The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Lawmakers have given early approval to a bill to reform the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, a quasi-governmental insurer of last resort that has been the subject of ethics concerns. Full Story
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In a last-ditch effort to tweak one of their most despised bills of the session, House Democrats tried — and failed — to adopt several amendments today to the “sanctuary cities” bill first passed by the House late Monday. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry has unsuccessfully tried to get a meeting with President Barack Obama, who will be visiting Texas today, to discuss the federal government's denial of a wildfire disaster declaration in Texas, as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: How does a special session work? And how is it different from the regular session? Full Story
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In a Texarkana courtroom Monday, Delma Banks Jr. faced again the district attorney's office that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled committed misconduct when it successfully fought to send him to death row in 1980 for the shooting death of 16-year-old Richard Whitehead. Full Story
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After hours of contentious and often emotional debate, the Texas House passed HB 12, the controversial "sanctuary cities" legislation. The measure was passed on a 100 to 47 vote just after midnight. Full Story
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What will happen next in the debate over the contentious “sanctuary cities” bill is anyone’s guess. As the afternoon bleeds into night, Democrats in the Texas House are still huddling on the floor to discuss their next move. Full Story
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Senators today amended an education finance reform bill to allow community college students to carry concealed handguns on campus, increase the cost of cigarettes and allow drastic changes to university administration. Full Story
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Sen. Jeff Wentworth is relentless with campus carry, and today, the San Antonio Republican got his way. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: What's all the talk about deadlines at the Legislature this week? Aren't there three weeks left in the session? Full Story
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An effort by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, to require undocumented Texas students to pay out-of-state tuition rates sparked emotional debate in the Senate today, and forced Birdwell to pull the measure down. Full Story
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The state Senate today approved a conference committee report on the voter identification bill that includes changes that would allow citizens to use a new form of documentation to cast their ballots. Full Story
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Fraudulent fishermen better reel it in. The Senate passed a bill today to make cheating in a fishing tournament up to a third-degree felony, sending the measure on to the governor. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers — current and former — may soon be able to pack heat at church, the hospital, a sporting event or even bars. Full Story
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It’s funny that you can win four statewide elections and still have people think you’re a goofball, in over your head. But maybe Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s fumbles leading to the Texas Senate’s budget vote give the lie to that. Maybe he’s goofy like a fox. Full Story
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For the latest installment of our unscientific survey of political and policy insiders, we asked whether lawmakers will agree on a budget and redistricting during the regular session and about what might be left undone. Full Story
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At a hearing Monday in a Bowie County state district court, lawyers for Delma Banks Jr. will ask the court to disqualify prosecutors who the U.S. Supreme Court ruled suppressed evidence and deliberately covered up mistakes in a 1980 murder trial that sent the young black man to death row. Full Story
A day of parliamentary chaos in the House ended with the passage of Gov. Rick Perry’s newest emergency item: a tort reform bill. And a powerful message from Republicans to Democrats: mess with us at your own peril. Full Story
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With 37 members missing from House's first Saturday meeting— many of them Republicans — Democrats seized a chance to cause some procedural mischief when they realized only 14 of them would have to walk out to break a quorum. Full Story
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Aaronson on the latest attack on Planned Parenthood, Aguilar previews the sanctuary cities debate, Grissom on a death row inmate's unsuccessful appeal, Hamilton on the UT System's faculty "productivity" data dump, Philpott on the prospect of lawsuits over education cuts, Ramsey on puppies and other distractions, Ramshaw on a tobacco fight, my interview with the presidents of UT-Austin and Texas A&M, M. Smith on a former State Board of Ed member who may have violated state ethics law, Stiles interactively displays the effects of House redistricting and Tan on the Senate budget end game: The best of our best content from May 2 to 6, 2011. Full Story
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