Dukes resignation scrambles Austin state House race
Eleven-term state Rep. Dawnna Dukes will probably win re-election in the heavily Democratic 46th House district, even though she's announced her retirement. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin and Republican challenger Gabriel Nila]()
Credit: Charlie Pearce/Codie Smith -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick doubles down on school choice fight
Days after a House hearing in which lawmakers gave the issue skeptical treatment, Patrick made clear private school choice topped his list of legislative priorities. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick offers a preview of the 85th legislative session at a Dallas Chamber of Commerce event at the Belo Mansion on Oct. 20, 2016.]()
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Candidate offers, then rescinds, polo match invitation to state lawmakers
“Unfortunately you were provided with 4 tickets which were not intended for your office,” read the letter slipped under legislators’ doors. Full Story
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![September 15, 2016 Conversation event Kyle Biedermann R-New Braunfels]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: A lavish benefit for Texas lawmakers could get even bigger
Regulators are deciding how much lobby wining and dining Texas lawmakers can accept without revealing their names. Hint: It's a lot. Full Story
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![State senators and staff listen to testimony at a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing reviewing current ethics laws governing public officials and employees on Oct, 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang for The Texas Tribune -
Competitive statehouse races come to light in finance reports
A new wave of campaign finance reports is bringing into focus how competitive some state legislatives races are. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol, May 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Texas agencies want option of keeping departed employees on payroll
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office and four other agencies were questioned Wednesday about granting departing employees “emergency leave” as a form of separation payment. Full Story
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![The inside of the Texas Capitol Building on March 29, 2016.]()
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Trooper's attorneys might ask judge to toss indictment in Bland case
Attorneys for the state trooper who arrested Sandra Bland are considering asking a judge to throw out his indictment for perjury. Full Story
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![Former Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Brian Encinia leaves court after his arraignment at the Waller County Courthouse in Hempstead, Texas Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2016.]()
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Analysis: In Texas, Lawmakers Regulate Their Own Regulators
The Texas Ethics Commission regulates legislators. Legislators control the commission's laws and budget. It's a complicated relationship. Full Story
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![State Sens. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, and Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, listen to testimony at a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing reviewing current ethics laws governing public officials and employees on Oct, 5, 2016.]()
Credit: Qiling Wang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Lawmakers to Highlight Education Spending Divide
The state’s escalating dependence on local tax dollars to fund public schools is expected to be a focus during a joint hearing of two House committees Wednesday and Thursday. Full Story
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![House Public Education Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, pulled down a school finance bill during the 84th legislative session on May 14, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Analysis: In Texas, You Can Fight City Hall
The Texas Legislature has become the court of last resort for companies and industries fighting local regulations in the state's cities and counties. And for those interests, Austin can be a very favorable venue for appeals. Full Story
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![A gas well is shown in 2014 sitting less than 400 feet from a home in Denton.]()
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African-American Monument Being Installed at Texas Capitol
After more than two decades of effort by lawmakers to install a monument at the Capitol celebrating African-Americans, the main components of a bronze and granite memorial were quietly lowered onto the south lawn on Tuesday. Full Story
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![Sculptor Ed Dwight talked with workers who were installing the Texas African-American History Memorial Monument at the Texas Capitol on Sept. 27, 2016.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Analysis: A Game of Chicken Between Texas, Its Biggest School District
Voters in the state's largest school district can say no to sending money to other school districts, putting Texas lawmakers in a bind and — maybe — raising their own school taxes in the process. Full Story
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![Houston, Texas.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles -
Medicaid Cuts to Children's Therapy Allowed to Proceed
A significant cut to the amount of money Texas pays therapists who treat children with disabilities was finally cleared to take effect when the Texas Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a lawsuit over the budget cut's legality. Full Story
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On Abbott's Watch, the Fight for the Soul of Texas Universities Has Cooled
Since Gov. Greg Abbott took office, the fight over former Gov. Rick Perry's "seven solutions" for higher education in Texas has faded. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledges the crowd of business leaders and educators following his speech Sept. 19, 2016 to the Texas Education & Workforce Summit luncheon on campus.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Lawmaker Unveils Vision for Austin State Hospital
State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, on Thursday proposed creating an "MD Anderson of the brain" on the site of the troubled Austin State Hospital. Full Story
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![The Austin State Hospital is shown on April 29, 2016. Despite an infusion of funding from lawmakers for the state’s mental health care system, Texas struggles to provide psychiatric care for all patients who need it.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: "Smitty," a Texas Lobbyist for the Small Fry, Hanging It Up
Tom “Smitty” Smith, a colorful lobbyist and liberal activist who turned Public Citizen Texas into a strong voice on environmental, utility, consumer and ethics issues, is hanging up his spurs after 31 years. Full Story
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![Tom "Smitty" Smith is retiring from his longtime role as head of Public Citizen Texas, a nonprofit, left-leaning consumer rights advocacy group.]()
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DPS Changes in Wake of Sandra Bland Death in Dispute
It is unclear whether the Texas Department of Public Safety will make any changes to its training policies following the announced settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Sandra Bland. Full Story
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![Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw during a September 20, 2016 House County Affairs committee hearing]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Amarillo Chips In $15 Million for Texas Tech's Veterinary School Plans
Officials in Amarillo on Tuesday agreed to chip in $15 million to help Texas Tech University open a new veterinary school in the city. Full Story
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Judge Orders Texas to Rewrite Voter ID Education Materials
Texas must issue new press releases and other materials in its voter education campaign. That comes after the federal government and other plaintiffs accused state officials of misleading voters about identification requirements. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton and Solicitor General Scott Keller after oral arguments on the voter ID case before the U.S. 5th Circuit of Appeals in New Orleans on May 24, 2016.]()
Credit: Cheryl Gerber for The Texas Tribune -
Sandra Bland's Family Looks Forward from Lawsuit Settlement
With one major legal battle seemingly behind them, Sandra Bland's survivors and advocates are gearing up for the next phase of their quest to wrest change from the 28-year-old black woman's death. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()