The latest Rodney Ellis news from The Texas Tribune.
After the Trump administration announced an abrupt change to the census deadline, the largest county in Texas is among those suing to keep the count going until October. Full Story
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Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced he would not seek reelection a week after the release of an infamous recording of a conversation between him and a political activist. It's not the first time that secret recordings caused a stir in Texas politics. Full Story
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In Texas, the tiny number of successful prosecutions leave both victims and lawmakers questioning state’s commitment to punishing hate. Full Story
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The 2017 legislative session will open without former state Sen. Rodney Ellis, a 26-year lawmaker who became a criminal justice reform titan in the upper chamber. Full Story
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Thirty years ago, a Williamson County murder set in motion a shoddy prosecution that led to the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton. It's a miscarriage in justice that's still felt in the state's criminal cases. Full Story
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State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, has won the Democratic nomination for a vacant seat on the Harris County commissioner's court, putting the 26-year Texas Senate veteran on a path to leave the Legislature by next year. Full Story
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While many Democrats have mixed feelings about the group that helped lead the party's election efforts in 2014, Battleground Texas officials still believe in their long-term strategy to turn Texas blue. Full Story
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The nonprofit group that has been secretly videotaping legislators this session has drawn the scrutiny of the Texas Rangers, the Houston Chronicle reports. Full Story
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Lawmakers from both chambers gathered Wednesday to lend support to a range of bills that would limit the loan size and number of installments offered by payday and auto title lenders. Full Story
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Both Google and an industry group representing major auto manufacturers have come out against a bill from state Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, to create a pilot program to monitor and encourage testing of self-driving cars in Texas. Full Story
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A shift in the public debate over the relationship between oil and gas production and earthquakes happened Tuesday with a new study in Texas and a turnabout by the Oklahoma government on the issue. Full Story
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A heavily watered-down ethics reform bill will soon be taken up by the full Senate. Lawmakers on Monday rejected an amendment that would have required legislators to publicly disclose their tax returns each year. Full Story
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Scholarships funded by state business tax credits would help some low-income parents send their children to private schools under a measure tentatively approved by the Texas Senate Monday. Full Story
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The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would tighten the state's constitutional spending cap and make it tougher for future legislatures to break it. Senate Bill 9, by Sen. Kelly Hancock, passed with a vote of 19-12. Full Story
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The Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday voted 8-1 in favor of a proposal to dedicate some of the sales tax collected on automobile sales to improving roads — but not before several lawmakers expressed reservations. Full Story
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Full video of our 2/12 lunchtime discussion in Houston on the major policy debates of the 84th Legislature — and what they mean for the state’s largest city and surrounding communities. Full Story
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On the day after the country's first case of an Ebola infection appeared in Dallas, the focus has turned to the hospital where the patient was initially sent home with antibiotics before being admitted a second time for treatment. Full Story
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Ahead of the 2015 legislative session, momentum seems to be building for more chances to earn four-year degrees at community colleges in Texas. Full Story
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University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa will confer with the system's board of regents on Thursday about how to handle University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers' refusal to resign this year. Full Story
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The Tribune's Morgan Smith has a must-read piece on what's next for the education reform group funded by tort reform champions that left a big imprint on policy debates during last year's legislative session. Full Story
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