Texas State Government: Governor, Legislature & Policy Coverage

Rural Americans are more likely to live with chronic pain, a new study from the University of Texas at Arlington found.

Health care

Rural Americans more likely to live with chronic pain than urban peers, UT-Arlington study finds

By Carlos Nogueras RamosJune 23, 2025

More than 3 million people call rural Texas home, and many lack access to a primary care doctor.

Gov. Greg Abbott at a bill signing ceremony at the Capitol on June 11, 2025. Abbott called a special legislative session early Monday after he vetoed 25 bills on Sunday.

Texas Legislature 2025

Gov. Greg Abbott orders special legislative session after vetoing 26 bills

By Hayden BettsJune 23, 2025

Abbott will call lawmakers back to Austin to tackle Senate Bill 3, a proposed ban on THC products that he vetoed, as well as five others from his veto list.

Various Delta 8 THC products on display at a convenience store in Spring Branch on Feb. 9, 2023.

Texas Legislature 2025

Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes THC ban, calls for regulation instead

By Kayla GuoJune 22, 2025June 23, 2025

The move infuriated Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful head of the Senate, who had called the ban among his top five bills over 17 years in the Legislature.

The Ten Commandments, written out on a monument, sit outside the Texas Capitol on March 17, 2025.

Texas Legislature 2025

Texas will require public school classrooms to display Ten Commandments under bill signed by governor

By Sameea KamalMay 24, 2025June 21, 2025

Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10, even though a similar Louisiana law was deemed unconstitutional. Supporters say Christianity is core to U.S. history.

Construction workers are seen along Loop 1604 in San Antonio in December 2024. Texas Department of Transportation Executive Director Marc Williams lauded the state's continued agreement with the federal government as a way to speed up highway construction.

Environment

New federal-state environmental pact aims to speed up Texas highway projects

By Ayden RunnelsJune 20, 2025

The agreement targets the environmental review process and cuts down the time it takes for new highways to be approved.

A lab employee works in the Tropical Medicine Lab at the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development on Oct. 5, 2021 in Houston.

Texas Legislature 2025

Texas Legislature approves making vaccine exemption process easier

By Terri LangfordMay 25, 2025June 20, 2025

Instead of waiting for the state to send them one, parents would be able to print out vaccine exemption forms at home if they want to skip school-required shots. Critics believe the bill would increase infections.