Texas bill that lets families use tax dollars for private schools swiftly sails through Senate
Senate Bill 2 now heads to the House, where top officials say they have the support to create education savings accounts. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Senate take up Senate Bill 2, regarding school vouchers, during the 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans want more property tax cuts. Here’s how they may do it.
Gov. Greg Abbott said cutting taxes is a top priority, however, state lawmakers don’t have as much money to plug into tax cuts as they did two years ago. Full Story
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![A residential neighborhood seen Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Some Texas lawmakers want to ban countywide voting on Election Day. Local officials are pushing back.
Election administrators say letting people cast a ballot at any polling site is more convenient for voters and cheaper for local governments. Full Story
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![State Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, in the Texas Senate chamber on September 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich/Pool for the Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick outlines sweeping conservative agenda with list of top 25 legislative priorities
Restrict THC, help with deportations, infuse religion in schools and provide property tax relief – these are among the Patrick priorities. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick presides over on the Senate floor during the first day of the second special session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 28, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
“Wrap around the family”: Doulas, community health workers push Texas to cover more services for pregnant women
Legislators allowed doulas and community health workers to bill Medicaid last session. They’re hoping it’s just the beginning. Full Story
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![Vanna Waldron, left, evaluates Erika Piñon at the Holy Family Birthing Center in Weslaco, Texas. Waldron is a Certified Nurse Midwife from Seattle, Washington, who is volunteering at the birthing center for a year.]()
Credit: Reynaldo Leal for The Texas Tribune -
Texas senators fast-track school voucher bill for full vote
The Senate could vote on the proposal as soon as next week. Democrats on Tuesday criticized the bill saying it fails to prioritize the state’s neediest children. Full Story
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![State Sen. Brandon Creighton, chair of the Senate Committee on Education K-16, lays out the SB2 plan for an education savings account program at a hearing at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 28, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Texas budgets pitch vouchers, teacher raises, border security
Both chambers set aside $1 billion for a voucher-like education savings account program — double what was on the table two years ago — in a sign that supporters are emboldened after recent electoral gains. Full Story
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![The Texas State Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Austin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Republican infighting flares after Burrows elected speaker
The Texas House kicked off the 2025 session by electing an establishment Republican to lead the chamber, drawing criticism from within the GOP. Full Story
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![Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George speaks to the press on the steps of the state Capitol following the vote for House speaker on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Looking on are Republican freshman state Reps. Wes Virdell, David Lowe, Andy Hopper and Brent Money.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Legislature 101: How bills become laws — and how you can participate in the process
Here’s a rundown of how legislation moves through the Capitol, the ways lawmakers operate and who the power players are. Full Story
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![State representatives meet on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
“We have a problem here”: Sen. Charles Perry outlines his plans to save Texas’ water supply
The Lubbock Republican has been working for years to develop a new statewide approach to managing water and hopes voters will devote $1 billion a year to the problem. Full Story
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House Caucus Chair Gene Wu wants Texas Democrats prepared for battle
After his party lost seats in the Texas House, Wu says he’s focused on building a coalition against extremism. Full Story
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Proposals to expand voting access in Texas may gain support
Proposals to allow online registration and broaden photo ID options may have a chance to advance, supporters say. Full Story
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![People wait in line to vote at Brazos County Election Administrator Office on Election Day in Bryan, Texas on November 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cárdenas for Votebeat -
Texas has a housing affordability crisis. Here’s how state lawmakers may tackle it in 2025.
A likely fight over how much power to take away from local governments may dominate the debate. Full Story
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![The Celina water tower among newer housing developments in Celina on November 13, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Advocates say there aren’t enough of them in Texas long-term care facilities
Officials hope state lawmakers will boost the budget of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office, an independent state agency, which can often be an elderly Texan’s only lifeline to the outside world. Full Story
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![An empty room at the Amistad Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on April 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans want voters to provide proof of citizenship. Arizona’s law holds lessons.
A Votebeat analysis shows how such requirements risk disenfranchising key voter groups, including Native Americans and college students. Full Story
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![DALLAS, TX - SEPTEMBER 20, 2024: ExpressVote voting machines at a public verification test of the voting system at the Dallas County Elections Department building in Dallas, Texas on Friday, September 20, 2024. The test allows participants to validate the voting process by using ballots containing the same races and proportions as the upcoming elections in November. CREDIT: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
A new Texas GOP rule could alter the House speaker’s race — and ban some Republicans from appearing in primaries
Republicans who vote against party leaders’ preferred candidate could be barred from running in primaries. Lawsuits could follow. Full Story
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![Delegates wait to hand in their ballots after voting on platform priorities on the last day of the Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on Saturday, May 25, 2024.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers are scrutinizing university professors’ influence. Here's how faculty shape their universities.
Faculty senates have long played a key role in developing curriculum and protecting open inquiry. State leaders have also accused them of liberal indoctrination. Full Story
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![The Texas A&M University campus.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas lawmaker wants to redirect millions of tax dollars to plug abandoned wells, curb emissions
The proposal comes after the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency said it needs more money to plug wells that are in some instances erupting. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, listens to Jazmin Cazares as she testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety at the state capitol in Austin on June 23, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers file bills ahead of 2025 legislative session
Tuesday marked the first day lawmakers could file bills for next year’s legislative session. Full Story
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![Members vote to approve an anti-voucher amendment brought by state rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, during a marathon session on the House floor to approve HB-1 at the Capitol in Austin on April 06, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
In preview of legislative session, lawmakers expect school vouchers to pass and the House to shift to the right
Lawmakers discussed public education, gun laws and health care policy at a daylong Texas Tribune event. Full Story
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