The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas' top elected officials on Monday offered an absolute defense of free speech in the wake of a Garland shooting that left two gunmen dead outside a contest featuring cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Full Story
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A bill to let Texans register to vote online is dead, its sponsor said Saturday, five days after a small but vocal group of Harris County officials voiced their opposition to it during a committee hearing. Full Story
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State Rep. Jonathan Stickland's ejection from a House Transportation Committee hearing aside, activists devoted to purging Texas of red light cameras say they aren't thrilled with the bills under consideration this session. Full Story
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Voters in Tarrant County's House District 92 have sent two very different types of politicians to Austin recently — and both the new guy and the old one made news this week. Full Story
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At our 5/1 conversation, Julián Castro, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, explained why he doesn't like Gov. Greg Abbott's plan for pre-K. Full Story
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The chairman of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics said he plans to investigate allegations that witnesses were signed up improperly to speak at a meeting from which state Rep. Jonathan Stickland was escorted out. Full Story
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You can slow down or even kill a piece of legislation with a single word or phrase, if it's poisonous enough. Full Story
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As state lawmakers enter the last month of the 84th Legislature, they advanced a number of measures that would further restrict abortions, drug test political candidates and facilitate engagement with constituents on social media. Full Story
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State Rep. Dennis Bonnen has become a go-to mouthpiece for House leadership, and the votes for his legislation are indicative of how closely in step with him his colleagues are. If he were out of line, someone would yank his leash. Nobody has. Full Story
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The Texas House gave initial approval Thursday to a major boost in transportation funding from sales taxes, setting the stage for a showdown with the Senate over the best way to pay for Texas roads. Full Story
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At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor, talked about the work of the budget conference committee. Full Story
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State Sen. John Whitmire is asking questions about a program for at-risk youths run by the Texas Military Department where more than half of the applicants are truant students referred by justice of the peace courts or from the schools themselves. Full Story
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A Texas House committee on Thursday considered a pair of bills taking aim at the state film incentives program. One would block state grants for films and video games containing adult content. Another would abolish the program altogether. Full Story
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The rate of Texans without health insurance has fallen 8 percentage points since enrollment began in the federal Affordable Care Act, according to a new study. Full Story
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At our 4/30 conversation, state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor, talked about the events this week in Baltimore — and the takeaways for other big cities. Full Story
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Full video of my 4/30 conversation with state Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a candidate for Houston mayor. Full Story
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Dallas-based Teladoc is fighting tooth and nail to stop an impending rule change by the Texas Medical Board that could undermine the company's business model of having doctors consult with patients over the phone or internet. Full Story
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The craftsmanship of a measure by state Rep. Molly White, R-Belton, intended to address coerced abortions was met with skepticism on Wednesday by the chairman of the House State Affairs Committee. Full Story
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The Texas House Wednesday moved a step closer to changing end-of-course writing assessments for high school students that critics say are overly burdensome and prevent too many students from graduating. Full Story
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Tax cuts and politics ethics legislation have this in common: When lawmakers have to vote in public view, they're often forced to set aside their private opinions. Full Story
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