State government

In a letter sent to lawmakers late Wednesday, David Whitley said he's sorry for the way he launched the review efforts but appeared not to be backing down from continuing the review.

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In addition to the six House members, there are six female Republicans in the state Senate. Republican lawmakers and political operatives are hoping to make moves now to get those numbers up after the 2020 election.

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The governor has laid out his legislative priorities. In our latest "Under the Dome" episode, we look at the challenges lawmakers face in addressing the issues of property taxes and school finance.

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A new proposal to cut school property taxes in Texas perfectly outlines the political problem facing lawmakers: It's terribly expensive, and other taxes have to be raised to pay for it.

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State leaders have all thrown support behind tapping the rainy day fund to help with Hurricane Harvey recovery. But a year and a half after the storm, they haven't offered many specifics.

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Lawmakers in both chambers and parties want to fix the controversial Driver Responsibility Program, but the program funds state trauma centers. Where will they find $144 million to fill the gap?

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Voters will decide the successor to former state Rep. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, who was elected to the Texas Senate in December.

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“It’s going to take us a while to get out of this backlog that we’re in, but we’re doing the things necessary to help more consumers,” a state official said.

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The Senate panel's vote came despite fierce pushback from city and county leaders, who say a lower election threshold on increased property tax revenues could hamstring their budgets.

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A Texas Senate committee is moving rapidly to require voter approval for local property tax increases over 2.5 percent. But some want to see the Legislature's school finance bill before they vote on property taxes.

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Some lawmakers had fretted that sending the preliminary, faulty list to the state's top prosecutor would intimidate voters.

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An appointment to the high court would require a two-thirds confirmation vote, potentially handing Texas Senate Democrats an important bargaining chip in the contentious legislative debates to come.

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Donations to the inauguration are not deemed political contributions under state statute. And the inaugural committee, whose creation is mandated by law, is not required to make financial disclosures before this summer.

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After last year's massacre at Santa Fe High School, survivors told lawmakers the school safety measures they want to see enacted during this year's legislative session. How many of them will become law?

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In the wake of a midterm election that saw four major state appeals courts flip on partisan lines, Hecht called on lawmakers to consider changing Texas to a system of merit selection and retention elections.

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What Texas Gov. Greg Abbott didn't say in Tuesday's State of the State speech was important. School finance and property taxes were the big issues before the speech — and Abbott didn't stray from those subjects.

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The Texas governor made the declaration during his annual State of the State address.

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The governor focused on bread-and-butter policy in a forum that has often featured a lot of red meat.

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Abbott stayed on message about education and taxes, and touched on school safety, disaster response and mental health programs.

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Paxton's office has asked lawmakers for millions more in funding and expanded jurisdiction to go after certain crimes. Critics say the requests are aimed at political gains.

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