Analysis: No, the Texas Legislature isn’t lowering your property taxes
Texas legislators would love to lower your property taxes, but none of the proposals they're considering in the special session would do that. Full Story
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![Construction in downtown Austin on June 20, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price / The Texas Tribune -
Halfway through special session, Patrick wants "better communications" with House
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick marked the halfway point of the special session Tuesday by calling for "better communications" with the House, which has moved much slower on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda than Patrick's Senate has. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus meet at the short Cash Management Committee meeting on July 18, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Roger Williams cleared in ethics investigation
A congressional panel looking into whether U.S. Rep. Roger Williams improperly benefited from legislation he supported said its review found nothing that could lead to "a reasonable inference of improper conduct." Full Story
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Travis County District Attorney rescinds offer to drop charges against Rep. Dukes
The Travis County District Attorney's office on Tuesday said its offer to drop all corruption charges against state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, in exchange for her agreeing to resign immediately had expired. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, chats on the House floor on August 1, 2017. Dukes faces a deadline to resign from office or face corruption charges from the Travis County District Attorney's Office.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Report: Texas could lose billions if new immigration enforcement law stands
Representatives from Texas’ business, local government and higher education sectors argued Tuesday that the state’s new immigration-enforcement law could do billions of dollars in damage to the Texas economy. Full Story
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![A woman demonstrating against Senate Bill 4, the so-called sanctuary cities law, waves a flag during a march near the San Antonio Riverwalk on June 26, 2017. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia is hearing arguments from Texas cities and counties challenging the bill, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Dallas, Fort Worth mayors discuss meeting with Abbott (video)
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price talked about their Tuesday meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott about several local control issues he put on the agenda for the special legislative session. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
House passes four maternal mortality bills
House lawmakers tentatively approved a series of bills Monday aimed at helping Texas curb its unusually high rate of women dying less than a year after childbirth. Full Story
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Power Trips: Who should regulate property tax rates? Give us your take.
The Texas Tribune wants to know more about how rising property tax rates are affecting people across Texas — and who should have the final say. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Tim Park / The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: Presenting the 2017 Texas Tribune Festival Program
From national and state politics to top-shelf media, the lineup of our seventh-annual ideas weekend is filled to the brim and beyond with star power and smarts. You won't want to miss it. Full Story
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The Brief: Battles over bathrooms, taxes on the horizon as Legislature hits 15-day mark
The Texas Legislature hits the halfway point today in a special session that's expected to take up most if not all of the 30 days it's allowed. While the Senate has passed 20 bills related to 18 items on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda and the House has passed eight bills touching on four of his priorities, legislation has yet to hit the governor's desk. Full Story
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![From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Joe Straus.]()
Credit: Patrick: Laura Buckman & Abbott/Straus: Bob Daemmrich -
Here are 5 takeaways from the first half of the special session
At the likely halfway point of a 30-day special session, the Texas House and Senate are taking very different approaches to the governor's sprawling agenda, and they could be headed for another standoff on a so-called "bathroom bill." Full Story
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After a quiet year of campus carry, community colleges get guns next
Starting Tuesday, community colleges across the state will permit licensed gun owners to carry concealed firearms in certain campus buildings. They've had a year to learn from the example of four-year schools — but they still face challenges all their own. Full Story
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!["Gun Free UT" signs hang from office windows at the University of Texas at Austin on July 29, 2017, nearly a year after the state's campus carry law went into effect.]()
Credit: Austin Price / The Texas Tribune -
Judge denies ExxonMobil request to reduce $20 million air pollution fine
U.S. District Judge David Hittner slapped the the energy giant with a $19.95 million penalty in April for spewing millions of pounds of hazardous pollutants from a Houston-area industrial complex. Full Story
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![ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, Texas.]()
Credit: Dave Fehling NPR StateImpact / KUHF Houston Public Radio -
Travis County DA offers to drop charges if Rep. Dawnna Dukes resigns
The Travis County District Attorney's office has told state Rep. Dawnna Dukes it would drop corruption charges against her if she agrees to resign from office and agree to a drug and alcohol assessment by the end of business Tuesday. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, turns to leave the 450th District Court of Judge Brad Urrutia with attorney Matt Shrum, June 30, 2017, after Urrutia set a trial date of October 12th on charges of corruption and tampering related to her work as a state representative.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Video: A conversation on bathrooms with Sen. Sylvia Garcia and Rep. Ron Simmons
Watch a video of our conversation in Austin on bathroom politics and policy with state Sen. Sylvia Garcia and state Rep. Ron Simmons. Full Story
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The Brief: As special session enters third week, here's where things stand
As the Texas Legislature kicks off its third week of a special legislative session, let's quickly recap some news you might have missed before delving into what's coming down the pipe at the Texas Capitol. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin on June 20, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price / The Texas Tribune -
Fracking, not hacking, has Texas GOP congressmen mad at Russia
Congressmen Lamar Smith and Randy Weber wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury alleging that American environmental groups are being funded by Russia. Critics say the Texas Republicans are trying to divert attention from President Trump's Russia problems. Full Story
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![U.S. Reps. Randy Weber, R-Friendswood, left, and Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio.]()
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Analysis: For three Texas leaders, even some losses could be victories
Measuring the progress of legislation is easy: This one passed, that one didn't. Political success in a legislative session is different: A mediocre legislative record can be a victory for all sides. 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 -
Bathroom bill debate highlights barriers to updating birth certificate in Texas
The ongoing debate over bathroom restrictions for transgender Texans has shed a light on the complex process individuals face in changing their birth certificates. Full Story
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Rick Perry: "I totally support" Trump's ban on transgender troops
"The idea that the American people need to be paying for these types of operations to change your sex is not very wise from a standpoint of economics," U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said during a stop in Waller, Texas, on Friday. Full Story
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![U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks to the press after touring the Daikin Texas Technology Park in Waller, Texas, on July 28, 2017.]()
Credit: Austin Price / The Texas Tribune
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