The latest 84th Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
With longtime state Sen. Kevin Eltife's retirement, four GOP candidates in Senate District 1 are racing to define themselves as conservative outsiders, including state Reps. Bryan Hughes and David Simpson. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/12/sd1.jpg)
Two years after Rep. Gary VanDeaver defeated George Lavender in a race to represent part of Northeast Texas in the state House, the two will face each other once more on the Republican primary ballot March 1. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/02/HD1.jpg)
Bennett Ratliff lost his Dallas-area Texas House seat to Tea Party-backed Matt Rinaldi in 2014, and is running to win it back in a March 1 GOP primary that parses the definition of conservative. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/09/Ratliff_and_Rinaldi.jpg)
Full video of my 2/11 conversation with state Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, who is running for reelection to his District 26 seat. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/6F6A1960.jpg)
Bedford state Rep. Jonathan Stickland's challenger in the GOP primary for Texas House has dredged up more than 3,000 of Stickland's old posts on a fantasy football forum. It ain't pretty. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/02/02/HD29.jpg)
Incumbent Tea Party darling state Rep. Molly White and challenger Hugh Shine are clamoring to tell voters about the personal experiences they say most qualify them as the most ardent foes of abortion and illegal immigration. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/28/Molly_White.jpg)
Our 1/28 conversation on bending the health care cost curve with Sue Bornstein of the Texas Medical Home Initiative, state Reps. Nicole Collier and Stephanie Klick, and Daniel Varga of Texas Health Resources. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/Health_Care_Costs.jpg)
Until the most recent legislative session, the state had a tax on illegal drugs, adding tax evasion to the list of things that could put buyers and sellers into jail. Those drugs remain illegal, but the transactions are now tax-free. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/28/marijuana_stamps.jpg)
A day after a Republican unexpectedly snatched away a long-held Democratic statehouse seat in San Antonio, state GOP leaders were crowing while Democrats swore the low-turnout special election was a non-repeatable fluke. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/26/PaintStateBlue-2.jpg)
Full video of my 1/21 conversation with Glenn Hegar, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Topics discussed: oil prices, taxes, jobs and economic incentives. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/6F6A0617.jpg)
Olfen Independent School District, one of the smallest districts in Texas, will transition to a four-day school week in August — the first of its kind in the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/20/Olfen_TT1.jpg)
At our 1/19 conversation, Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, talked about the Sandra Bland case and his decision to begin termination proceedings against Trooper Brian Encinia. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/6F6A9915.jpg)
Full video of my 1/14 conversation with three Austin state representatives: Democrats Celia Israel and Eddie Rodriguez and Republican Paul Workman. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/videos/6F6A9420.jpg)
Zoos that want to limit firearms on their property are walking a legal tightrope under a pair of new Texas gun laws. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/01/05/SanAnotnioZooEntry.jpg)
The state’s handgun license holders, who previously had to keep their firearms concealed, can now carry them openly. Across Texas, law enforcement officials, city leaders and business owners are bracing for lawsuits. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/21/IMG_9745.jpg)
During the first half of 2015, the Texas Legislature and new statewide leaders dominated the headlines in Texas news. But there was plenty attention on Rick Perry, Ted Cruz and other major story lines in the later months. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/16/Video-_YIR.jpg)
During the 2015 legislative session, the Tribune kept you updated daily on the various policy debates and legislative votes at the Texas Capitol. Use our Texas Legislative Guide to see that coverage, discover the fate of every bill and learn even more about the session. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/03/13/TxLegeGuide-leadart002.jpg)
In August, we featured 31 ways in which Texans' lives would change starting Sept. 1, when many bills passed by the Legislature — including the budget — took effect. Take a look back at our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/08/31/31-Days-all-leadart_9EOQet2.jpg)
College campuses always seem to attract controversy, but in 2015 Texas universities seemed to have more than their normal share. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/12/11/Higher_Ed_Lead.jpg)
Since Texas began looking to privatize many state services more than 20 years ago, multiple contracts representing billions in public dollars have blown up in the state's face. Here's a look at Contract High, our series taking a look at some of those contracting problems. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/30/TT-Rodunda-Contract-High001.jpg)