Abbott Vetoes Four Criminal Justice, Public Safety Bills
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed four criminal justice and public safety bills, bringing to eight the total number of vetoes he has issued in the aftermath of the 84th legislative session. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott in Pflugerville, Texas, for signing of open-carry bill on June 13, 2015.]()
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Roundup: Tax Cuts, Denton Fracking, The Donald and Jeb!
In this week's Roundup: Billions in tax cuts are officially on the books, the city of Denton repeals its fracking ban and the field of 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls grows ever larger. Full Story
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Law Allows More College Credits for High Schoolers
High school Advanced Placement students should be able to earn more college credits under a bill signed by Gov. Greg Abbott this month, a change that will save students and universities millions of dollars. Full Story
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Catch Up on Budget & Tax Issues From This Session
By the end of the 84th legislative session, state lawmakers reached many compromises on the 2016-17 budget and tax cuts. See what lawmakers decided — and how they got there — with our Texas Legislative Guide. Full Story
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Video: Grieder and Ratcliffe on Social Conservatives
At our 6/18 conversation, Erica Grieder and R.G. Ratcliffe of Texas Monthly rebutted the charge that the magazine's Ten Worst list targets social conservatives. Full Story
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Video: Grieder on Jonathan Stickland
At our 6/18 conversation, Erica Grieder of Texas Monthly discussed the conundrum of what to do with state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, who landed on the magazine's list of the ten worst legislators. Full Story
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Video: Grieder and Ratcliffe on Jane Nelson
At our 6/18 conversation, Erica Grieder and R.G. Ratcliffe of Texas Monthly explained why they named state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, one of the 84th session's ten worst legislators. Full Story
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Video: A Conversation About the Best & Worst Legislators
Full video of our 6/18 conversation with Erica Grieder and R.G. Ratcliffe, the lead authors of Texas Monthly's biennial list of the best and worst legislators. Full Story
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Law Extends Electric Bill Help for Poor Texans
Low-income Texans can enjoy a discount on their electricity bills for a little longer. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday signed legislation ensuring that the remaining balance of the state’s “System Benefit Fund” would go toward that purpose. Full Story
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![Longtime State Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, details his plan to run for mayor of Houston during TTEvents conversation on April 30, 2015.]()
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Analysis: Sitting Pretty, Even Without Old Friends
Many of the legislators who originally elevated Joe Straus into the House speaker's chair four legislative sessions ago are gone. But as he enters another election cycle with his eye on another term, Straus is in remarkably good political shape. Full Story
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![Speaker Joe Straus during June 9, 2015 Tribune Conversation]()
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What Vacation? Amid Veto Period, Lobbyists Keep Working Abbott
The legislative session may be over, but that doesn’t mean it’s vacation time for many of the Capitol’s lobbyists. With a Sunday deadline for Gov. Greg Abbott to veto legislation, some of them are still making a last-ditch effort to kill bills. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on the opening day of the 83rd legislative session, Jan. 8, 2013.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
San Antonio, UT-Dallas, MD Anderson Added to Salary Explorer
The city of San Antonio, the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas at Dallas are the latest additions to the Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer. Full Story
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Keffer, a Straus Lieutenant, Won't Seek Re-election
State Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, plans to announce Wednesday that he will not seek another term in the Texas House. He is one of a handful of House Speaker Joe Straus' original supporters still in the Legislature. Full Story
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Abbott Signs Bill to Limit Pollution Lawsuits
Gov. Greg Abbott has signed legislation that could make it tougher for local governments to sue big-time polluters – an effort that largely targets Harris County prosecutors. Full Story
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![The San Jacinto River Waste Pits, an EPA Superfund site that is contaminated with dioxins, is located off Interstate 10 east of Houston.]()
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Texas, Petroleum Industry Broaden Their Lawsuits Against Denton
The Texas Oil and Gas Association and the state’s General Land Office have expanded the scope of their lawsuits against Denton. Both are taking aim at the city’s moratorium on new gas drilling in addition to the toothless fracking ban still on its books. Full Story
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![Vantage Energy on June 1, 2015 resumed hydraulic operations on a pad site on the western outskirts of Denton. It was the first company to frack within city limits after the Texas Legislature overturned the Denton’s ban on the process.]()
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Did You Think Campus Carry Was Settled Law?
The fight over guns on campus now shifts to the schools, where university and college presidents must figure out where and where not to ban weapons. Full Story
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Signing Tax Cut Bills, Abbott Predicts "New Era of Job Growth"
Declaring “a new era of job growth in the state of Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed a $2.56 billion bill cutting the franchise tax rate paid by businesses by 25 percent. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott tries out an Oculus Rift virtual reality system at AMD's Austin office after signing a bill cutting the business franchise tax rate.]()
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After SCOTUS Decision, Abortion Sonogram Foes Consider Options
Attorneys who represented Texas doctors in a lawsuit against the state’s 2011 abortion sonogram law are considering their legal options following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Monday decision not to revive a similar North Carolina law. Full Story
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![Two sonogram tools used at a Planned Parenthood clinic providing abortions in Austin.]()
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Inside Texas Politics: A Sit-Down With the Lt. Gov.
This week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics features an extended interview with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Full Story
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![(L-R) Inside Texas Politics host Jason Whitely, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's D.C. Bureau Chief Maria Recio and Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy.]()
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Eltife Not Running for Re-election in 2016
State Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, has reportedly decided not to run for re-election in 2016, bringing to a close more than two decades in public service and setting off a potentially crowded GOP primary to replace him. Full Story
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![Texas Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, at his desk in the Senate chamber on May 28, 2015. Eltife, who has a history of challenging his party on fiscal policy, has not said whether he's running for reelection in 2016.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich
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