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.]()
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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.]()
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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.]()
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The Brief: The #txlege is back for its special session
And they're back: State lawmakers return to the Capitol today to tackle business left unfinished during a divisive legislative session that ended in May. But a seven-week break doesn't appear to have mended their ill will. Full Story
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![From left: Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are shown on May 21, 2015.]()
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New in Trib+Health: Zika cases are down this summer
In this week's edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Zika cases are down this summer, feds make hundreds of arrests in health care fraud crackdown and an interview with Joy Schmitz of the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: What will the special session cost taxpayers?
The special session starting Tuesday is expected to be the costliest to date. But as government spending goes, a special session is actually pretty cheap. Full Story
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Workers' rights group seeks to highlight the other side of NAFTA
On Tuesday, a Central Texas-based advocacy group will celebrate the first day of the special session by highlighting the workers and migrants that have paid a heavy price since the trade agreement was signed in the 1990s. Full Story
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![Employees at Ana Vale Produce sort tomatoes for shipment. The produce comes from the Comarca Lagunera region of Mexico.]()
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At the Texas Capitol, bathroom bill debate revs back up
Both proponents and opponents of a Texas "bathroom bill" are steeling themselves once again as a special session kicks off in which Gov. Greg Abbott has vowed to add the hot-button issue to the agenda. Full Story
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![Activists from Austin's LGBT community protested proposals to restrict bathroom use for transgender people on the steps of the Texas Capitol on June 28, 2017.]()
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Four Texas Republicans in Congress were just outraised by Democratic challengers
Four Texans in Congress – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, and U.S. Reps. John Culberson of Houston, Ted Poe of Humble and Lamar Smith of San Antonio – were outraised by a Democratic challenger in the last quarter. Full Story
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![Clockwise from top left: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Reps. John Culberson, R-Houston, Ted Poe, R-Humble and Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio.]()
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Texas teachers voice opposition to education-heavy special session
The day before the start of this summer's special legislative session, educator groups rallied at the Texas Capitol, demanding more state resources and fewer unfunded mandates. Full Story
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![The day before the start of the special session — on July 17, 2017 — several teacher and education groups turned out at the state Capitol to rally against GOP leaders' public education agenda.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Abbott: I'm keeping a list of lawmakers who oppose me during special session
Gov. Greg Abbott says he's going to keep a list of lawmakers who oppose his agenda during the special legislative session, and that property tax reform is his top priority. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott lays out items for a special session at a press conference on June 6, 2017.]()
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Trump administration awards $2.3 million to Texas for border security
The Texas Military Department has received a $2.3 million boost from the federal government to help with the state's border-security efforts. Full Story
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![Texas National Guardsmen from C Co, 3-124th CAV go through jump drills.]()
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Texas Democrats lay out their own special session priorities
Democrats in the Texas Legislature outlined their priorities for the upcoming special legislative session on Monday, focusing on several issues that did not appear on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda for the session. Full Story
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![State Rep. Chris Turner, D-Arlington, attempts to add an amendment to SJR 2 advocating for Texas to join a Convention of States on May 4, 2017. Turner's try at an amendment, to force the resignation of federal officials caught cooperating with the Soviets, failed to pass.]()
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IBM ups the ante in fight against Texas bathroom bill
As Texas lawmakers reconvene for a special legislative session, IBM and other major companies are re-upping their opposition to legislation they say would discriminate against transgender children and harm its Texas recruiting efforts. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick holds a press conference outside Senate chambers two hours after House Speaker Joe Straus told reporters the House declines to negotiate with the Senate on its proposed compromise on a “bathroom bill.”]()
Credit: Cassandra Pollock