State government

Texas is a Republican stronghold, and that likely won't change anytime soon. Heading into 2018, however, several Democrats are pushing to unseat incumbents in several statewide races. 

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As lawmakers debated property tax reform, we asked Texans to give us their take on the state-vs.-local fight about regulating rising property tax bills. Here’s a look at the legislative debate and how some Texans feel about the proposed measures.

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Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday weighed in on the renewed debate over Confederate monuments in Texas, saying that removing them "won't erase our nation's past, and it doesn't advance our nation's future."

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The Texas Tribune surveyed all 38 Texans in Congress Wednesday, asking if they believed Trump's response to Charlottesville has encouraged the white nationalist movement.

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Gov. Greg Abbott gave Texas lawmakers a 20-item agenda to tackle in a summer special session. Over the course of 29-days, the Legislature sent him bills addressing about half of those issues. Here's what got addressed and what died.

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The Texas Legislature closed out the special session Tuesday night amid a stalemate on property tax reform, leaving unfinished Gov. Greg Abbott's top priority.

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If Texas A&M gets sued over canceling a "White Lives Matter" rally, it might be able to defend itself in court by proving the event posed a public safety risk and would have disrupted normal campus activities. 

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House and Senate negotiators will have the next two days remaining in the current special legislative session to hammer out their differences on legislation tackling property taxes, school finance and other items still in play.

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Legislation that would extend the life of a state task force studying Texas’ high maternal morbidity rates is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.

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The Texas Senate advanced a municipal annexation bill to Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday, the fifth bill sent to the governor’s desk during the special legislative session set to end in no more than three days.

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A bill that advanced in the Texas Legislature this week would require women to pay an additional insurance premium if they want their health plan to cover abortions not considered medical emergencies.

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The Texas House tentatively approved two bills Thursday that will keep several state agencies from closing. The chamber is expected to give the measures final approval tomorrow, sending them to the governor.

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State Rep. Cecil Bell is a member of a committee that oversees utility districts in Texas. Many of those districts give his construction companies big contracts, while some of their lawyers contribute to his campaign.

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Three dispensaries expect to get final approval from Texas soon to start growing and cultivating marijuana. It’ll take another several months before they can begin distributing the kind of cannabis oil that lawmakers legalized in 2015.

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Since 2016, public entities have had to reveal the businesses they have large contracts with. These "1295 disclosures" reveal numerous legislators among the contractors — and some of those lawmakers have sponsored or voted on bills that help those same public entities.

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Not a single measure has made it to the governor’s desk despite a steady drumbeat from his office urging lawmakers to go "20 for 20." A "bathroom bill" is on life support, but a property tax measure still has momentum, supporters say.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Joe Straus had their first one-on-one meeting in months Monday afternoon. 

 

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It would be unconstitutional to impose a statewide property tax. Even if one was enacted, however, that wouldn’t solve the structural issues with the state’s school finance system.

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Texas submitted a court-ordered proposal Thursday to move about 1,000 medically sensitive inmates from an uncooled prison southeast of College Station to air-conditioned units elsewhere in the state.

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The Texas House gave tentative and unanimous approval Thursday to a measure that would partially reverse a controversial cut to disabled children’s therapy services that was ordered by the 2015 Legislature. 

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