The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
State Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, filed papers to challenge Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, for speaker of the House, he said in a letter to colleagues Monday morning. Shortly after, state Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, dropped out of the speaker's race and endorsed Simpson. Full Story
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The "late train" — the rush of supplicants making kiss-and-make-up contributions after an election — ended this weekend with the beginning of a blackout that outlaws political donations during a legislative session. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Who's in – or thinking of jumping in – the race for House speaker? And the legislative session blackout on campaign contributions starts this weekend — after a flurry of fundraising over the last two weeks. Full Story
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For higher education in the 83rd Legislative Session, the central theme will be finding ways to get more bang for the same amount bucks, if not less. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, the chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, discussed the prospect of tuition reregulation and whether the state is adequately funding higher ed. Full Story
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At the Trib's November 29 symposium on higher education at Texas A&M University, I talked tuition deregulation, changing demographics and other hot-button issues with state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, the new chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has at least one opponent in his bid for a third term in that job, but the circumstances that undid his predecessors in the post don't exist now. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about big-ticket infrastructure issues — whether lawmakers will approve any of them and where they might look for money. Full Story
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Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, is leading an effort to create the Texas Young Legislators Caucus, a bipartisan group that plans to focus on issues that affect Texans under 40 and hopes to engage young people in the legislative process. Full Story
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Two bills filed by lawmakers recently seek to restrict the actions of federal agencies in Texas. Lawmakers say the bills are meant to stand up for Texans' freedom, but federal agencies say practices targeted by the bills keep people safe. Full Story
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State Rep. David Simpson of Longview, a Republican who rode to office with heavy Tea Party support two years ago, is considering a run for Texas House speaker against incumbent Republican Joe Straus of San Antonio. Full Story
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: It's freshman orientation at the Texas Capitol, and Gov. Rick Perry has appointed a new Texas Supreme Court justice and a new secretary of state. Full Story
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Freshman legislators are getting their first look at Washington and Austin, and the differences are as clear as red and blue. Full Story
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After the Legislature cut billions of dollars from the state budget in 2011, some hoped to see at least some of the funding restored in 2013. But with the next legislative session quickly approaching, others are pushing to limit that spending. Full Story
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Texas Democrats don't hold any statewide offices, and they are terribly outnumbered in the state Legislature. But they were the only gainers in this year's elections. Full Story
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The 2012 elections just ended, and whether you're ready for it or not, the candidates for 2014 have already started their political engines. Full Story
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Who's leaving, who's coming in, and how the numbers compare to turnover after the last 40 years of Texas elections. Full Story
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Lawmakers have proposed allowing victims of human trafficking to sue advertisers for damages in civil courts. Advocates say they expect to battle advertisers over free speech. Full Story
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With the election behind them, the first round of bills filed and the start of the legislative session around the corner, Texas lawmakers will have plenty to talk about around the turkey table this Thanksgiving, including the House speaker's race. Full Story
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They haven't been sworn in yet, but three candidates newly elected to the Texas House have been asked to testify on the eve of their first legislative session in a lawsuit filed against their political consultant. Full Story
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