Former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, under consideration for the NATO ambassadorship, played a key role in shepherding U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson through his Senate confirmation. Full Story
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House lawmakers on Monday voted to streamline how courts work with the state's child welfare agency to protect abused and neglected kids — and laid out concrete reasons children can be removed from their homes. Full Story
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House Bill 2107 would expand the “Compassionate Use Act” and allow the use of medical marijuana for qualifying patients with debilitating medical conditions, such as terminal cancer or post-traumatic stress disorder. Full Story
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Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to get ahead of an anticipated barrage of legal challenges to Texas' ban on "sanctuary cities." Full Story
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As Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne's second mayoral term ends, the Republican known for speaking out against illegal immigration and Sharia begins overseeing housing and urban development for five states. Full Story
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With the legislative session drawing its curtains at the Texas Capitol in a few short weeks, the House worked into the night Friday and most of Saturday. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a controversial bill into law late Sunday. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature is moving into the part of the calendar when certain dates are circled in red. More bills are killed by clocks and calendars — by those circled deadlines — than by votes. Full Story
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Initiatives to boost small businesses and help poor students get through college could lose their funding amid the Senate's attempt to fix how the state pays for higher education. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott signed a ban on "sanctuary cities" on Sunday, putting the final touch on legislation that would also allow police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. Full Story
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San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor will face councilman Ron Nirenberg in a runoff in her reeelection bid. In El Paso, former state Rep. Dee Margo came up short and will face David Saucedo in a mayoral runoff. Full Story
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Big donors to Texas governors would be banned from appointments to state boards and commissions under legislation approved Saturday by the Texas House. Full Story
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House Bill 25, approved by the House on Saturday, could drastically change Texas politics considering straight-ticket ballots accounted for almost 64 percent of total votes cast in the state’s 10 largest counties in 2016. Full Story
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The Texas House shot down House Bill 2861, a measure that would’ve allowed the Texas Department of Transportation to use tolls to fund the construction, renovation or widening of several highways. Full Story
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As the legislative session reaches its final weeks, opponents of a private firm's plans to build a bullet train line between Dallas and Houston are urging lawmakers will pass one of several bills that would likely kill it. Full Story
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A measure advancing in the Texas Legislature would make baked goods, regardless of their temperature when served, exempt from sales tax. Full Story
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The Texas House on Thursday passed a call for a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution, pushing one of Gov. Greg Abbott's four emergency items this session a step further in the legislative process. Full Story
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A Texas governor's powers peak at the end of a legislative session, as deadline-haunted legislators begin to fear the threat of a veto from the state's chief executive. Full Story
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To Gov. Greg Abbott, a bill to crack down on “sanctuary” policies in Texas was a must-pass this session. And this week, Republican lawmakers delivered on the controversial legislation. Full Story
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The Healthy Texas Women Program is the state’s second attempt at reimagining how to provide health services for low-income women without organizations that provide abortions at some of their locations. Full Story
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The Texas House on Thursday tentatively approved a bill that would discourage home and business owners from seeking big payouts from insurance companies after hailstorms, floods and hurricanes — payouts their lawyers say are appropriate. Full Story
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