In a hearing Monday, Texas lawmakers will weigh whether to proclaim fantasy sports are legal. This comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton equated them to illegal gambling.
Texas Legislature
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State Government
Austin bar ends battle with TABC after agency returns crowler machine
A local Austin coffee bar has been fighting the TABC since 2015 for the right to sell crowlers, aluminum cans filled with draft beer and sealed with a pull tab lid. Legislators are trying to prevent similar conflicts in the future.
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State Government
Thompson and White on CPS, public ed, mass incarceration (video)
Full video of Evan Smith’s 3/31 conversation with state Reps. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, and James White, R-Hillister.
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State Government
Analysis: In Texas, principles matter, but exceptions may apply
Things almost never come out of the Texas Legislature — if they come out at all — in the same shape they went in. Principles give way to exceptions and compromise, and the final product can differ greatly from the original idea.
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Politics
Texas Republicans defend “bathroom bill” as North Carolina tweaks its law
As North Carolina lawmakers voted Thursday to revise that state’s “bathroom bill,” Texas Republicans pushing a similar measure said they are not backing away from their proposal.
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State Government
Despite concerns, Texas legislators push to regulate powdered alcohol
Concerns about powdered alcohol have led 34 states to ban or considering banning it. However, both the House and Senate are considering legislation that would regulate the product in Texas.
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Health care
House panel hears testimony on child welfare religious liberty bill
House State Affairs Committee members heard testimony Wednesday afternoon on House Bill 3859, which would allow faith-based organizations to exercise their “sincerely held religious beliefs” when participating as providers in Texas’ child welfare system.
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State Government
Texas Senate tentatively approves fetal remains bill
The Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill that would change how health providers in the state handle fetal tissue Wednesday.
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State Government
Texas Senate backs bill that would end most union payroll deductions
The Texas Senate tentatively approved a measure that would end the state’s practice of collecting public employee membership dues for certain labor unions and other associations through payroll organizations.
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State Government
Senate bill would let Houston voters weigh in on fix to pension crisis
The Texas Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill Wednesday that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told the Texas Tribune could unravel the city’s hard-fought plan to curb a growing pension crisis.