The lower chamber gave initial approval to a bill creating a pretrial process to determine if a capital murder defendant is intellectually disabled — more than 15 years after the U.S. Supreme Court said executing such prisoners is cruel and unusual punishment.
Texas Legislature 2019
The 86th Legislature runs from Jan. 8 to May 27. From the state budget to health care to education policy — and the politics behind it all — we focus on what Texans need to know about the biennial legislative session.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House passes bill that reduces penalties for Texans caught with small amounts of marijuana
The House vote Monday is the first time the lower chamber approved such a measure, marking significant progress. But the opposition of the lieutenant governor remains a major hurdle.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Senate passes school safety bill intended to prevent mass shootings
Senate Bill 11 is authored by state Sen. Larry Taylor, whose district includes Santa Fe High School.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: The Texas House is handcuffing property tax relief to education reforms
An amendment added to a Senate property tax bill ties it to school finance — a signal the Texas House doesn’t want to leave the harder-to-pass education bill behind.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Some lawmakers want Texas to release vaccine opt-out rates for each school, not just for districts
Texas tries to track the number of students with vaccine exemptions every year, but the data is incomplete and doesn’t include the opt-out rates for individual public schools. Amid a recent rise in measles cases across the country, some in the Legislature are calling for more detailed reporting.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Oil or property rights: House panel clashes over which to favor as it weighs eminent domain reforms
Several bills meant to protect Texas landowners facing condemnation for oil pipeline construction and electric transmission projects generated heated debate on Thursday at a Capitol committee hearing.
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Texas Legislature 2019
“This is freedom”: Texas House moves to expand alcohol sales on Sundays and at breweries
The House approved the changes in amendments to a broader bill about the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s operations. The Senate still could strip the changes from the bill.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Sen. Larry Taylor unveils new school finance bill, adding $5,000 teacher pay raise
The bill differs in significant ways from the version the House approved this month.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers promised to rein in school district property taxes. What do their plans actually do?
Three quarters of the way into the legislative session, lawmakers are still juggling several proposals related to school district taxes, including some that would not provide any tax relief.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Teacher pay raises and Robin Hood stall Texas lawmakers
The end of the legislative session — deal-making time — is looming, and the priorities set out by the state’s top leaders three months ago remain undone. In fact, those centerpiece school finance and property tax measures aren’t even teed up for the final negotiations.