The latest Texas Senate news from The Texas Tribune.
Full video of my 6/4 conversation with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Among the topics discussed: 84th session accomplishments, conservative criticism, the Senate vs. the House, the 2016 presidential race and why he's not running against Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story
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During the 84th legislative session, lawmakers considered a variety of higher education issues, including tuition costs and in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. See what happened to higher education issues this session in the Texas Legislative Guide. Full Story
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State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, announced Tuesday he is not running for re-election, bringing to a close a 27-year tenure at the Capitol. Full Story
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Here’s a look at how the Texas House and Senate budget proposals compared and what the two chambers ultimately settled on, using information from the Legislative Budget Board. Full Story
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During the 84th legislative session, the Tribune kept you updated daily on the various policy debates and legislative votes at the Texas Capitol. Use our Texas Legislative Guide to see all of that coverage, discover the fate of every bill and learn even more. Full Story
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Voters sent a conservative pack of lawmakers to Austin and got conservative results. But it's more complicated than that. Full Story
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Immediately after wrapping up the legislative session Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that he would never run against Greg Abbott for governor. "This will be my last position," the lieutenant governor said. Full Story
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The 84th Legislative Session is wrapping up today. Here's a selection of what journalists, lawmakers and others shared on social media, along with the Tribune's on-the-ground reporting. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers started the legislative session without a list of big problems to solve or election mandates to fulfill. And they are ending it without the kinds of results that fill the history books. Full Story
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An end-of-session deal on open carry of handguns and limits on police in Texas rescued Gov. Greg Abbott from political crossfire between law enforcement officials and an unusual coalition of liberal and conservative lawmakers. Full Story
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State Sen. José Rodríguez said Thursday that if the opportunity arises, he plans to filibuster a bill allowing the open carry of handguns in Texas. Full Story
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At the end of the legislative session, votes still count and majorities are important. But the rules come into play as well, and so do the political minorities. Full Story
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With the death of all legislation specifically aiming to re-regulate tuition costs at Texas' public universities, proponents of the idea see few avenues for implementing the idea this year. Full Story
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It's not the end of the session, but Tuesday marks the end of the line for a lot of legislation. And the fates of the items at the bottom of the House's list could be determined by long debates on ethics, guns, abortion and state spending limits. Full Story
Statewide elected officials would no longer be required to live in Austin under a constitutional amendment that could be headed to voters on a general election ballot. The House tentatively backed the measure on Monday. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Friday voted to beef up the state’s underfunded retirement system for state employees by adding about $440 million to the program, a plan that has received mixed reviews from state employee advocacy groups. Full Story
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A Senate bill that arrived in the House less than two weeks ago would let Republicans put the hurt on unions and on Democrats, if it can move through the legislative gauntlet this late in the legislative session. Full Story
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The House and Senate negotiations over a tax cut deal have narrowed to a single sticking point: when a proposed property tax cut should go into effect. Full Story
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Legislation that would keep the names of execution drug providers secret is headed to the governor’s office after the Texas House gave final approval on Tuesday to a Senate measure. Full Story
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When the Texas Senate changed requirements on bringing legislation up for debate, Democrats said a process intended to encourage compromise would suffer. Several bills have been unblocked, but the conservative steamroller that Democrats feared hasn't emerged. Full Story
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