The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
In the pilot episode of his new podcast, Point of Order, Evan Smith sits down with Speaker Straus the morning after the midterms to talk everything from the balance of power in the Texas House to President Trump's tweets. Full Story
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The investment by Forward Majority reflects Democratic optimism about significantly expanding their ranks in the Texas House come Tuesday. Full Story
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Watch the latest version of our "Split Decision" series, which includes Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Mike Collier, his Democratic challenger. Full Story
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Austin's paid sick leave ordinance was supposed to go into effect Oct. 1, but was blocked in August after business groups filed a lawsuit saying the ordinance violated state law. Full Story
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The Democrats running against Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and Attorney General Ken Paxton outraised the incumbents in the most recent fundraising period. Full Story
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A fresh update of a single budget chart shows who's paying for public education in Texas: More than half of the money comes from local property taxpayers, just over a third comes from the state, and the federal government spends about a dime of every dollar schools cost. Full Story
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The Texas Tribune hosted a conversation with Travis Clardy, Republican candidate for Speaker of the Texas House. The talk was moderated by Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith. Full Story
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The head of the little-known Texas Legislative Budget Board retired this week, adding a coda to years of differences between the agency's two masters — the Texas House and the Texas Senate. Full Story
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School districts received a 16-minute video and instruction guide to teach the newly required curriculum for high schoolers on proper interaction with law enforcement during traffic stops. Full Story
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Here's where you can find all the livestreams from the 2018 Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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A spokesperson said Schwertner "categorically denies any knowledge of the accusations leveled against him" and added that the senator "is eager to cooperate with the University of Texas and hopes to make clear he played no part in the behavior described.” Full Story
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Republican Pete Flores defeated Democrat Pete Gallego on Tuesday in a state Senate district that Hillary Clinton won by 12 points, prompting Democratic soul-searching less than two months before the midterms. Full Story
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Democrat Gallego has conceded to Flores in the race to replace convicted former state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, in a Democratic-leaning district. Flores will become the first Hispanic Republican to serve in the state Senate. Full Story
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The special election runoff Tuesday pits Republican Pete Flores against Democrat Pete Gallego for the seat formerly held by convicted state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio. Full Story
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Sure, the selection of a new House speaker is going to change the way the Legislature works next year. But watch the elections in the Senate, too: Things could change in the upper chamber, too. Full Story
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Bush signed the proposal over the objections of several Republican lawmakers. Full Story
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Cities, school districts and other local governments can provide discounts on property tax bills through the homestead exemption process. But not all Texans qualify for every exemption. Full Story
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The Sunset Advisory Commission voted not to adopt the Department of Public Safety's recommendations to close dozens of offices across the state, but recommended a third-party study to determine which agency should issue licenses. Full Story
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At a Capitol hearing, the Texas prison system's director said exceptions in construction requirements allowed for the cost decrease. Full Story
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Abbott said he wanted to fix a flawed system in Texas that allowed the man suspected of killing a trooper last year to get out of jail on bond despite having been previously accused of assaulting a deputy. Full Story
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