Four out of every five committee chairs this session are men, and 72 percent of chairs are white.
86th Legislative Session
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Dan Patrick sends a message to Kel Seliger — and 30 other Texas senators
A Republican senator criticized by an aide to the lieutenant governor came back with a rebuke — a jab that cost him his best committee assignment. There’s a lesson in that for the other 30 senators, and a new landscape in the Senate.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pulls Sen. Kel Seliger’s chairmanship after Seliger suggested Patrick aide kiss his “back end”
Patrick cited a “lewd comment” by Seliger in explaining the move. The two have been tussling over committee assignments in recent days.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Unfunded state mandates have a new enemy — the governor of Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott and his partners in office want to impose limits on the size of local property tax increases, and the governor has added a twist those local governments might like: He has targeted unfunded state mandates.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Dan Patrick announces Senate committee assignments, making a few noticeable shifts
Two Democrats and 14 Republicans will chair the upper chamber’s committees.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Dennis Bonnen says he doesn’t support linking standardized tests to school finance, but declines to offer other specifics
The new House speaker discussed school finance in an interview with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith in Lake Jackson.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Property taxes in Texas are high. Don’t expect the Legislature to change that.
Texas leaders are promising property tax relief during this year’s legislative session. It’s unlikely that will lower your taxes, but it might slow future increases.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House, Senate budget plans tens of millions apart on prisoner health care
The Texas House wants to give the state prison system $160 million more to help care for inmates. The Senate wants to cut funding.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Will Texas’ attempt to shake up school finance lead to higher stakes for standardized tests?
The idea of tying a portion of funding to test scores appeals to some who want to improve student performance, but it enrages educators who say it will encourage teaching to the test.
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Texas Legislature 2019
How will the Texas Legislature address school shootings? Likely not with gun control.
State leaders have promised to tackle school safety this session, and lawmakers are expected to push bills that would beef up mental health screening programs and make it easier to arm teachers.
