At least four companies say they are prepared to treat the water well enough to be released into rivers in West Texas. Environmental groups say the state is moving too fast.
Politics
Stay informed with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth political coverage, including Texas elections, state government, policy debates, and the leaders shaping the future of the state.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2025
Once again, Texas Legislature unlikely to pass ethics legislation this year
Lawmakers filed dozens of bills that would increase transparency around spending in elections and strengthen penalties for campaign and lobbying violations. None are poised to pass.
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Politics
Texas’ mail-in voting rules pushed voters to cast ballots in person — or not vote at all, study finds
New research from the Brennan Center for Justice suggests that 2021 ID requirements in a recent overhaul of Texas election laws could explain some of the drop in mail voting.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Bill curbing the flow of abortion pills into Texas likely dead
Proponents of SB 2880 have singled out Rep. Ken King, House State Affairs committee chair, for letting the bill languish.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas Republicans want to block cities’ gun buyback programs
Much of the debate focused on the tense relationship between cities and the Texas Legislature. The bill is head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas will require state documents to reflect sex assigned at birth
Many trans Texans have changed the sex listed on their birth certificate, driver’s licenses and other documents. They say their identities will be invalidated under bill headed to governor’s desk.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas GOP’s bill requiring voters to prove citizenship stalls in House
Senate Bill 16 is imperiled after missing a deadline in the House. It was among the most sweeping proof-of-citizenship proposals in the U.S. and would have applied retroactively to all voters.
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Texas Legislature 2025
Texas bill penalizing cities and counties for progressive policies misses House deadline
Senate Bill 2858 would have expanded a sweeping state law intended to erode the authority of the state’s major urban areas.
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Texas Legislature 2025
“Anti-Red Flag Act” that would limit when guns can be taken from people advances in Texas House
Senate Bill 1362 would prevent officials from taking someone’s firearms if they haven’t been charged with a crime or aren’t subject to a protective order under the Texas Family Code.
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Politics
Ronnie Dugger, trailblazing founder of The Texas Observer, dies at 95
Dugger launched the Observer, a fixture of the Texas media landscape known for its decidedly progressive lens to state affairs, in 1954.
