Defamation Lawsuit Puts New Statute to the Test
A defamation lawsuit filed by WallBuilders founder David Barton has become an early test of new tort reform legislation intended to protect free speech. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
You Thought Redistricting Was About Candidates?
It's easy to forget that redistricting and the Voting Rights Act are about voters. But sometimes, the voters jump up and remind you. Full Story
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After a Win, a Combative Speaker
House Speaker Joe Straus, coming out of a big and expensive win in a rare contested primary at home, began the runoff reboot by tweaking Michael Quinn Sullivan and his Empower Texans group, deriding them as ineffective, ugly and resentful of his success. Full Story
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Could HHSC Face a Public Ed-Sized Leadership Void?
First, the state’s Medicaid director announced he was retiring. Now, Health and Human Services chief Tom Suehs says he hasn’t decided whether he will quit in August. Will HHSC rival public education for next session's biggest leadership void? Full Story
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Uresti Lawsuit Alleges Opponent is Ineligible for Race
A lawsuit by state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, alleges that his general election opponent, Michael Berlanga, does not meet residency requirements for Senate District 19. Full Story
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Ruling Allows Second-Chance Online Lottery to Continue
Those who bought losing scratch-off Texas lottery tickets should still be able to enter online for a follow-up contest, according to an opinion issued by the attorney general’s office this week. Full Story
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Video: Looking at the State of Abortion in Texas
In Part 4 of the Tribune's series on family planning, we take a closer look at how abortion has shifted public policy in Texas in recent years — and where the political battle may be headed next. Full Story
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STAAR Retakes Mean Big Expense for Districts
A new state requirement that students must retake standardized tests if they do not achieve a minimum score has landed hundreds of thousands in summer school, carrying a hefty price tag for school districts. Full Story
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Death Sentence Thrown Out in 2005 Murder Case
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned a death sentence for Manuel Velez, citing inaccurate testimony during Velez's sentencing. Full Story
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Inside Intelligence: About Those Election Results...
For this week's nonscientific survey of governmental and political insiders, we asked about the election results, about Joe Straus' chances for another term as speaker, about who might replace David Dewhurst as presiding officer of the Senate, and about who'll control that selection. Full Story
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In Some State Agencies, Concern Over Revolving-Door Policies
State employees leaving jobs with the state of Texas to work for the very industries they regulated is legal and commonplace. But as Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas, critics say the state's ethics laws on the matter are too lax. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Early STAAR Results Are as Expected, TEA Says
In initial results from the new State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, just more than half of students working on a ninth-grade level met the passing standards for writing, while 87 percent passed biology. Full Story
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After Juneteenth Project Stalls, a Replacement Emerges for State Capitol
A Juneteenth monument was built for the Capitol, but it won't be installed after all. Concerns were raised about the design of one of the statues as well as historical inaccuracies. A new monument is coming to the Capitol instead. Full Story
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Sunset Commission: TDCJ Can Improve in Efficiency, Communication
The Sunset Advisory Commission found that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has room for improvement. The commission on Tuesday discussed accountability, budgetary efficiency, response to inmate grievances and communication. Full Story
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State Agencies Ordered to Propose Budget Cuts
The Legislative Budget Board — headed by House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst — is asking state agencies to assume they'll have 10 percent less to spend in the next budget than they have now. Full Story
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A House of Strangers Calls for a Shrewd Leader
Races for speaker of the House are based on relationships. How does that work when there are so many freshmen and sophomore members in the House? Full Story
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TribLive: Branch and TMF on Hughes vs. Straus
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, discussed the prospect of a Speaker's race leading up to the 2013 legislative session. Full Story
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Updated: State Rep. Ken Legler Passes Away
State Rep. Ken Legler, R-Pasadena, has passed away, according to the House speaker's office. He was 54. Full Story
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TribLive: Branch and TMF on Straus and the Primaries
At this morning's TribLive conversation, state Reps. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, and Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, discussed whether Tuesday's primaries were a referendum on Speaker of the House Joe Straus. Full Story
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House Departures Take a Bite Out of Criminal Justice
For years they’ve been the Butch and Sundance of Texas criminal justice policy. Republican state Rep. Jerry Madden and Democrat state Sen. John Whitmire have helped lead a sea change in the adult and juvenile prison systems. But the team is breaking up. Full Story
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Credit: Callie Richmond
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