Texas Democrats lose leadership roles in state House despite support for Speaker Dustin Burrows
Conservative activists in the GOP caucus called any power sharing with the minority party a betrayal of Republican voters. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, addresses the House after being sworn in as House Speaker, on the first day of the 89th Texas Legislative Session at the capitol in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas State Bar seeks to dismiss its lawsuit against Ken Paxton for challenging 2020 presidential election
The state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a punishment ranging from a private reprimand to disbarment. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, speaks to the media Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, during a press conference following arguments in the case “Free Speech Coalition, Inc., et al. v. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas,” at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, a push for residents to lose weight and curb diabetes
In Brownsville, the city and local hospital have helped residents lose more than 23,000 pounds since 2008. Full Story
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![Pedro Mego, a medical doctor specializing in treating peripheral artery disease and helping patients prevent the need for limb amputations, poses for a photo at his clinic in Mission on Jan. 21, 2025.]()
Credit: Gabriel V. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
School vouchers in Texas: Everything you need to know
Vouchers would let parents use public funds to pay for their kids’ private education. Learn about how they could work and the political battle around them. Full Story
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![Lorenzo G Alarcon Elementary School received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to create a calming and quiet room with the school counselor in San Elizario, Texas on July 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Texas budget writers prioritize school vouchers, teacher raises and border security in early drafts
Both chambers set aside $1 billion for a voucher-like education savings account program — double what was on the table two years ago — in a sign that supporters are emboldened after recent electoral gains. Full Story
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![The Texas State Capitol on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Austin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators overhaul oilfield waste rule for the first time in four decades
The new rule modernizes some aspects of commercial oilfield waste disposal and recycling. But rules for burying oilfield waste on private property remain limited. Full Story
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![An aerial view of produced water ponds constructed by Martin Water in Lenorah.]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News -
State employees suspected of stealing from low-income Texans' public assistance accounts
Seven human services employees were fired after a string of fraud and theft — and the largest data breach in agency history. Full Story
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![The fresh produce section of a Brookshire Brothers grocery store in Buffalo, Texas, on June 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton investigation could come to an end under Trump
Donald Trump and the Texas attorney general have forged a friendship over the years, one that has been cemented in their shared political and legal struggles and their willingness to come to each other’s aid at times of upheaval. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump, center, greets Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, with Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, right, at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Nov. 20, 2019.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 22 other states sue to halt planned federal methane fines
The rule fines certain oil and gas facilities that exceed federal limits for methane emissions. Full Story
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![The Rebel Gas Plant vents off natural gas into two flare stacks Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Garden City.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Trump to tap Texas “border czar” to lead U.S. Border Patrol, report says
Mike Banks, a former Border Patrol agent, has served in his current role as a special advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott since January 2023. Full Story
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![Texas Border Czar Mike Banks at a news conference regarding border security at the Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Feb. 21, 2023.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers eye sharing health care workers with other states to address provider shortages
Advocates say interstate compacts, which allow professionals to use their work licenses in multiple states, can solve Texas’ workforce shortage. Skeptics fear Texas would send more workers than it would receive. Full Story
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![Scenes from UT Health San Antonio’s NOW Clinic on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the NOW Clinic in San Antonio, Tx. The New Opportunities for Wellness (NOW) Clinic provides San Antonio with quick and reliable behavioral health services from professionals.]()
Credit: Olivia Anderson/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Supreme Court weighing constitutionality of Texas’ age-verification requirement for porn sites
The Supreme Court’s decision on Texas’ law, which adult entertainment website attorneys said were the most overreaching in the country, could determine the fate of similar laws in more than a dozen other states. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to the media on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, during a press conference following arguments in the case “Free Speech Coalition, Inc., et al. v. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas,” at the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.]()
Credit: Luke Johnson for The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP chair claims church-state separation is a myth as lawmakers, pastors prep for “spiritual battle”
Abraham George’s comments are the latest sign of the state GOP’s embrace of fundamentalist ideologies that seek to center public life around their faith. Full Story
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![Landon Schott, pastor of Mercy Culture, leads a worship service in the state Capitol extension auditorium on the first day of the 2025 state legislative session in Austin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
The air in 12 Texas counties exceeded federal soot rules. Only four may have to comply.
Critics say TCEQ is erroneously using a federal rule to exclude counties that are failing federal soot rules. Full Story
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![A view of charred grassland that was burned by the Smokehouse Creek wildfire, outside the Panhandle town of Canadian on Feb. 28, 2024.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Nick Oxford -
EPA report says “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizer pose cancer risk
Fertilizers that contain treated sewage tainted with toxic PFAS chemicals can be spread on farmland and pose a health risk to people who consume milk, eggs and beef, the agency says. Full Story
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![Bar screens are used to remove large portions of solids and garbage during the wastewater treatment process at SAWS’ Steven M. Clouse Water Recycling Center in San Antonio on Aug. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislature is back. Here’s what we’re watching.
From debating school vouchers and improving the state’s water supply to reining in property taxes, the GOP-led body will look to pass its conservative priorities amid fighting within the party. Full Story
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![State Representatives and their families gather on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Republican infighting flares after Burrows elected speaker
The Texas House kicked off the 2025 session by electing an establishment Republican to lead the chamber, drawing criticism from within the GOP. Full Story
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![Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George speaks to the press on the steps of the state Capitol following the vote for House speaker on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. Looking on are Republican freshman state Reps. Wes Virdell, David Lowe, Andy Hopper and Brent Money.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers will have $194.6 billion to spend for the next budget, comptroller projects
The estimate includes $23.8 billion leftover from the current budget cycle. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses the biennial revenue estimate with audience members at Texas Tribune’s Studio 919 in Austin on Jan. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court to decide legal battle over El Paso migrant shelter’s future
Justices on Monday heard arguments from Annunciation House, which is fighting to stay open, and the Texas Attorney General’s office, which claims the shelter’s work with migrants violates state law. Full Story
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![Bishop Mark Seitz (right) speaks at a press conference in El Paso alongside Ruben Garcia, director of the Annunciation House (left) on Feb. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Legislature 101: How bills become laws — and how you can participate in the process
Here’s a rundown of how legislation moves through the Capitol, the ways lawmakers operate and who the power players are. Full Story
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![State representatives meet on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 11, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune