The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
These rankings across the ideological spectrum are based on roll-call votes in the Texas House and Senate during this year’s regular and special sessions. Full Story
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The Mexican American Legislative Caucus is arguing that the new state House map violates the Texas Constitution. The lawsuit follows two legal challenges to the state’s new maps previously filed in federal court. Full Story
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In Texas, the Legislature draws political maps — with results that predictably favor the party in power. Do independent commissions do any better? Full Story
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Unofficial results show that Texas voters approved eight amendments to the state Constitution. Full Story
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Republicans saw flipping the seat as a way to make headway into South Texas, where Democrat Joe Biden underperformed last year. Full Story
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The redevelopment of the Alamo, which Bush oversees as land commissioner, has prompted pushback across the political spectrum. Full Story
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Texas voters will decide on eight proposed changes to the state’s Constitution. Voters in the San Antonio area will pick a new Texas House member. And Austin voters will decide whether to require more police officers. Full Story
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Anti-abortion groups and reproductive rights activists faced off outside the U.S. Supreme Court as it heard Texas' abortion case. Full Story
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Abbott’s letter comes on the heels of an inquiry launched by state Rep. Matt Krause, a Fort Worth Republican running for Texas attorney general. Krause sent a letter to certain school districts with an 850-book list that included novels about racism and sexuality. Full Story
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Young replaces former Justice Eva Guzman, who resigned in June ahead of a campaign for attorney general. Full Story
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Garza, a former lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, had been running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville. U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, is now running for Vela's seat after redistricting made Gonzalez's seat more competitive for Republicans. Full Story
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Since 2000, Texas lawmakers have reduced the number of abortions in the state by restricting access to the procedure. Full Story
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The new political maps drawn by Texas Republicans have run into some criticism from academics studying gerrymandering. That puts the Texans in the same boat with Illinois Democrats. Full Story
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The race pits Republican John Lujan against Democrat Frank Ramirez for the Democratic-leaning seat that former state Rep. Leo Pacheco, D-San Antonio, vacated earlier this year. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott have been at war with locals and federal officials over vaccinate mandates. Earlier this month, Abbott expanded an executive order to block the requirement for any entity in Texas, including health care facilities and private businesses. Full Story
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Critics say state Rep. Matt Krause's inquiry targets books about women, people of color and LGBTQ people. The lawmaker says providing specifics about his inquiry "could compromise a potential investigation." Full Story
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Under a Gov. Greg Abbott initiative, more than 1,600 migrants have been arrested for allegedly trespassing on private property after crossing the Texas-Mexico border. The arrests and subsequent imprisonment of the migrants have led to state law violations and constitutional concerns. Full Story
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State Rep. Matt Krause, a Republican candidate for attorney general, wants public schools to explain some of the books in their libraries. He's got questions about content, along with a way to get some attention from voters. Full Story
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Genetic screenings can help determine if a fetus will have certain conditions — or even be viable. But those usually occur at the end of the first trimester, long after Texas' new abortion law bans people from terminating their pregnancies. Full Story
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John Scott briefly represented Donald Trump's legal effort to challenge the election results in Pennsylvania. In an interview, he said there’s no question that Joe Biden is the president and he has “not seen anything” to suggest the election was stolen. Full Story
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