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Texas Legislature

The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.

  • State Senate, Facing Tight Budget, Hunts Revenue

    By Ross Ramsey

    The Texas Senate isn’t allowed to raise money. It’s right there in the state’s Constitution, which says all revenue bills must originate in the House. But there it goes, looking for “non-tax revenues” to put enough meat on the skimpy proposed budget to get senators to vote for it. Full Story 

    Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
    Credit: Bob Daemmrich

  • Live: The Texas House

    By Mark Miller

    We're continuing to live stream the Texas House floor debate on the controversial voter ID debate. Click here for access to the stream on our 82nd Legislature page. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman

  • Classrooms A Priority

    By Justin Dehn

    Republican senators say the state's budget shortfall will mean educations cuts, but they said schools should focus first on eliminating non-classroom expenses and keeping as many teachers as possible. Full Story 

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  • Marc Mauer: The TT Interview

    By Brandi Grissom

    The national criminal justice expert on how other states have handled controversial prison closings and reduced criminal justice costs and how the Right On Crime Movement might give lawmakers the political freedom to be more than tough when it comes to crime. Full Story 

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    Credit: Justin Dehn

  • Marc Mauer: The TT Interview

    By Brandi Grissom

    The Tribune sat down recently with national criminal justice expert Marc Mauer, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based reform advocacy group The Sentencing Project, to get his advice about how Texas can continue on its so-called 'right on crime' path even as lawmakers slice millions from the state budget. Mauer, who was in Austin for the Barbara Jordan Symposium at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, talked about how other states have handled controversial prison closings, how others have reduced criminal justice costs and how the Right On Crime Movement — with support from conservative leaders like Grover Norquist and Newt Gingrich — might give lawmakers the political freedom to be more than tough when it comes to crime. Full Story 

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    Credit: Brandi Grissom

  • Budget Constraints Pit Teaching Against Research

    By Ben Philpott, KUT News

    College students will rally at the Capitol today for higher-education funding. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, some students think major changes are also needed on campus, where, they say, professors spend too much time researching and not enough time with undergraduates in the classroom. Full Story 

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    Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman

  • Short of Funds, State Eyes School Reserves

    By Ross Ramsey

    The state’s 1,030 school districts have — in total — $10.2 billion in reserves and another $2.1 billion in unspent federal stimulus money. Can they use that money to avoid draconian cutbacks? It's not that simple. Full Story 

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    Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman