Paxton’s answer to that question could shake up budget negotiations in the final weeks of session.
Texas Legislature
Posted in
State Government
Former lawmaker takes local battle over historic zoning to the Capitol
What began as a local dispute over the demolition of a 1910 house has escalated into a statewide battle over what makes a building historic — and who gets to decide.
Posted in
Demographics
House committee advances scaled-down “sanctuary cities” bill
The latest version of the Texas Legislature’s bill to outlaw “sanctuary cities” in Texas is a scaled-down version of what the state Senate passed out in February.
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Health care
Texas to lose Brazos Valley children’s therapy provider
Easter Seals East Texas officials have put the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on notice they are ending services for 230 children in the Brazos Valley area on Aug. 31.
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State Government
Data shows Dukes has missed most votes in Texas House
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has missed more than 100 record votes during the current legislative session, the most of the 150 members of the House, according to a Tribune analysis of data from a legislative analytics website.
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State Government
Analysis: A law that lets political majorities cheat — and win
Another federal judge has ruled that Texas legislators intentionally discriminated on the basis of race when changing voting and election laws. But even if the laws change back, the state still got away with it.
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Health care
Texas parents fear being outed for seeking vaccine exemptions
Under House Bill 2249, the state would require reports on the number of vaccine exemptions at each public school. But parents say it could make it easier for people to publicly shame them for not vaccinating their children.
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Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland’s mother urges House committee to pass bill named after her daughter
The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials.
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Public Education
Senate panel weighs alternate graduation route for students who fail exams
The Texas Senate Education Committee heard Tuesday from supporters, and a few critics, of a bill that would make permanent a 2015 law that allows students to graduate even if they haven’t passed their required exams by going before a graduation committee.
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State Government
Bill declaring fantasy sports legal passes House committee
In a hearing Tuesday, the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures approved a bill that would affirm the legality of online fantasy sports.