The proposals were filed in response to Harris County’s problems at the polls in recent elections.
Texas Legislature 2023
During the 88th Legislature’s regular session, lawmakers increased school safety funding, passed a law designed to shore up the state’s electrical grid and banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities. After two special legislative sessions, the GOP-controlled chambers agreed to an $18 billion tax cut for property owners. A third special session began Oct. 9 focusing on school vouchers and border issues. Learn how legislators write laws and which elected officials represent you. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get all the latest session news.
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Texas Legislature 2023
A Texas lawmaker wants voters to decide whether legislators deserve a raise
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, has proposed an amendment to the state constitution to raise legislator pay and tie it to teachers’ pay, saying it would give lawmakers a living wage and allow a broader range of Texans to serve.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Speaker Dade Phelan endorses Medicaid expansion for new mothers, repeal of “tampon tax” in first batch of 2023 priorities
The leader of the state House also threw his support behind bills to crack down on how companies handle private data and to protect children from “addictive algorithms” by digital companies.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas Senate revives effort to make illegal voting a felony
Lawmakers lowered the penalty to a misdemeanor in 2021, but then almost immediately began discussing raising it back.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas will revamp economic development program after property tax incentive expires
Abbott told business leaders in Arlington on Wednesday that Texas is already suffering from the end of the tax-break program, recently losing a “massive” computer chip factory to New York.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas’ shortage of mental health care professionals is getting worse
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already short supply of therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Gov. Greg Abbott promises to be “heavily involved” in push for education savings accounts
In an interview with the Tribune, the governor also backed criminalizing some health care treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a conservative policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis.
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Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directory
Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Why three longtime Texas lawmakers are now eligible for an extra $140,000 a year
A few of Texas’ most veteran lawmakers may have seen their part-time legislative compensation skyrocket from $7,200 to nearly $150,000 annually, thanks to a law passed quietly at the end of the 2021 legislative session.
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TribCast
TribCast: Takeaways from Gov. Greg Abbott’s State of the State speech
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Texas Tribune politics reporters James Barragán and Patrick Svitek about Abbott’s prime-time address.