Environmental groups sue EPA over lax Texas air pollution permits
Environmental groups are taking the EPA to court, alleging the federal agency isn't properly policing Texas air pollution permits they argue are too lax and complicated. Full Story
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![ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas.]()
Credit: Dave Fehling NPR StateImpact / KUHF Houston Public Radio -
Abbott adds school finance, retired teacher benefits to special session
In what seems to be an overture to the House, Gov. Greg Abbott added two new education-related issues to his special session call Thursday: school finance reform and increased benefits for retired teachers. Full Story
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![The three leaders of Texas make nice at a short Cash Management Committee meeting in the Betty King Room of the Texas Capitol on July 18, 2017, the first day of the special session.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
The Brief: Abbott expands special session agenda after Senate speeds through sunset legislation
By the time you read this, critical legislation keeping several key state agencies alive is out of the Texas Senate and on its way to the House — and Gov. Greg Abbott has officially green-lighted the Legislature to begin working on the other 19 items he wants passed during the special session. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick confers with a group of senators during the special session on July 19, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
New in Trib+Edu: Schools look abroad for teachers
In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Sacramento schools look for teachers in the Philippines, political dysfunction continues to hold up education dollars for Illinois schools and a push for music education in South Dakota. Full Story
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Senate gives OK to must-pass "sunset" legislation in midnight vote
A fast-moving Senate gave approval to critical “sunset legislation” after midnight Thursday, using two bills to extend the life of five state agencies held political hostage at the end of the regular legislative session. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appears in the Texas Senate with pizza and soda as senators arrive for a midnight vote during the special session on July 20, 2017]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Here’s what Texans said about the Texas Legislature regulating bathrooms
Here’s a look at the state-vs.-local fight over bathroom regulations, the legislative debate on the issue and how some Texans feel about the proposed measures. Full Story
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![Several Texas cities with populations around 1 million — including San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth and Plano — have explicit protections in place against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.]()
Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
Heat is part of life at Texas prisons, but federal judge orders one to cool it
Most Texas prisons remain un-air conditioned, but a federal judge's ruling Wednesday called conditions at one prison cruel and unusual and ordered temporary air conditioning for heat-sensitive inmates. Full Story
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![Prison staff and inmates move through the Darrington Unit's main hallway on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Jolie McCullough/The Texas Tribune -
Latest Texas fundraising totals shed light on key races
Statewide officials, state lawmakers and the candidates who'd like to unseat them faced a Monday deadline to report their campaign finances for the first half of the year. Here are some highlights. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Sarah Davis wants more information about "misconduct" at TABC
The chair of a House oversight committee wants more information about potential "misconduct" that occurred at the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Full Story
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![State Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, chairwoman of the Committee on General Investigating and Ethics, holds up a TABC flyer at a hearing on April 13, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Dallas getting its first female police chief with hire of Detroit deputy
Sources say that Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax has hired Detroit Deputy Chief Ulysha Renee Hall, who'll be the first female to serve as police chief in Dallas. Full Story
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![Ulysha Renee Hall was named the next Dallas police chief on July 19, 2017. She has served as a deputy chief in Detroit.]()
Credit: Detroit Police Department -
The first week of the special legislative session (podcast)
On this week's TribCast, Emily talks to Evan, Ross and Patrick about the kickoff of the special legislative session, what's at stake for the state's top leaders and what's in store for the bathroom bill. Full Story
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Credit: Emily Albracht / Todd Wiseman -
Watch our special session preview with Reps. Alvarado, Darby & Schaefer
Watch video of our conversation in Austin previewing the special session with state Reps. Carol Alvarado, Drew Darby and Matt Schaefer. Full Story
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The Brief: First day down, #txlege — and there could be 29 more to go
Good news: We survived the first day of the special legislative session. Bad news: There could be 29 more days to go. And if Monday was any indication, the next few weeks could be a bumpy ride. Full Story
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![The three leaders of Texas appear jovial at a short meeting of the Cash Management Committee on July 18, 2017, as they face a potentially contentious 30-day special session of the 85th Legislature.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers to target Austin's worker protections on construction projects
With the beginning of the special legislative session, opponents of construction permitting rules in Austin that require more worker protections in exchange for a faster process have the chance to overturn local regulations like Austin's. Full Story
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![Construction in downtown Austin's Warehouse District on Tuesday, May 2, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Follow the leader — if you can find him
The governor has identified the issues he wants lawmakers to work on during the special session. He says he'll keep score to track friends and foes. But he hasn't publicly made his positions clear — so how do they know how to vote? Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott (l.) and Kevin Roberts, executive vice president at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, at a TPPF orientation session ahead of the special session, on July 17, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Trump administration: Trust Texas on voter education spending
Federal courts should trust Texas to properly educate voters on new ID rules ahead of the 2018 elections instead of insisting that money be spent on a marketing campaign, President Trump’s justice department argues. Full Story
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![Voters line up at an early voting station in Houston on Oct. 24, 2016. Poll workers said the lines were much longer than normal for early voting.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans in Congress process health care bill's collapse
Seven years after Republicans began campaigning on repealing former President Obama's 2010 health care law, all efforts to revamp it appeared to end Tuesday. The two Texas senators had a lot of political capital invested in it. Full Story
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![Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn are trailed by reporters as they walk to the Senate floor of the U.S. Capitol after unveiling a draft bill on healthcare in Washington on June 22, 2017.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque -
Texas Senate moves to fast-track special session agenda
On the opening day of the special session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took a step to fast-track two bills reauthorizing the Texas Medical Board and four other state agencies jeopardized by inaction during the regular session. Full Story
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![State Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, is challenged by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as she debates Sen. Kelly Hancock on a point of order in the Texas Senate during the first day of the special session on July 18, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
As Abbott launches ambitious special session, ill will flows between Straus, Patrick
The coming weeks will reveal whether the ongoing hostility between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus has paralyzed state policymakers as they take up the 20 items on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Joe Straus on the dais in the Texas House chamber for a ceremony memorializing the nation's veterans on May 27, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Why the murder charge against the Texas police officer who killed Jordan Edwards is rare
The former police officer who shot and killed 15-year-old Jordan Edwards has been indicted on a murder charge, a rare occurrence in a state and nation where criminal charges against an officer are almost nonexistent. Full Story
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![15-year-old Mesquite High School freshman Jordan Edwards (left) was shot and killed by Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver on April 29, 2017.]()
Credit: Mesquite High School yearbook/Facebook