The latest Texas Senate news from The Texas Tribune.
The bill would also prevent what abortion opponents call "discriminatory abortions" — where a woman or a doctor pursues an abortion on the basis of the fetus' sex, race or disability. Full Story
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Lawmakers moved to apply the state's sales tax to goods sold by remote vendors who don't have physical operations in Texas. Full Story
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Supporters say the measure would prevent women from regretting an abortion after they have the procedure. But abortion rights advocates fear the bill lacks key protections, like a requirement for the counselor to be a licensed medical professional. Full Story
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The medical school is projected to accept a class of 30 students for Fall 2020. Full Story
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The upper chamber passed a bill Wednesday that would add several restrictions on the popular, but controversial, machines. The measure would require scooter renters to be at least 16 years old and it would prohibit more than one person from riding at a time. Full Story
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Lawmakers are in their last month of a regular session, with their priority issues — public education and property taxes — still incomplete. If they can't finish without a special session, they'll run into someone else's deadlines; school districts write budgets and set tax rates in June. Full Story
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His comment comes the day after the Texas House gave preliminary approval to the bill in a 98-43 vote. Full Story
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The Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs took public testimony on a bill that would strengthen state oversight of above-ground tanks that hold hazardous hydrocarbons. Full Story
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Lawmakers are pushing more measures than ever before that could delay the Dallas-Houston bullet train project — and there’s even a special subcommittee tackling the topic. Full Story
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The end of the legislative session — deal-making time — is looming, and the priorities set out by the state's top leaders three months ago remain undone. In fact, those centerpiece school finance and property tax measures aren't even teed up for the final negotiations. Full Story
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Lawmakers have proposed swapping higher sales taxes for lower property taxes — but leaving the final decision to voters. They don't have to do it that way, but it could move the blame from them — to the rest of us. Full Story
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Surprise medical bills happen when out-of-network health care providers and insurance companies can’t agree on the price of a medical treatment, leaving the patient to pick up the amount insurance won’t pay. Full Story
After a key Republican holdout agreed to bring a priority bill to the floor, the upper chamber increased an election trigger on revenue increases from 2.5% to 3.5%. But now both chambers must reconcile how they want to tackle rising school district taxes. Full Story
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"I respect our Senate rules, but I do not intend to let a procedural motion stop the Senate from passing this important bill," the lieutenant governor said. Full Story
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The state's top three leaders bet everything on public education and property taxes this year, but they can't get where they're going — especially if they want to cut property taxes — without bringing some Democrats to their side. Full Story
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LGBTQ advocates and business groups have warned that the measures could imperil municipal rules that outlaw discrimination. Full Story
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Senate Bill 21 passed Tuesday, raising the legal purchasing age for tobacco products from 18 to 21. But its author amended the legislation to exclude active military from the age raise. Full Story
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Since 2005, state lawmakers have received the agency's biennial report detailing inefficiencies in government, but this year the report was not made public. Full Story
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The "Tax Man," a Republican senator from Houston, has his best chance yet to shake up Texas' property tax system. But it's going to be an uphill battle. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers pass resolutions all the time. They can make the folks back home happy and commemorate people, places and things. And resolutions can serve — as one did for Senate Republicans this week — as a form of political advertising. Full Story
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