The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
During the Texas legislative session, the Capitol sees a rush of advocates. Our latest "Under the Dome" episode features two people lobbying on issues they are all too familiar with. Full Story
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“The Constitution’s protection of religious liberty is somehow even better than Chick-fil-A’s chicken,” Paxton wrote in a Thursday letter to San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and the rest of the council. Full Story
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The vote, called around 1 a.m., was 8-3. The lone Democrat who voted in support of the new measure was state Rep. Ryan Guillen, the vice chair of the committee. Full Story
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Rep. Richard Raymond has introduced bills to get rid of the gambling machines for years. This time, he's trying a different approach. Full Story
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The groups are targeting two priority bills in the Texas Senate. Full Story
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Anti-abortion bills have gathered steam in the upper chamber — including a proposal to limit local funding for abortion providers and another to protect infants born alive after an abortion. Full Story
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The House also signed off on a $9 billion supplemental budget that would withdraw $4.3 billion from the state savings account. Full Story
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The backlog — exacerbated by the state's switch in January to a new computer system for processing records — comes as the short-staffed Texas Department of State Health Services vies for a boost in funding. Meanwhile, families anxiously wait. Full Story
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House members have proposed more than 300 amendments to the chamber's spending plan. The proposals that pass could have major implications for hundreds of other issues regulated by the state. Full Story
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The House Ways & Means Committee is expected to vote on the bill Wednesday. Full Story
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Texas added Airbnb to a short list of companies that can’t receive state money because they boycott Israel, though Airbnb says it does not. Now, employees at the University of Texas at Austin can no longer stay in Airbnbs while on school business. Full Story
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Disability advocates want the Texas Legislature to invest in pay raises for home care workers. Even in a year of surplus, it's a difficult battle. Full Story
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Lawmakers were alerted that a page on the House floor had the infection, triggering discussions about vaccine policies in the state. Full Story
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"This is Harris County!" declared a bevy of colorful signs at a campaign rally Saturday for the California Democrat. Harris has made clear she plans to cede no ground to Democratic rivals who hail from the Lone Star State. Full Story
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In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to House members Mary Gonzalez, Sarah Davis and Toni Rose about gender, politics and public policy in a state where the population is majority female but elected officials are overwhelmingly male. Full Story
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Issues like city-mandated paid sick leave and "red flag" gun laws are popular among Texas voters, polls suggest. Will opposing them have consequences in 2020? Full Story
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Busby, a Republican judge and former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, served on an appellate court in Houston until voters rejected him in November as part of a Democratic sweep. Full Story
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At a meet-and-greet with Democrats in Dallas Tuesday night, Castro dismissed suggestions that his bid for president was being overshadowed by Beto O'Rourke and said he was working hard "to make sure that at the right time I’m the frontrunner of this race." Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's wariness of proposals to expand the state's narrow medical cannabis program may block any such bills from reaching the governor's desk this session. Full Story
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After passing through the House Appropriations Committee, House Bill 1 now goes to the full Texas House. Full Story
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