The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
In this edition of the TribCast, Emma talks to Ross, Alexa and Patrick about the latest at Gov. Greg Abbott’s office and upcoming mayoral elections in Dallas and San Antonio. Full Story
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Advocates say recent court rulings created loopholes in laws meant to make government transparent. Lawmakers sought to close those this year — but may have created a loophole for themselves. Full Story
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Is Texas really a swing state? To explore the question, we looked at nearly 20 years of election data to assess the competitiveness of every congressional and legislative district in the state. Take a tour of some of the state's hot spots and then type in your address to find out the lay of the land in your districts. Full Story
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Take a look at how Texas lawmakers reconciled major differences in their proposed two-year budgets, including funding for public schools, teacher salaries, women’s health, prison guard salaries and more. Full Story
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The conservative Texan and liberal New Yorker agreed over Twitter to partner up on a bill banning members of Congress from becoming corporate lobbyists after they leave office. Full Story
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In the last episode of our podcast about the 86th Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to House Speaker Pro Tem Joe Moody and Senate President Pro Tem Kirk Watson about what state lawmakers did for us and to us this session — and what they’ll do next. Full Story
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All but one of Texas' six U.S. House contests that national Democrats are targeting will feature candidates who ran last time. Full Story
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A monthslong push from the governor’s office to confirm his longtime aide as secretary of state heated up in the session’s final days. Some Democrats feared retribution for defying the governor. Full Story
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Whitley leaves his job after presiding over a botched review of the voter rolls that questioned the citizenship of thousands of eligible voters. Full Story
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Completing negotiations that have taken place over the last few months, Texas House and Senate lawmakers accepted a compromise on a state spending plan for 2020-21. Full Story
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The bill aims to slow rising property tax revenues and make it easier for Texans to understand how their tax bills are determined. The House and Senate both approved it Saturday, and it is expected to soon be sent to Abbott for his signature. Full Story
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Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's office said Saturday that she "is still evaluating all options available to save SB 1804." Full Story
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Lawmakers delivered on their promises of school finance and property tax reforms, agreeing to spend $11.6 billion on a combination of education changes and tax cuts. It's big, but is it really "transformative"? Full Story
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The House initially exempted churches and nonprofits from the extended statute of limitations, but the chamber agreed to include them Friday after sex assault victims pushed back. Full Story
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The final version of the bill is expected to require cities, counties and emergency service districts to hold an election before raising 3.5% more property tax revenue than the previous year. Community colleges and hospital districts would need to do so at 8%. Full Story
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After opposing leadership — and mouthing off — the second-most senior Republican in the Texas Senate is the only senator who was not recognized to bring up a bill for a vote on the floor. Full Story
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State Rep. Garnet Coleman suggested that the newly released video showing some of Bland's confrontation with a state trooper before her death may have been buried in a “data dump” of information given to lawyers and lawmakers. Full Story
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Most Texans in Congress had hoped the bill would easily pass Friday because of a provision designed to expedite the release of billions of dollars in disaster aid to the state. Full Story
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Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said a bill that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana was "dead on arrival" in the Senate. But his party's platform supports marijuana decriminalization. So what gives? Full Story
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A proposal on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott would make it easier for pickled beets, carrots and other produce to be sold at farmers markets alongside pickled cucumbers. Full Story
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