The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
In a hearing Monday, Texas lawmakers will weigh whether to proclaim fantasy sports are legal. This comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton equated them to illegal gambling. Full Story
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A local Austin coffee bar has been fighting the TABC since 2015 for the right to sell crowlers, aluminum cans filled with draft beer and sealed with a pull tab lid. Legislators are trying to prevent similar conflicts in the future. Full Story
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Full video of Evan Smith's 3/31 conversation with state Reps. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, and James White, R-Hillister. Full Story
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Things almost never come out of the Texas Legislature — if they come out at all — in the same shape they went in. Principles give way to exceptions and compromise, and the final product can differ greatly from the original idea. Full Story
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As North Carolina lawmakers voted Thursday to revise that state's "bathroom bill," Texas Republicans pushing a similar measure said they are not backing away from their proposal. Full Story
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Concerns about powdered alcohol have led 34 states to ban or considering banning it. However, both the House and Senate are considering legislation that would regulate the product in Texas. Full Story
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House State Affairs Committee members heard testimony Wednesday afternoon on House Bill 3859, which would allow faith-based organizations to exercise their “sincerely held religious beliefs” when participating as providers in Texas’ child welfare system. Full Story
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The Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill that would change how health providers in the state handle fetal tissue Wednesday. Full Story
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The Texas Senate tentatively approved a measure that would end the state’s practice of collecting public employee membership dues for certain labor unions and other associations through payroll organizations. Full Story
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The Texas Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill Wednesday that Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told the Texas Tribune could unravel the city's hard-fought plan to curb a growing pension crisis. Full Story
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If you got the states together to take power away from the federal government, as Greg Abbott hopes to do, and if you increased the state's powers over laws passed by cities and counties and local voters, the most powerful office in the state capital would really be something. Full Story
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Two measures that would make it easier for Texans to access guns were up for consideration by the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. Full Story
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The legislation pushes back against two 2015 Texas Supreme Court rulings that have enabled private companies involved with government contracts to keep parts of those contracts secret. Full Story
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The Texas Senate passed budget that would shift $1.8 billion in public education costs to local taxpayers. Full Story
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The top three sources of revenue for Texas public universities are all being targeted for reductions or freezes by federal or state government leaders. Full Story
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The Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday considered a pair of bills that would allow adult adoptees in the state to more easily access their birth certificates and medical history and would make it easier for adult adoptees and their biological parents to make contact. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott raised eyebrows last week when he threw his support behind a "broad-based law" that pre-empts local regulations. On Monday, Abbott did not back away from the idea — but offered more detail about what he meant. Full Story
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The denizens of the Texas Capitol are already talking about the possibility of a special session if lawmakers haven't finished the budget and other bills by Memorial Day. They might be worried, but you shouldn't be. Full Story
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Watch a livestream of Texas House Speaker Joe Straus discussing the 85th Legislative Session with Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project. Full Story
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Texas alcohol regulators know how to party: records show they've spent tens of thousands of dollars to travel to swanky resorts where liquor flows and industry lobbyists abound. Full Story
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