insurers From Covering Abortions
A bill prohibiting health insurers from covering abortion in all cases save for medical emergencies cleared a House panel Saturday and could be headed to the House floor. Full Story
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State Cemetery Could Soon Be Under New Management
Lawmakers are aiming to restructure the chain of command at the Texas State Cemetery. But longtime caretakers of the famous graveyard think a measure moving through the Capitol goes too far in shifting power. Full Story
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![The Texas State Cemetery is home to more than 900 Texans who have shaped the civic and political life of the state, including 13 governors and Stephen F. Austin, the so-called Father of Texas.]()
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Key House Leader: Union Dues Bill is Dying
State Rep. Byron Cook confirmed that he does not plan to schedule a vote on legislation that would end automatic payroll deductions for union and non-union dues of most public employees. Full Story
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![Byron Cook speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 20, 2014.]()
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OSHA Chief: Fine for Deadly Leak in Texas "Petty Cash" for DuPont
Seven months after a toxic gas leak killed four workers at DuPont’s chemical plant in La Porte, a top U.S. labor official blasted the company’s commitment to workplace safety, saying he wished he could hand out a stiffer punishment. Full Story
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![DuPont's chemical plant in La Porte. In November 2014, a toxic gas leak killed four workers inside a unit that manufactures a popular insecticide called Lannate.]()
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TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The best of our best content from May 18 to 22, 2015. Full Story
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After Another Gun Fight, Open Carry Passes Senate
Legislation moving Texas closer to allowing open carry of handguns finally cleared the state Senate late Friday evening after the chamber was thrown into hours of tense debate over a controversial amendment limiting the power of police to stop people visibly carrying guns. Full Story
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![Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita, Falls, center, and Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, speak to Karina Davis the Senate Parliamentarian on March 16th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Senate Approves State Employee Pension Funding Plan
The Texas Senate on Friday voted to beef up the state’s underfunded retirement system for state employees by adding about $440 million to the program, a plan that has received mixed reviews from state employee advocacy groups. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Van, co-chair of the House Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations, is shown calling an executive session on May, 12, 2014.]()
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Presidential Hopefuls Lining Up at Texas ATM
As the 2016 presidential race heats up, Texas is again playing host to a wave of campaign fundraisers, with at least four major candidates passing through over the next month or so. Full Story
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With HB 40 Signed, Denton Fracking Resumes
The first Texas town to ban hydraulic fracturing is poised to be fracked again. Vantage Energy plans to resume fracking operations at eight gas wells in Denton on June 1, the Colorado-based operator has told city officials. Full Story
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![A gas well is shown in 2014 sitting less than 400 feet from a home in Denton.]()
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Abbott: Texas Will Work to Comply With Anti-Prison Rape Law
In a shift away from his predecessor Rick Perry, Gov. Greg Abbott has informed the U.S. justice department that Texas plans to comply as much as possible with a federal law that aims to prevent prison rape. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott at a Tax Day press conference on April 15, 2015.]()
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Open Carry Debate Knocks Senate Off the Rails
Final Senate passage of open carry legislation was expected to be routine, until Sen. Don Huffines offered an amendment that triggered fierce debate and temporarily postponed the bill. Full Story
![Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita, Falls, center, and Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, speak to Karina Davis the Senate Parliamentarian on March 16th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Senate Unanimously Backs "Right to Try" Legislation
The Senate gave a unanimous vote of support on Friday to a measure that would allow terminally ill patients to try experimental drugs that have received preliminary approval by the FDA. Full Story
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![Capitol lobbyist Andrea Sloan waged a public battle with ovarian cancer, seeking federal permission to try an experimental treatment in 2013. She died Jan. 1, 2014.]()
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Abbott Signs Online Solicitation Measure Into Law
Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed into law a measure that makes online solicitation of a minor a punishable offense and changes the definition of a minor, calling it "regrettable that this bill is necessary." Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas State Prayer Breakfast in Austin on May 4, 2015.]()
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Ethics Bill Hits Dark Money, Secret Recording
An ethics overhaul package, dramatically reworked, now takes aim at people who secretly record lawmakers inside the Texas Capitol. It also would require certain politically active nonprofits to disclose large donations. Full Story
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![State Rep. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, on the House floor on May 7, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman