Texas Legislature 101: Understanding the state government and how it passes laws
Here’s a rundown of how a bill becomes a law, how the Texas Legislature works and the power players who keep things moving under the Pink Dome. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e141c09ca44a9cf3e64b450d5f291ae0/House%20Floor%20Abortion%20Bill%20MG%20TT%2008.jpg)
-
![A visitor of the House gallery listens to legislators speak during a debate on an abortion bill being considered on the House floor on May 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court will decide whether ERCOT should be immune from lawsuits sparked by deadly winter storm
Many people and insurers sued the Electric Reliability Council of Texas after the 2021 freeze. The nonprofit says it shouldn’t be liable. The state Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1dd4f5af8317203cf50b57bfd48971af/0109%20TSC%20ERCOT%20Hearing%20EL%20TT%2017.jpg)
![The Supreme Court of Texas hears the final arguments concerning whether ERCOT has sovereign immunity, at the Supreme Court Building on the Capitol grounds in Austin on Jan. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers will have $188.2 billion available for the next budget after record-breaking revenue growth
It’s far more money than legislators have ever had at their disposal, with an increase in available funds that dwarfs any previous jumps between cycles. It’s also more money than lawmakers can constitutionally spend. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b920ea42464fa585a65ab61dd3aacdcc/0922%20Glenn%20Hegar%20EG%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Glenn Hegar, Texas comptroller of public accounts, speaks one-on-one with Danielle Moran, financial journalist for Bloomberg News, at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022 in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
“I want to fight”: LGBTQ Texans ready for legislative session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills
Republicans are backing legislation targeting gender-affirming care for children, classroom lessons about sexuality and drag shows. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d3d5d0ecefc98f16c347cd78e11c5974/0820%20ATX%20Pride%20Parade%20AS%20TT%2005.jpg)
![Austin Pride Parade attendees wave rainbow flags as they pass the Capitol building, on Aug. 20, 2022.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribune -
Two Texas bills would restrict lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools
The legislation closely mirrors a Florida bill passed last year, dubbed by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which detractors say would further isolate LGBTQ students and open teachers and school districts to legal risks. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/23608926b754cf166515c53b749b8b86/AISD%20Pride%20Event%20LW%20TT%2013.jpg)
![Pride flags, stickers and masks, pronoun buttons and other merch are handed out at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on March 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Watch: Four new Texas House members discuss immigration, property taxes and public school financing
They talked about their campaigns and journey to the Legislature, what has stood out to them so far about working in the House and what they hope to accomplish this session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c8a4643b448d6b894aa31a72314929cf/1-17_FourNewMembers_Leadart-02-v1.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
State police terminate another officer for response to Uvalde mass shooting
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw accused the suspended Texas Ranger of failing to perform his duty during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4cc49f55fb15ebbcac5baa3f2042c3b5/Christopher%20Ryan%20Kindell%20TPWD%20TT%2002.jpg)
![Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022, when 21 people — 19 children and two adults — were killed by a gunman. Kindell was fired by DPS Thursday and said he plans to appeal.]()
Credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife bodycam -
Newly elected Austin Mayor Kirk Watson hopes to find common ground to solve city’s housing crisis
The former state senator, returning for a second term as Austin’s mayor, spoke at a Texas Tribune event about how he can help reframe the conversation on affordability and the city’s relationship with state leadership. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7f0c9b09cdc6dc989bfe7461811ca955/01-24_KWatson_Leadart-02-v1.png)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Texas Senate to ban reporters from chamber floor
The move to take news reporters off the Senate floor was implemented in 2021 as a COVID-19 precaution, but an official said Friday the measure would continue in the upcoming session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/79e590b6dee93ac23d642d09bf635974/Senate%20Floor%20SP%20TT%2001.jpg)
![A woman waits for the Senate to gavel in from the Senate gallery on Aug. 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Biden administration over enforcement of “public charge” law for immigrants
Paxton has sued the Biden administration a dozen times over its immigration policies. Most of those lawsuits have been filed in Trump-appointed judges’ courts. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/07e007a0dd9212e488963c065163610e/SCOTUS%20Paxton%20Presser%20TT%20EL%2025.jpg)
![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton walks to a news interview at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2022. Earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Texas v. Texas, the enforcement of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico as they waited for hearings in U.S. immigration court.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
After a hospital stopped delivering babies, Deep East Texas faces a growing maternity care crisis
Women in Deep East Texas drive over an hour to give birth after the last obstetrics unit in the area closed in 2019. But if closing the unit was hard, reopening it is proving nearly impossible. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/696881018ad11fdd8c86b975ed37d69c/Chloe%20Riley%20AM%2013.jpg)
![Chloe Walker pushes around her sixteen-month old daughter, Everleigh, outside the home they share with her parents and grandmother in Newton, TX, on Jan. 3, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas ag agency says climate change threatens state’s food supply
A new Texas Department of Agriculture report also points to other factors that are making it harder for Texans to access and afford food, including wages falling behind rising costs of living. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/cd7a58d9139af5f0d5ef765e33f42f2d/Inflation%20Grocery%20Store%20MF%20TT%2006.jpg)
![Produce at District Market Green Grocer in Houston on May 18, 2022.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Property tax revision, judicial branch expansion among new Texas laws that took effect Jan. 1
While the Legislature will soon start its new session, some laws passed in 2021 are just now taking effect. Full Story
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court says it can’t force the state to process deluge of applications for tax break expiring this year
The program, known as Chapter 313, provides companies with billions of dollars in property tax breaks. The court said it is up to the Legislature to make the call on what to do as the program is set to expire and the state is swamped with applications. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/57d1aca7e3789dcf4af6fd535933d849/0922%20Glenn%20Hegar%20EG%20TT%2011.jpg)
![State Comptroller Glenn Hegar speaks at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas 2022: Year in Photos
Texas Tribune photographers captured a historic year of challenges and resilience. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3fdcc62b8128a818da5b203468a45c7a/2022%20YIR%20LEDE.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
T-Squared: Before I go, one final pitch to support The Texas Tribune
It’s been fun. It’s been real. It’s been a calling more than a job. And it’s been an honor — the honor of my lifetime. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b7772b51f3ef35aba7ac578f39ed5d17/0924%20Evan%20Smith%20EG%20TT%2070.jpg)
![Evan Smith, CEO of The Texas Tribune, leaves the Tribune office after the conclusion of The Texas Tribune Festival 2022, on Sept. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Best of the Rest: The 2022 stories Texas Tribune journalists wish we’d had
We can’t get to everything — as much as we’d like to. Here are stories from other publications that we loved. They highlight all the complexities of life in Texas and remind us that it takes a village to give Texans the information they need. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/199257f85e508dc9be47c97d8e567bc2/Capitol%20Downtown%2022%20CR%2001.jpg)
![Opening Night VIP Reception at the SXSW Center]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Jennifer Shuford named commissioner of Texas public health agency
The infectious disease doctor has been at the helm of the department in an interim capacity since the fall, replacing longtime commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt following his retirement. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/45a98294107aafbc8d9c879a8ffdf1f3/Jennifer%20Shuford%20TT%2002.jpeg)
![Dr. Jennifer Shuford has been appointed commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services.]()
Credit: DSHS website -
Buses from Texas drop off more than 100 migrants in a bitterly cold Washington, D.C., on Christmas Eve
Gov. Greg Abbott reportedly sent the migrants, who arrived at Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence Saturday night. The governor has been busing migrants to Democratic-let cities since April and first sent buses to Harris’ home in September. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e4e72925a785d42744d8d5720b29804b/Migrant%20DC%20Bus%20SH%20TT%2007.jpg)
![Two buses transporting migrants from Texas arrive at Union Station on April 21, 2022. Gov. Greg Abbott’s new plan in response to the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era emergency health order which allowed immigration authorities at the border to deny entry.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP lawmakers warming to opioid harm-reduction policies they once opposed
Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans have expressed support for legalizing fentanyl test strips, which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1983c5762af3a6413b220cdbdbe6bd3e/Harm%20Reduction%20EL%2042.JPG)
![A fentanyl test kit in a storage unit in Dallas on Aug. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Emil Lippe for The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d5cc74c01bf7d99e88b5b2fd40efa349/Capitol%20File%20Jan%202022%20JV%20TT%2008)