Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could be upsetting balance of powers with threat to veto Texas Legislature’s pay
A governor targeting the Legislature’s budget would be unprecedented in Texas history. Full Story
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Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers responded to the pandemic by limiting what the government can do in response to a pandemic
Lawmakers didn’t succeed in curtailing the governor's power during a disaster, but they did pass bills that prohibit so-called vaccine passports and ban the mandatory closure of churches and gun stores. Full Story
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![A state trooper stand guard outside of the door to the House chamber on opening day of the legislative session on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ GOP leadership already at odds over plans for special legislative session
Since House Democrats staged a walkout that killed Republicans’ priority elections bill for the regular session, the governor and the leaders of the state House and Senate have diverged notably in interviews about how they are approaching the overtime round. Full Story
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![The sun sets on the state Capitol in Austin, on May 27, 2021.]()
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Everyday Texans overlooked in state lawmakers' response to power outages during winter storm
While lawmakers took significant steps toward preventing another blackout, hardly any of the proposals passed during this legislative session will aid consumers in recovering from the February storm — but they’ll see higher utility bills. Full Story
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![The Decker Creek Power Station, a natural gas power plant northeast of Austin on February 28, 2021.]()
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Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announces run for attorney general against Ken Paxton
Bush made his challenge official Wednesday evening during an event at a downtown Austin bar. Former President Donald Trump said last week that he would issue an endorsement in the race "in the not-so-distant future." Full Story
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![Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announces his candidacy for Attorney General at an event in Austin on June 2, 2021.]()
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TribCast: Democrats defeat the Texas voting bill — for now
On this week's episode, Matthew speaks with James, Patrick and Alexa about the wild end to the legislative session and the future of proposed voting restrictions in Texas. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jessica González, D-Dallas, speaks at a press conference at Mt. Zion Baptist Church near the state Capitol in Austin after Democrats broke quorum in opposition to Senate Bill 7, a sweeping GOP voting bill. May 30, 2021.]()
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Ken Paxton asks appeals court to toss whistleblower case brought by former top aides
In an 85-page brief filed Tuesday, the attorney general’s lawyers argue that under state law, a whistleblower must believe someone has broken the law, but the aides only reported that “they expected laws might be violated.” Full Story
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![Then-state Sen. Ken Paxton, who is now attorney general, during The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2013.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas families with students receiving free or reduced-price lunches could be eligible for up to $1,200 in food aid
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will allocate around $2.5 billion in food benefits to all eligible families. School districts will notify families about eligibility by June 2. Full Story
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![Students sit at socially-distanced intervals in the lunch room at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
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Lawsuit to block Lubbock's abortion ban is dismissed in court as the ordinance takes effect
Planned Parenthood sued to block the "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance, passed by voters in May, but a federal judge said he didn't have jurisdiction to hear the case. The ordinance went into effect Tuesday. Full Story
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Analysis: Regulating dangerous practices in the Texas Legislature
Lawmakers consider some things so safe that regulations can be loosened, while other matters get a tighter regulatory scheme. Consider guns and voting. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks with lawmakers on the house floor during the legislative session on Sunday, May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislature’s sole Black freshman had big plans for her first session. She ended up mostly playing defense.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett pushed bills to reform policing, expand voting options and loosen drug laws in the state. But she made waves for her passionate dissent. Full Story
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas officials speak at QAnon-affiliated event where Trump adviser Michael Flynn encouraged military coup on U.S. government
Texas GOP Chairman Allen West, Republican U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller each delivered remarks at the event. Marketing for the event included a logo featuring a cowboy hat with the letters “WWG1WGA” around its band, a QAnon motto. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Chairman of the Texas Republican Party, Allen West.]()
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Donald Trump endorses Gov. Greg Abbott for reelection
The endorsement comes as Abbott faces a primary challenge from former state Sen. Don Huffines of Dallas and as other fellow Republicans eye the race. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott greeted then-President Donald Trump upon arrival at the Orange County Airport Landing Zone to visit areas damaged by Hurricane Laura in Orange on Aug. 29, 2020.]()
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For Democrats of color, walkout on Texas voting bill was rooted in the long fight for equal voting rights
All they could get was a temporary win. But the lawmakers said taking the extraordinary measure of breaking quorum in the Texas House was justified by the harm they felt their mostly Black and Hispanic constituents would face under the GOP’s voting bill. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer addresses the media during a press conference at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The group of Democratic lawmakers walked off the House floor and broke quorum over Senate Bill 7.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
House Speaker Dade Phelan says Gov. Greg Abbott could hurt staffers and legislative agencies if he tries to block lawmaker salaries
Abbott’s vow came after a Democratic walkout in the House late Sunday night blocked passage of Senate Bill 7, his priority elections bill that would overhaul voting rights in Texas. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan speaks with legislators on the House floor on May 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Republicans say they’ll tweak part of Texas elections bill criticized for impact on Black churchgoers
The provision deals with the window for early voting on Sundays, and the current version of the bill raised concerns that it would hinder get-out-the-vote efforts by Black churches. Full Story
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![State Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, on the House floor on May 7, 2021.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott signs slate of legislation to increase criminal penalties for protesters, punish cities that reduce police budgets
The bills are in response to widespread protests and calls to “defund the police” last year. Full Story
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![The Austin Police Department building with the Austin skyline in the background on March 22, 2021.]()
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COVID-19 ravaged the state’s border counties. Now they’re leading Texas in vaccinations.
From El Paso to Brownsville, every county along the border is outpacing the state average for the percentage of residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Full Story
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![Blanca Alvarado administers the COVID-19 vaccine to a patient in Laredo. Feb. 1, 2021.]()
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The 2021 Texas Legislature: 140 days in photos
Every other year, Texas legislators gather in Austin to enact new laws, but 2021 was like no other session. Here’s what it looked like through the lenses of Texas Tribune photographers. Full Story
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![A visitor of the House gallery listens to legislators speak during a debate on an abortion bill being considered on the House floor on May 5, 2021.]()
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With feelings raw over voting bill's demise, Texas Legislature wraps up — for now
Members celebrated the end of the session, but also acknowledged that they’ll be back sometime soon for at least one special session. Full Story
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![House members praised House Speaker Dade Phelan on Sine Die. May 31, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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