Larry Taylor

The Senate Education Committee drastically altered the House's primary piece of school finance legislation Friday but suggested compromise with the House was possible with less than a week left in the special session.

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Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith interviews state Rep. Dan Huberty and state Sen. Larry Taylor — their chambers' respective education chairman — on the 85th Texas Legislature's approach to public ed. 

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The Texas Senate passed a bill that would take pensions away from officials convicted of felonies and require lobbyists to disclose more of their wining and dining of lawmakers.

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The Senate has tasked a new budget working group with coming up with ways to overhaul the state's school finance system. 

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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. 

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Reproductive rights advocates have expressed concern that Texas lawmakers will take bolder steps in the upcoming session to defund abortion providers and dismantle access to abortion, birth control and other sexual health services.

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Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Tuesday outlined plans to crack down harder on chronically low-performing schools, saying he wants to cut in half the number of them that end up on the state’s failing list over the next five years.

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At our 4/29 symposium on the Texas economy, Ross Ramsey talked about the state budget and spending with state Sens. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, and state Reps. John Otto, R-Dayton, and Donna Howard, D-Austin.

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Full video of our 3/2 conversation with state Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood; Chad Burke of the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region; Leon Phillips of the Galveston County Coalition for Justice; and Len Waterworth of  Texas A&M University Galveston.

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The Public Education track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on turning around struggling schools, pre-K, public education and the Legislature, and charter schools. There was also a conversation with Education Commissioner Michael Williams. 

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Sine die has now come and gone. But with lawmakers now free to return to their hometowns across the state, the question remains: How'd they do?

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Businesses are joining consumer advocates in sounding the alarm about a proposal that critics say would stack the deck in favor of insurance companies at the expense of businesses and homeowners.

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The decision earlier this week by Gov. Greg Abbott to get involved in the controversy over a planned military exercise taking place across several Southwestern states continues to draw comment.

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A controversial bill that would make it harder for homeowners and companies to recover certain damages from their insurance companies — cheered by the insurance industry and criticized by liberal groups and some businesses — cleared the Texas Senate on Thursday.

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Gone are accusations of gamesmanship as lawmakers get to work finding common ground on the session's border security bill.

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The House is set to consider its tax relief package today as the impasse between its approach emphasizing a cut to the sales tax rate and the Senate's recipe that relies on a property tax reduction shows no sign of resolution.

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Scholarships funded by state business tax credits would help some low-income parents send their children to private schools under a measure tentatively approved by the Texas Senate Monday.  

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During a Senate Education Committee hearing Thursday, lawmakers questioned whether A-through-F ratings for schools would provide a clear picture of a school's performance.

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Virtual learning, A-through-F school ratings and teacher quality were among the topics covered by broad slate of education reform bills announced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Education Chairman Larry Taylor on Tuesday. 

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In a House committee hearing on Monday, one witness sought to redefine the climate change debate as one with clear implications to national security.

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