The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
DAY 9 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Lawmakers expanded protective orders to include pets and victims of teen dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Full Story
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The business tax overhaul that Gov. Rick Perry and fellow GOP leaders championed in 2006 as a fix for the school finance system is now under attack in the Texas Supreme Court — as an unconstitutional state income tax. Full Story
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DAY 8 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Armed with fewer resources, educators prepare students for rigorous new STAAR test. Full Story
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DAY 7 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: The East Texas Medical Center will downgrade its trauma center in Athens from Level III to Level IV. Full Story
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DAY 6 of our 31-day series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Mental health funding was spared draconian cuts, but some who rely on the state for intellectual disability aid will lose services. Full Story
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DAY 5 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: The Rio Grande Valley’s longest-running helicopter ambulance will be permanently grounded this fall — and state budget cuts were the final straw. Full Story
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DAY 4 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Less financial aid will be available for college students in Texas. Full Story
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The state comptroller talks about the flip in her position on abortion, the data breach at her agency this spring, what office she might seek next and how all of the politics of those subjects mix. Full Story
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Comptroller Susan Combs, on her agency's data breach, her changed position on abortion, andher political future. Full Story
Adan Muñoz, executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards talks with The Texas Tribune about budget cuts and the challenges of running a jail. Full Story
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Comptroller Susan Combs has switched her position on abortion rights, from pro-choice to pro-life, she said in an interview with the Texas Tribune this morning. Full Story
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The director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards on the agency's budget cuts, jail overcrowding and eroding facilities. Full Story
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DAY 3 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: In light of the case of Anthony Graves, the terms for compensating wrongfully imprisoned individuals have been more clearly defined. Full Story
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Former Brazos County Tax Assessor-Collector Gerald "Buddy" Winn might run for the Texas House next year, but it won't be for state Rep. Fred Brown's seat. Full Story
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Sugar Land Mayor Pro Tem Jacquie Chaumette says she will challenge state Rep. Charlie Howard, R-Sugar Land, in next year's Republican primary. Full Story
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If they run against each other at all, the race is two years away, but Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples took a swipe at Comptroller Susan Combs today with a letter that's apparently designed to undercut her support among Republican activists. Full Story
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To control the feral hog population, the Texas Legislature is legalizing the practice of allowing licensed hunters to buy seats on aircrafts and shoot the animals themselves. Full Story
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DAY 2 of our 31-day series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: Licensed hunters will be allowed to shoot feral hogs from helicopters. Full Story
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As expected, state Rep. Kelly Hancock, R-Richland Hills, will run for the Texas Senate next year in SD-10, the district currently occupied by state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth. Hancock is the first challenger to announce, but this could get crowded, and quickly. Full Story
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Aaronson examines the Texas jobs "miracle," Root on how Rick Perry built his financial portfolio, Tan and Wiseman on Perry vs. Ron Paul, Philpott on how budget cuts will affect a mental health provider, yours truly on a House freshman who was less than impressed with his first legislative experience, M. Smith on public schools charging for things that used to be free, Hamilton on a new call to reinvent higher education, Grissom on a rare stay of execution, Galbraith on the end of a Panhandle wind program, Aguilar on the increase of legal immigration into the U.S. and Texas: The best of our best content from July 25 to 29, 2011. Full Story
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