Nelson planned to retire from the Senate after 30 years in office. But her nomination will give Abbott a clearer path to having his nominee confirmed by the Senate after his last three have gone unconfirmed.
State Government
Stay informed on Texas state government with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth coverage of the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and policies shaping the future of Texas.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick diverge ahead of the legislative session on property taxes, power grid
The dueling approaches are coming into focus as lawmakers prepare to return to Austin for the session which begins Jan. 10.
Posted in
Energy
Texas lawmakers ask state agency to delay power market redesign until after 2023 legislative session
In a Monday committee hearing, lawmakers questioned whether a Public Utility Commission proposal to redesign Texas’ electricity market would lead to the building of more natural-gas-fired power plants. Regulators say it would.
Posted in
Politics
John Scott, Texas’ top elections official, to step down at end of year
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Scott as secretary of state in October 2021, and he served in an interim capacity pending Senate confirmation. He is stepping down right before the legislative session, in which his appointment would have come up for debate.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Republican Caucus backs Dade Phelan as Texas House speaker
Republican members of the Texas House endorsed Phelan’s bid for reelection in a nonbinding vote on Saturday. An official vote from the entire Texas House will take place in January.
Posted in
Health care
Photos: “We don’t feel safe here.” A transgender teen and their family flee Texas.
Texas policies targeting access to health care for transgender youth forced one family to leave the state.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
To combat opioid overdoses, Gov. Greg Abbott says he supports decriminalizing fentanyl testing strips
The announcement signals a shift in Abbott’s approach to fighting the opioid epidemic. He had previously pushed back against bills calling for the decriminalization of fentanyl testing strips.
Posted in
Operation Lone Star
A growing number of Texas rural counties are declaring local immigration “disasters”
The latest county to make a disaster declaration is an eight-hour drive away from the Texas-Mexico border, but local officials there say they’re under “invasion.”
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Republican requests recount after loss in battleground race for state Senate seat in South Texas
Adam Hinojosa finished 659 votes behind Democrat Morgan LaMantia in a race that garnered 175,415 total votes.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2023
Texas lawmakers have a $27 billion surplus, but a spending cap complicates their goal of lowering property taxes
Texas homeowners have some of the highest property tax bills in the nation, a byproduct of the state’s reliance on such taxes to help pay for public schools and the state’s lack of an income tax.
