The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
After 20 years, Scott Hochberg is bailing out of the Texas Legislature. He’ll get back his nights and weekends. But he also won't be at the Capitol to help sort out education policy and financing. Full Story
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In a late Friday afternoon order, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the use of court-drawn maps for legislative and congressional districts in Texas, telling the lawyers involved to be ready for oral arguments next month. Full Story
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State Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria, won't seek re-election. The seven-term legislator told her hometown paper, the Victoria Advocate, that the court-drawn redistricting maps made another run difficult. Full Story
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Redistricting is right where we left it last week — in the U.S. Supreme Court. Full Story
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So far, 26 members of the Texas House have said they won't seek reelection — 27 if you count Rep. Fred Brown, R-Bryan, who resigned after the legislative session. The list could grow by next Thursday, the deadline for filing for the 2012 elections. And four more incumbents will lose their elections next year — to four incumbents. Full Story
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In this episode of Weekend Insider, Tribune reporter Julian Aguilar discusses immigration and politics, and executive editor Ross Ramsey discusses talks about candidates looking to voters for a second chance. Full Story
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Aaronson maps the growth of poverty in Texas, Aguilar on the suicide of an illegal immigrant, Galbraith on the prospect of more rolling blackouts, Grissom on a prosecutor's memory lapse, Hamilton on the prospect of public universities undergoing a sunset review, Murphy's latest awesome redistricting interactive, Ramsey on a stumbling start to the 2012 election season, Root on Rick Perry's latest populist tirade, M. Smith on the boom in for-profit teacher certification programs and Tan on the fight against cervical cancer in ... Africa: The best of our best content from November 28 to December 2, 2011. Full Story
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Redistricting. It's a long process all about drawing lines that determine elections and which political party is in power in Texas. Months after the Legislature established its maps, it's still not clear who Texans will be voting for in next year's congressional and state House and Senate races. The Trib's Thanh Tan and Ross Ramsey explain why. Full Story
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The Legislature's foremost expert on school finance and one of its top public education advocates, state Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, confirmed this afternoon that he won't seek re-election next year. Full Story
The Texas primaries will be held on March 6 next year, with runoffs more than two months later, on May 22. Maybe. If the federal courts decide redistricting maps should be redrawn before the voting starts, some of those primary contests could be moved to May. Full Story
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Experts speculate that a key factor in the increase in reports of child abuse and neglect is the struggling economy. The number of reported cases of abuse has grown 6 percent in Texas since 2008, before the recession. Full Story
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The Legislature will soon begin the so-called sunset review process for the Department of Criminal Justice and the Board of Pardons and Paroles. The review, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, has already attracted the attention of advocacy groups looking to change the state's criminal justice system. Full Story
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Redistricting is, for the moment, in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court, but the election season is underway. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst released a list today of border security-related issues he wants Senate committees to consider in advance of the 2013 legislative session. Full Story
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This week on the TribCast, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben talk about the Perry campaign shake-up (or lack thereof), the disappearing incumbents of the Texas House and the business franchise tax. Full Story
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Add the Democratic House member from McAllen to the list of legislators who won't be seeking re-election next year. Full Story
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Election season in Texas may have officially begun Monday, but with maps in flux, the state appears ready to tap the brakes. Full Story
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Even if the U.S. Supreme Court decides not to intervene in the Texas redistricting controversy, the maps drawn by federal judges in San Antonio could be knocked down by another federal panel, Attorney General Greg Abbott told the Tribune on Monday. Full Story
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State Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, won't seek a 10th term in the Texas House. He's the 24th incumbent to either quit or decide not to return to the House next year. Full Story
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The state's lawyers have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop elections under court-ordered redistricting maps, arguing today that the federal judges who drew the maps improperly disregarded the wishes of the Legislature. Full Story