As Texas Republicans try again to pass a law barring certain public employees from using payroll deductions to pay their union or association dues, it is following the lead of several other states that have seen mixed results. Full Story
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It would be unconstitutional to impose a statewide property tax. Even if one was enacted, however, that wouldn’t solve the structural issues with the state’s school finance system. Full Story
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Texas submitted a court-ordered proposal Thursday to move about 1,000 medically sensitive inmates from an uncooled prison southeast of College Station to air-conditioned units elsewhere in the state. Full Story
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An eye-opening proposal to kill the local school property tax in order to force Texas lawmakers to build a new school finance system won unanimous approval Thursday from the House's tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Full Story
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After a proposal to give a property tax exemption to Purple Heart recipients hit a snag on the House floor Monday, a committee considered a more radical idea: eliminating school district property taxes altogether. Full Story
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Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, is voicing agreement with two House members who want Gov. Greg Abbott to expand the special session agenda to include ethics reform. Full Story
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The U.S. Senate confirmed former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison as the new ambassador to NATO. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Wednesday unveiled a $15 billion border-security bill. The Building America's Trust Act would fund parts of a wall or fence, add Border Patrol and ICE agents to current ranks, and punish "sanctuary" jurisdictions. Full Story
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The Texas House voted Tuesday to use $212 million from the Rainy Day Fund, a savings account largely fed by oil and gas production taxes, to decrease premiums and deductibles for retired teachers in the state-run health insurance program. Full Story
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The House and Senate are trying to agree on how to pump $212 million into an unfunded health insurance program for more than 1 million retired teachers in the state. Full Story
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In East Texas, 86-year-old Clara Crawford shuttles kids to a summer meal program at the local community center. In the Panhandle, Kay Calvert and a group of volunteers want to revive a similar program in tiny Quitaque. Full Story
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The House and the Senate are figuring out whether they can compromise on exactly how to put $212 million into an underfunded health insurance program for retired teachers. Teachers say they'll take their frustration to the polls. Full Story
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As he escorted fellow congressmen across West Texas this week, U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway was laying the groundwork for passing a massive piece of legislation next year that thousands of farmers in his district are counting on. Full Story
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On this week's TribCast, Aman talks to Evan, Ross and Patrick about how the special session might end now that we're at the halfway point and reports that Rick Perry might be Trump's next head of Homeland Security. Plus, an update on Dawnna Dukes' corruption case. Full Story
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A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on Gov. Greg Abbott Wednesday to add ethics reform to the agenda of the special session. The governor’s office, in a rare rapid response, quickly attacked the effort as “showboating.” Full Story
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There's not much room in federal law for the U.S. Department of Justice to target Texas schools for the use of affirmative action, but a lawsuit pending in state court could spell trouble for race-conscious admissions at the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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Gina Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer, is launching a bid against U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Helotes, who is widely viewed as the most vulnerable Republican member of Congress from Texas. Full Story
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A new report says Rick Perry is in consideration to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Full Story
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Texas has more kids than ever who are eligible to receive free summer meals — so why is the state feeding fewer kids? Full Story
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After peaking in 2013, the number of students who received free summer meals at Texas schools dropped last summer. No one seems to know exactly why, but one possible reason is lack of transportation. Full Story
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