The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Donald Trump Jr, the Dallas County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner keynote speaker, said Texans’ fundraising efforts were key in helping his father secure a victory in the 2016 presidential election. Full Story
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Some of the state's 36 congressional districts violate either the U.S. Constitution or the federal Voting Rights Act, a panel of three federal judges ruled Friday. Full Story
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A pair of bills filed Friday would allow any vehicle manufacturer to sell directly to Texans — bypassing the middleman dealers — in the biggest challenge yet to a longstanding state ban on the practice. Full Story
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State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione is demanding to know why dozens of large Texas Health and Human Services Commission contracts don't appear in the state's budget watchdog's database. The agency says it isn't responsible for the problem. Full Story
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The leadership battles in the Texas Legislature are often attributed to personalities — or to traditional House-Senate rivalries. But there's another factor: The Republicans in power are from different factions of their party. Full Story
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The state is set for another debate about the cost of a program that provides free tuition to children of military veterans. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz sent a letter to state lawmakers Thursday urging them to make Texas the next state that gives parents taxpayer dollars to send their children to private or religious schools, or educate them at home. Full Story
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What started as a state House committee hearing hearing on a bill that would require Texas hospitals to bury or cremate fetal remains turned into a heated debate over whether the proposal should be amended to abolish abortion completely. Full Story
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Senate Bill 7 would punish school principals and superintendents who fail to report teachers with a history of inappropriate romantic or sexual relationships with students. Full Story
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As budget writers and lawmakers eye billions in voter-approved highway money for other matters, transportation officials are touting high-profile projects that will benefit from those funds. Full Story
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After 13-plus hours of emotional testimony, largely in opposition, the Senate State Affairs Committee voted 7-1 early Wednesday morning to advance the so-called Texas “bathroom bill" — a legislative priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Full Story
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The state spent big to recruit professor Thomas Overbye to Texas A&M University. But lawmakers are questioning whether it should devote millions to make similar hires in the future. Full Story
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Citing the statute of limitations, the Austin Democrat seeks to have four of 13 felony counts against her dismissed. Full Story
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Local governments and school districts battling the Texas Legislature over property taxes have a couple of things in common: They want local control over taxes and a more reliable partner in the state government. Full Story
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School districts urged House lawmakers on Tuesday not to create winners and losers as they work to revamp the state's public school funding system. Full Story
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At a news conference with senators supporting the so-called bathroom bill, Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. was the lone Democrat. It's not the first time Lucio has bucked his own party to vote with the GOP on controversial issues. Full Story
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The legislation, Senate Bill 6, would require transgender individuals to use the multi-stall bathrooms and locker rooms in schools and other government buildings that match their “biological sex," as well as nix some local anti-discrimination laws. Full Story
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Hundreds of advocates for transgender Texans gathered at the state Capitol on Monday to lobby against the so-called "bathroom bill." Full Story
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Texas Republicans are expected to offer a new version of the controversial “bathroom bill” on Tuesday with two significant changes, according to a copy of a committee substitute obtained by The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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Only bills related to law enforcement will be considered in the Senate on Monday, the first day of the legislative session when the House and Senate are allowed to pass non-emergency legislation. Full Story
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