Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced they have finalized the details of the three bills that will accomplish their top policy goals.
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
Watch Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dennis Bonnen announce school finance deal
The “Big Three” spoke to news outlets as the Texas legislative session neared its end.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Paid sick-leave ordinances likely survived the Texas Legislature. But businesses still want to kill them.
Angry that the Legislature failed to overrule local ordinances requiring private employers to offer paid sick leave, many business groups are hoping the courts will finish the job for them.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Senate moves to let breweries sell beer to go, make it easier to own several liquor stores
The upper chamber added those changes to a broader bill that must pass for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to continue functioning. The House has already signaled it would let breweries sell beer to go.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas expansion of medical cannabis nears finish line after Senate approval
If the House approves changes made by the upper chamber, the bill will head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
A Lege wrap-up conversation with state Reps. Gonzalez, Leach and Springer
Watch our conversation about how the Texas House did during the 86th legislative session with State Reps. Mary Gonzalez, Jeff Leach and Drew Springer, moderated by Texas Tribune co-founder and CEO Evan Smith.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Tinkering with the 2020 elections in the Texas Legislature
The power of incumbency is more than raising money for campaigns and having a well-known political name. Changing the state’s election laws — or even debating issues that resonate strongly with voters — can set the rules and frame the arguments for the next election cycle.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas school safety measures expanded with House amendments to sweeping legislation
Tentative approval of the bill comes days after the one-year anniversary of a shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 dead and another 13 wounded.
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Texas Legislature 2019
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.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Senate passes bill to give more teachers access to guns in classrooms
The bill needs a final stamp of approval from the Senate before it can head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for his signature.