The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Outnumbered and with time running out, Texas Democrats hoping to kill anti-"sanctuary" legislation are open to shining a spotlight on so-called "sanctuary industries" that often turn a blind eye toward hiring unauthorized labor. Full Story
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U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan raised $5 million while barnstorming Texas in February, attending nine events and eight meetings in five cities including a tour of the border. Full Story
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Hundreds of advocates for transgender Texans gathered at the state Capitol on Monday to lobby against the so-called "bathroom bill." Full Story
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Texas Republicans are expected to offer a new version of the controversial “bathroom bill” on Tuesday with two significant changes, according to a copy of a committee substitute obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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The top public education policymaker in the Texas House unveiled a $1.6 billion plan on Monday that he described as a first step to overhauling the state’s beleaguered school funding system. Full Story
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Democratic Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., who has previously bucked his party on social issues, announced he will vote for the so-called bathroom bill while appearing at a news conference with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other bathroom bill supporters. Full Story
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A small group of Texas Republican officeholders in the Legislature and Congress have something new to worry about in the Donald Trump era: They won their November elections, but Hillary Clinton beat Trump in their districts. Full Story
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Less than two months into the session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been hardly masking his irritation with a lower chamber that has shown little appetite for some of his priorities. Full Story
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House Ways and Means Chairman Dennis Bonnen filed the Texas House's property tax reform bill, a measure he said will help Texans keep local governments accountable in setting property tax rates. Full Story
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The proposal from state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, would pay down bills coming due for several of the state's health and human services programs. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is getting a Democratic challenger for re-election in 2018. Full Story
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The U.S. Senate approved the confirmation of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as the next secretary of the Department of Energy on Thursday. Full Story
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In a television interview on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said the uproar over Attorney General Jeff Sessions' previous meetings with the Russian ambassador is nothing more than "political theater." Full Story
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Facing a shortage of cash, will Texas lawmakers tap the $10 billion piggybank known as the Rainy Day Fund? Full Story
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Hillary Clinton is coming to Texas for one of her first political appearances since her devastating defeat in the presidential election last year. Full Story
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Barbara Pierce Bush, the daughter of former President George W. Bush, insisted that the work Planned Parenthood is doing is especially important after a changing of the guard in Washington. Full Story
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Same-sex couples are entitled to the same treatment as opposite-sex couples, a lawyer for the city of Houston argued before the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday in a case challenging the city's benefits policy for married same-sex couples. Full Story
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A Texas Tribune analysis of how much Texas candidates spent per vote ahead of the November elections reveals campaigns that won or lost on the cheap, as well as those that paid heavily for their outcome. Full Story
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Lawmakers rarely get blamed for votes that never take place, and that's the basis for one of the oldest protection rackets in the legislative toolkit: Killing a controversial bill before it comes to the full House or Senate. Full Story
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We've updated our Ethics Explorer, an interactive tool that lets you review the financial interests, property holdings and potential conflicts of interest of more than 260 Texas elected officials. Full Story
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