The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
It feels like the 2013 legislative session, which gets under way Tuesday, is a five-month interruption of the election season. At some point, elections expanded to fill all of the space between the biennial sessions. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court may determine the fate of a key provision of the Voting Rights Act that became an Achilles' heel for Republican lawmakers this year. That could free Texas from federal oversight in election laws. Full Story
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For more than a year, Evan Smith has traveled all over Texas to interview state legislators back home, in their districts, in front of hundreds of their constituents. At university campuses from Corpus Christi to Tyler and in between, lawmakers talked about issues that affect every one of us in Texas, from education and health care to water and immigration. Full Story
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Third parties — outsiders — can't vote in the race for Speaker of the House. But the lawmakers who will actually elect the speaker next month are listening, and acting, on what's going on outside. Full Story
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A successful challenge to House Speaker Joe Straus would be a serious show of strength for outside activists. A big defeat, however, could undermine their influence just as the 2013 session begins. Full Story
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Ahead of the 2013 legislative session, lawmakers have filed nearly 200 fewer bills than they had filed at the same point two years ago. Use our bill tracker to follow the process, learn more about the proposals or see what your representative has filed so far. Full Story
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The Texas House under Speaker Joe Straus was more conservative in 2011 than in 2009, but not as conservative as in 2003. For opposite reasons, that was good and bad news for lawmakers from both parties. Full Story
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State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, a former prosecutor and judge, has filed a bill that would allow prosecutors to include accusations by other victims in child sexual assault cases. Defense attorneys worry it would lead to wrongful convictions. Full Story
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Limiting the terms of lawmakers and other officeholders was a sexy idea 20 years ago, when Republicans were trying to unseat Democrats. Now it's back. Full Story
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Does Texas need a constitutional cap on spending growth to protect it from the whims of future lawmakers or save it from the current ones? Supporters of the proposal are at odds. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: State Rep. David Simpson is officially running for House speaker, but some former opponents of current Speaker Joe Straus are now sticking with the incumbent. Full Story
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In the race for speaker of the Texas House, everybody has the votes they need. Or they're well on their way. Or at least that's what they're telling the rest of us. Full Story
Republican leaders like to say government should just get out of the way and let the private sector do work its unfettered magic. But during the session, they may have a hard time squaring their stated philosophy with their support for tax giveaways to private industry. Full Story
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House Speaker Joe Straus has the votes to win reelection, according to his loyalists. But he's got a declared opponent and another in the wings, and they've got a month to work with. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman explained his opposition to Sunset Advisory Commission recommendations intended to address perceived conflicts of interest. Full Story
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State Rep. Richard Peña Raymond has filed a bill to abolish the Court of Criminal Appeals and bring all of its related cases under the Texas Supreme Court. He's triggering a debate that goes all the way back to Reconstruction. Full Story
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Despite organized efforts to unseat him, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus said Wednesday he is confident his colleagues will re-elect him to the post so he can focus the 2013 legislative session on “serious issues” for a fast-growing state. Full Story
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On Nov. 8, the Tribune and the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Politics Project asked four veteran members of the Capitol press corps to forecast the coming controversies in the 83rd session. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of insiders in politics and government, we asked about the power of the three leaders in the Capitol, and a ranking of who's strongest and weakest among the statewide elected officials in Texas. Full Story
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On November 8, the Tribune and the University of Texas at Austin's Texas Politics Project asked four experts on state health, water, transportation and education policy to preview the fights over those issues in the 83rd session. Full Story
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