The latest Jane Nelson news from The Texas Tribune.
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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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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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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Two rival budget proposals offer a starting point for debate between the two chambers on public school funding and property tax relief. Full Story
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Senate leaders say they will require districts to use the money to give $5,000 raises to each teacher. Full Story
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A panel of state lawmakers is set to reconsider the complicated way Texas funds its public colleges and universities on Wednesday after an attempt to overhaul the system failed last year. Full Story
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Though unemployment is low and tax revenue is on the rise, big bills coming due for the state’s highways and health care programs are giving Texas lawmakers some heartburn. Full Story
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Amid increased talk of a special session over other issues, both the Texas House and Senate voted Saturday evening to approve a $217 billion, two-year budget, the only bill lawmakers are required to pass. Full Story
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Members of both chambers of the Texas Legislature say they are getting closer to agreeing on a budget. One of the last sticking points? Higher education. Full Story
The Texas Senate approved legislation Tuesday that aims to eventually slice — and possibly eliminate — the state’s franchise tax, a levy on businesses earnings that’s widely unpopular among the state’s Republican leadership. Full Story
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If Texas legislators cut the state budget this year, it won't be because they didn't have the money. It'll be because they didn't want to spend the money they have. Full Story
The proposal from state Rep. John Zerwas would withdraw about $2.4 billion from the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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In a day-long hearing, university presidents and chancellors said their schools might have to lay off faculty and cut classes if hundreds of millions of dollars worth of "special items" aren't put back in the budget. Full Story
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The Texas Senate's proposed budget, with one exception, is a carefully assembled conservative start to a 20-week legislative spending negotiation. But they finished off their work with a chainsaw. Full Story
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Only one committee received a new committee chair in the Texas Senate. Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, will chair the Senate Administration Committee. Full Story
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Texas House and Senate leaders are starting out the legislative session nearly $8 billion apart according in dueling budget proposals released Tuesday. Among the sticking points: spending on public education and border security. Full Story
While Texas already has some of the strictest eligibility requirements in the country for welfare benefit applicants, some lawmakers plan to try again next year to add required drug screenings or testing to the process. Full Story
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The Legislative Budget Board picked 8 percent as the growth rate in the state’s two-year budget, capping how much lawmakers can spend in next year's legislative session. Lawmakers say the state doesn't have enough money to reach that cap. Full Story
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Texas universities are racing to build new medical schools, but without enough slots for post-graduate residents, some worry they're building a pipeline that will funnel new doctors out of state. Full Story
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By reclassifying oil wells as gas wells, producers can often claim a generous state tax credit targeting “high cost” natural gas. Now, some lawmakers say the policy deserves a fresh look. Full Story
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