Fixing Texas’ ballot secrecy problems won’t be easy, experts say
The burden will fall on local officials to determine which records they’re obligated to release or redact. Full Story
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![Elijah and Melissa Lillo leave the Phillip Center in Gastonia after casting their votes in the North Carolina primary on March 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Mike Hensdill/The Gaston Gazette/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
Voter advocacy groups ask feds to step in after Texas allowed some voters’ ballots to be identified
The request comes as state and local officials undermined ballot secrecy in their bids for election transparency. Full Story
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![People walk past a 'Vote Here' sign outside of the Austin Oaks Church on Mar. 1, 2024. Early voting ends today for the primaries.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas tells local election officials to stop releasing information that exposes how some people vote
The emergency guidance from the secretary of state comes after Votebeat and The Texas Tribune confirmed the choices some voters make can later be identified through legally available records. Full Story
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![A ballot is dropped in Austin in October, 2020.]()
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Harris County’s voter roll errors — if left unexplained — could fuel claims of voter fraud
This isn’t the first time a state audit flagged such discrepancies. Last year, the state found similar inconsistencies when reviewing Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, and Collin counties’ 2020 elections. Full Story
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![A Harris County election worker carries in ballots and voting supplies from a polling location at NRG Arena Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Houston, Texas.]()
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Texas Senate confirms Jane Nelson as secretary of state
Nelson’s former colleagues in the Senate gave her resounding approval, avoiding another embarrassment for Gov. Greg Abbott, whose last three nominations for secretary of state did not receive confirmation. Full Story
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![Secretary of State Jane Nelson presides over the House of Representatives on the first day of the 88th legislature on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Aging state vehicle fleet fuels tens of millions in new money requests by agencies
Many state-owned vehicles are aging past the standards for replacement. Early budget drafts signal that lawmakers are considering funding some $237.6 million in requests for new ones. Full Story
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![Sec. of State Jane Nelson stands beside a 25-year-old Ford Ranger with over 30,000 miles on it, the agency’s only vehicle since 1998, on Feb. 8, 2023. "She's a grand old dame, but it's time for her to retire," Nelson said.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott says he will nominate retiring state Sen. Jane Nelson to be secretary of state
Nelson planned to retire from the Senate after 30 years in office. But her nomination will give Abbott a clearer path to having his nominee confirmed by the Senate after his last three have gone unconfirmed. Full Story
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![Then-state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, in the Senate on May 27, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
University of Texas president defends decision to join SEC as lawmakers criticize timing and impact on other schools
Jay Hartzell said the switch to the Southeastern Conference was the best thing for UT-Austin’s student athletes and the university. Texas senators expressed disdain for the move and questioned how it came about. Full Story
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![Texas Longhorns' marching band cheers on their team in the first half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Nov. 29, 2019.]()
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State Sen. Jane Nelson announces she won't seek reelection
The Flower Mound lawmaker is the most senior Republican in the upper chamber and has served as its top budget writer for the past four sessions. Full Story
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![State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flowermound, on the Senate Floor on March 4, 2019.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott signs several school safety bills in wake of shooting at Santa Fe High
The bills would, among other things, strengthen mental health initiatives available to children, abolish the cap on how many school marshals can carry guns on public school campuses and allot money to school districts that can go toward “hardening” their campuses. Full Story
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![From left: State Sens. Jane Nelson, Larry Taylor and state Rep. Greg Bonnen look on as Gov. Greg Abbott talks about bills he's signed to improve school safety and provide greater mental health resources to students, in Austin on June 6, 2019.]()
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Texas governor signs bills to combat human trafficking, aid sexual assault survivors
The bills aim to create a "hostile environment" for human trafficking in Texas and address sexual assault, said Gov. Greg Abbott at a bill signing ceremony Tuesday in Dallas. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott during the Texas Fallen Heroes Memorial Ceremony on May 25, 2019]()
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Through the lens: The 86th Texas Legislature in photos
Take a look back at the 2019 regular legislative session as seen through the lenses of Texas Tribune photographers. Full Story
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![Flowers and foliage outside the Capitol on April 9, 2019.]()
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Texas House, Senate approve budget deal with agreements on school finance, property taxes, Hurricane Harvey recovery
Completing negotiations that have taken place over the last few months, Texas House and Senate lawmakers accepted a compromise on a state spending plan for 2020-21. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, and state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, during a budget conference at the Capitol on May 17, 2019.]()
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Texas legislators strip last-minute $100 million request for border surge
The money had been included in a previous version of the state's supplemental budget, and legislators had intended for President Donald Trump's administration to repay the funds. Full Story
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![Seen is the border fence between El Paso and Juarez on Sunday, February 10, 2019, in El Paso, Texas.]()
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This session's biggest mental health bill got killed on a technicality — then resurrected
Senate Bill 10, focused on connecting children to mental health services, was knocked out of contention with a parliamentary maneuver Tuesday night but was revived as an amendment to another bill hours later. It's one of several measures the state's GOP leaders championed in the wake of the deadly shooting last year at Santa Fe High School. Full Story
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![Former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, on the House floor on May 21, 2019.]()
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After Supreme Court ruling, Texas bills would bring in $850 million in online sales tax
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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For many Texas teachers, health insurance premiums are huge — but so are the hospital bills
It's not unusual for teachers to spend over $1,000 a month on health insurance. Full Story
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![Liz and Jeremiah Pena are educators in Birdville ISD in Haltom City and last year they estimated they paid over $11,000 in health insurance premiums alone. They think that the pay increases and per student increases included in House Bill 3 are a good thing but that it would have helped many educators like them more to focus on lowering TRS (Teacher Retirement System) insurance premiums. Photographed at Haltom High School where Liz Pena is Assistant Principal.]()
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Texas lawmakers are prioritizing mental health for school safety. But advocates worry about stigma.
The newfound push this session around school safety and preventing mass shootings is reinvigorating ideas about mental health care for Texas children. But advocates often cringe when legislators make the argument that mental health care is the key to preventing mass shootings. Full Story
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![Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flowermound, introduces SB 3 on the Senate Floor on Mar. 4, 2019.]()
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Texas lawmakers look to the "cloud" for storing sensitive government data
In hopes of saving money on data storage, legislators are considering downsizing the state's data centers and relying more on private tech companies. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers want to fix wait times at driver's license offices. Will they agree on a solution?
The Texas House wants to pump $200 million into the state's driver's license program — and possibly move it to a new agency — to alleviate what have become all-day waits for some Texans at Department of Public Safety offices. Full Story
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![A line begins to form outside the DPS office in Northwest Austin shortly before it opens at 8 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune