The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
State Sen. Charles Perry, chairman of the Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs, has a package of bills that could create Texas' first statewide flood plan. He says coastal Texans aren't the only ones at risk of property loss. Full Story
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Johnson enters a race that includes at least eight other candidates, from Republican former state Rep. Jason Villalba to City Council member Scott Griggs and Dallas schools trustee Miguel Solis. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott and his partners in office want to impose limits on the size of local property tax increases, and the governor has added a twist those local governments might like: He has targeted unfunded state mandates. Full Story
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Two Democrats and 14 Republicans will chair the upper chamber's committees. Full Story
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The Texas House wants to give the state prison system $160 million more to help care for inmates. The Senate wants to cut funding. Full Story
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Texas moved to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid years ago after a highly-edited video from an anti-abortion group suggested abortion providers sold fetal tissue. Full Story
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The court ordered Austin to pay a fine to the state for each day it prevented investigators from the attorney general's office from carrying their firearms. Full Story
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Meet the 86th: Watch our interview with new state Sens. Carol Alvarado, Pete Flores, Nathan Johnson and Beverly Powell, moderated by Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith. Full Story
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State leaders have promised to tackle school safety this session, and lawmakers are expected to push bills that would beef up mental health screening programs and make it easier to arm teachers. Full Story
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The two top statewide elected officials were sworn in Tuesday to second terms at the helm of Texas government. Full Story
After winning re-election in November, both Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are embarking on their second, four-year term. Watch their swearings-in and inaugural speeches here. Full Story
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For the few months of each new 140-day legislative session, the respective chambers typically adjourn after meeting for less than an hour. There are several reasons lawmakers can't get off to a faster start. Full Story
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The proposed budget would increase state funds for education by about 17 percent but cut funding for health and human services by about 3 percent. Full Story
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There's a lot of work that goes on at the State Capitol even before lawmakers gavel in. This "Under the Dome" episode takes you through the behind-the-scenes start of the 86th Texas Legislature. Full Story
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Amid uncertainty about the federal health law, state legislators will tackle a variety of issues during the session, from abortion to mental health to opioids to funding for Medicaid. Full Story
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County party officials overwhelmingly rejected attempts to remove Shahid Shafi because he's Muslim. The 139-49 vote in his favor came after the state's top Republican officials denounced the failed move to oust the trauma surgeon. Full Story
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Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, wants to restrain the practice of prosecuting people who default on rent-to-own contracts for household items like TVs and sofas. The proposal comes in the wake of an investigation of rent-to-own prosecutions by The Texas Tribune and Nerd Wallet. Full Story
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Here’s a look at the demographics of the 86th Legislature by lawmakers’ race, gender, age, education and religion. Full Story
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Watch live coverage of a news conference featuring Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, courtesy of KXAN-TV. Full Story
Bonnen’s unanimous election marks a new era of Texas House leadership for the first time in a decade. Meanwhile, the leader of the Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was conspicuously absent on opening day. Full Story
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