On property tax impasse, Gov. Greg Abbott appears open to House-Senate compromise
The special session churns on with the House adjourned, the Senate still working and the governor welcoming an agreement that has thus far eluded lawmakers. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t renew his COVID-19 disaster declaration later this week
Texas appears to be the last state with a broad pandemic declaration, which was begun in 2020, still in place. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott signs six bills relating to border security at the state Capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Appeals court dismisses GOP megadonor’s lawsuit against Beto O’Rourke
Billionaire Kelcy Warren claimed that he was defamed by the Democratic candidate’s criticism of the power-grid failure in 2021. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke greets attendees during a Get Out the Vote Rally hosted by the Asian American Democrats of Texas in Asiatown on October 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to deploy buoys to deter Rio Grande crossings, Abbott announces
The governor revealed plans for a floating river barrier at a Capitol signing ceremony for six new laws related to border security. The first 1,000-foot section will be set up near Eagle Pass. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott displays SB 1113, one of six bills he signed during a border security bill signing session at the state capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
New Texas law bans COVID mask, vaccine and shutdown mandates, but some Republicans want more
The bill, recently signed by Gov. Greg Abbott and set to take effect Sept. 1, does not restrict pandemic rules by private entities. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to local media before receiving a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at Ascension Seton Medical Center on Dec. 22, 2020, in Austin.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/POOL via American-Statesman -
Texas lawmakers closed a background check loophole, but many gun measures failed to pass
Legislators passed a bill that requires courts to report certain involuntary mental health hospitalizations to the federal gun background check system. Many other measures that could restrict firearm access got little traction. Full Story
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![A Springfield Saint Victor AR-15 rifle is displayed during the National Rifle Association annual convention in Houston on May 27, 2022.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton -
Gov. Greg Abbott signs legislation barring trans youth from accessing transition-related care
Texas joins 17 other states restricting transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapies. Opposing legal groups have vowed to sue to stop the new law from taking effect. Full Story
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![People line the railing on all three levels of the outdoor rotunda of the state Capitol in Austin, and wave signs during the "Fight for our Lives" rally in opposition of anti-LGBTQ+ bills on March 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Abbott appointee resigns as chair of power grid regulator
Public Utility Commission chair Peter Lake had spearheaded a plan to help the state’s power grid withstand weather disasters, but the plan lacked support in the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![Public Utility Commission of Texas Chairman Peter Lake speaks at a press conference at the PUCT Headquarters in Austin, on Nov. 29, 2022. The conference spotlighted grid reliability and readiness as Texas approaches winter.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
With no deal on property taxes in sight, Abbott hints at multiple special sessions
The governor stands behind his support of the Texas House tax plan despite Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s insistence that the Senate has a better deal for homeowners. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans are fighting over how to split $12.3 billion in property tax breaks between homeowners and businesses
Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan back a plan that spreads property tax relief among all landowners, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s proposal would give homeowners a bigger boost than businesses. Full Story
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![A number of homes an Austin's Mueller development have added solar panels, thanks to hefty local and federal incentives.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will not receive his $153,750 salary during suspension
Following Paxton’s impeachment on Saturday, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed former Texas Secretary of State John Scott to serve as the state’s top attorney. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton makes a statement to the press May 26, 2023, a day before the impeachment vote in the Texas House.]()
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Texas car safety inspection changes in 2025
Noncommercial cars in 17 counties will still have to pass an emissions test to obtain a state registration. Full Story
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![Inspection stickers will begin disappearing from Texas vehicles when the state rolls out a new single-sticker program for inspection and registration on March 1, 2015.]()
Credit: Ryan McCrimmon for The Texas Tribune -
Tension over property taxes produces rare public clash between Dan Patrick, Greg Abbott
Always happy to castigate the Texas House, Patrick breaks form to criticize the governor as misinformed and unsympathetic toward homeowners. Full Story
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![From left: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Abbott taps John Scott, former Texas secretary of state, as interim attorney general
Scott, a former deputy attorney general, will run the agency because Ken Paxton has been suspended from office until his impeachment trial before the Texas Senate. Full Story
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![Texas Secretary of State John Scott at a press conference held by Gov. Greg Abbott on April 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott calls immediate special session to address property taxes and border issues
Abbott noted many bills that were passed during the regular session, which ended around 6 p.m. Monday, but he added that “many critical items remain” and will require multiple special sessions. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbot gives remarks during a United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Corpus Christi on April 3, 2023.]()
Credit: Blaine Young for The Texas Tribune -
The regular Texas legislative session started with a record budget surplus and ended with an impeached attorney general
The 2023 legislative session started with a $32.7 billion surplus. It was mired in Republican infighting and multiple scandals. Then, the House impeached the state’s attorney general. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan gavels out the 88th session Sine Die on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott signs into law CROWN Act banning race-based hair discrimination
Gov. Greg Abbott over the weekend signed into law a bill prohibiting race-based hair discrimination in Texas workplaces, schools and housing policies. It goes into effect in September. Full Story
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![Dakari Davis, an officer in the DART Police Department in Dallas, speaks about the racial discrimination he faced in the workplace due to his hair style during a press conference advocating for the passage of the CROWN Act, in the state Capitol on Apr. 13, 2023.
“In 2019 I was recommended for termination,” Davis said. “Not because I violated the oath I took to protect Texans. Not because I violated the trust of the community, but solely due to this ethnic hairstyle that I wear all before all of you today.”]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
The first time Texas Senate convicted a state official, the chaotic trial lasted three weeks
In 1917, lawmakers debated the extent of their constitutional authority before they convicted Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson and removed him from office. Full Story
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![Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, who served as the 29th and 32nd Governor of Texas, and her husband James "Pa" Ferguson, who was the 26th governor, his term cut short after he was impeached and removed from office.]()
Credit: Texas State Library and Archives Commission -
Texas lawmakers strike deal to raise the punishment for illegal voting to a felony
The legislation was a priority for Republican leadership. But it does not include a key provision supported by the Senate that would have allowed prosecutors to charge a voter who’d unintentionally cast an illegal ballot. Full Story
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![People cast their ballots at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
More Texans would qualify for food stamps under a bill heading to Gov. Greg Abbott
The value of a household’s vehicles disqualified nearly 55,000 people seeking federal food assistance in 2022. House Bill 1287 increases the threshold of car values that lead to SNAP applicants being denied aid. Full Story
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![Volunteers from neighboring small towns divide, box-up, and load their trucks with food from the Amarillo-based High Plains Food Bank for monthly delivery to Quitaque on June 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune