The bill passed on a 19–12 vote, with one Republican voting against it and one Democrat voting for it. It requires one more approval in the Senate before it heads to the Texas House.
Dan Patrick
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Texas Legislature 2019
“Republicans have been turned French”: Hardline Texas conservatives worry their allies have gone soft
Activist conservative groups have long been aligned with the lawmakers they helped elect, like Texas House Freedom Caucus members and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Are they still on the same page?
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Texas lawmakers haven’t sworn off culture wars after all
The Texas Legislature is trying to focus on school finance and property taxes. But flashier, more divisive political fights beckon.
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Politics
After helping defeat the “bathroom bill” in 2017, business groups are back to oppose “discriminatory and divisive measures”
The groups are targeting two priority bills in the Texas Senate.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Analysis: Some of the secrets of Texas government aren’t supposed to be secrets
The Texas Legislature, full of people who believe in open government and who also like to settle things quietly and outside of public view, is diving into open-government legislation.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Tribcast: Dan Patrick’s stance on medical cannabis, Castro’s struggles, O’Rourke’s first week
On this week’s TribCast, Aman talks to Alex, Aliyya and Ross about the mood in the Texas Capitol halfway through the session, why Dan Patrick has some pot advocates feeling paranoid and how the two Texans running for president are doing — and yes, there are still two.
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Politics
Texas Senate confirms Brett Busby for Supreme Court post
Busby, a Republican judge and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, served on an appellate court in Houston until voters rejected him in November as part of a Democratic sweep.
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Health care
Texas lawmakers are prioritizing mental health for school safety. But advocates worry about stigma.
The newfound push this session around school safety and preventing mass shootings is reinvigorating ideas about mental health care for Texas children. But advocates often cringe when legislators make the argument that mental health care is the key to preventing mass shootings.
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is "is “strongly opposed to weakening any laws against marijuana [and] remains wary of the various medicinal use proposals that could become a vehicle for expanding access to this drug,” according to a spokesperson.](https://i0.wp.com/www.texastribune.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/10_Lit._Gov._Dan_Patrick_Senate_Floor_MG_TT-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
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Texas Legislature 2019
Medical cannabis expansion has high support in the Texas Legislature. But Dan Patrick might stand in the way.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s wariness of proposals to expand the state’s narrow medical cannabis program may block any such bills from reaching the governor’s desk this session.
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Texas Legislature 2019
With major policy differences emerging, state leaders continue to project unity
Halfway through the legislative session, lawmakers say they’re getting along. But they have a long way to go to achieve their goals this year.
