The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Chances are, winter weather won’t be as bad as it was last February. Chances are, Texas won’t have the electric blackouts that caused so much misery then. And chances are, whatever happens will have some influence on the 2022 elections. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/cd7fd7cc5f0b5f9c567c90c5e729f6d8/Winter%20Storm%20McKinney%20ST%20TT%2010)
The district appears to be the first one to be investigated since Republicans started raising questions in October about content in public school libraries. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b4aa6200ab50f0f89dc5fb0b69cbbfee/.Library%20File%20JV%20TT%2013.jpg)
Crenshaw, who mentioned the House Freedom Caucus while making the criticism, sought to clarify later that he largely was not referring to the group. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8a9b89552307f41062e1a7a2d25a1375/Dan%20Crenshaw%20Dec%202021%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
Critics of the Chapter 313 corporate tax incentive program say it lacks accountability and is burdensome to taxpayers in the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8f04f3a90766e98c15d7d780ebd84648/Abbott%20Cornyn%20Samsung%20SF%20TT%2008.jpg)
Texas’ population has grown 40% this century, and 91% of the new Texans are people of color. Federal judges now have to decide whether those monumental changes are reflected in the state’s political maps. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ea11e454d35aff97551b04745afac028/2nd%20Redo%20Redistricting%20maps%20MGO%20TT%2005.jpg)
The former George W. Bush political strategist had launched a bid to win the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. On Tuesday, Dowd said he’s stepping aside to make way for a “diverse field” of candidates in the race. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/05/10/__BDP9351_Dowd3CMS.JPG)
Want to win a statewide political race in Texas that's not at the very top of the ballot? It helps a lot if your party's top candidate wins — or at least runs a close second. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a9f875b836d61b0d6248c66974a55174/ATX%20Election%20Day%20AG%20TT%2024.jpg)
Republican leaders defend their record on the power grid, pointing to more than a dozen laws passed during this year’s legislative session to address the grid’s reliability. Gov. Greg Abbott has staked his reputation on a promise that the lights won't go out this winter. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3ed3f50e4b6f8086c7998e8a094145f6/ATX%20Winter%20Storm%20JV%20Feb%2016%20TT%2032.jpg)
The so-called “critical race theory” law prohibits teachers from discussing “a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs.” Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/18b0c31bf1116c3c6281daacc771b161/Chapa%20Middle%20School%20JV%20TT%2014.jpg)
Beginning today, a new law restricts abortion-inducing medication, the most common abortion method in Texas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2e5bd119f66788cbe73e82e3588f5dc3/Misoprostol%20Abortion%20Pills%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
The law was passed this year after outcry from Republicans over perceived anti-conservative bias among major tech companies. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/db35bd2ccc72c9b9aa395637e9975ffa/Social%20Media%20Icons%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
So much is unknown about the new COVID-19 variant: the severity of the illness it causes, whether it can resist vaccines and natural antibodies and whether it’s more contagious than the delta variant that has burned through Texas and the U.S. for months. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a8ada5ea0e226d524edbf64f312f8af6/DFW%20Airport%20ST%20TT%2017.jpg)
Three-judge panel finds no "concrete, or actual or imminent, injury" caused by Abbott's ban on mask mandates. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6b8384b40f291be2c3ce3953d9a9cb24/Jacobs%20Well%20Elementary%20JV%20TT%2019.jpg)
Gaps in student learning because of pandemic disruptions could impact students in the long term. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ef67acfd1d8d74041776d870d9a3da3e/Isabel%20Suarez%20School%20JV%20TT%20009.jpg)
But Texas oil and gas regulators addressed only part of the problem that led millions of Texans to lose power for days after February’s winter storm, and gas producers likely won’t be required to weatherize until 2023. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/48d5746912b561ba54b59eaf71485f35/RRC%20Hearing%20DS%20TT%2002.jpg)
Taylor was a key player in the 2019 school finance overhaul that lawmakers passed. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8eae6a738eb164983fc1b5146209387d/0013_Larry_Taylor_Juan_Figueroa_May_6_TT.jpg)
It remains unclear whether Gov. Greg Abbott — the only official with the power to convene special sessions — will order state lawmakers back to Austin, or what issues he would include on the agenda. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/74deeb6a880bdec2fe4374f3cf928fdd/Special%20Session%20Opening%20Day%20SPTT%20%2098.jpg)
Texas has passed legislation that ensures abortion would be made a felony if Roe v. Wade is overturned “wholly or partly,” as the court considers Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9d57d518ac22e16b8b49c2d908113e82/SCOTUS%20Nov%201%20EL%2008%20TT.jpg)
Natural gas powers the majority of electricity in Texas, especially during winter. Some power companies say the state’s gas system is not ready for another deep freeze. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6cd96b166a6095096825fe0080fabdf7/Vistra%20Midlothian%20Power%20ST%20TT%2006.jpg)
Krause had been among the primary challengers to Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose legal problems have made him a target for both parties next year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d43441269a39993d30f9e14703c20e66/House%20Floor%20Matt%20Krause%20JV%20TT%2029.jpg)