84th Legislative Session

At our 11/16 symposium on higher education, Matthew Watkins talked to state Sens. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, and Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo; state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin; and Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes about how higher ed issues played in the 84th Legislature.

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At our 11/16 symposium on higher education, state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, the chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee, expressed skepticism about the University of Texas System's plans for a new campus in Houston.

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House Speaker Joe Straus issued more than 150 interim charges Wednesday, directing committees to study issues such as the effectiveness of border security operations and the impact of the plummeting cost of oil on the local economy.

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At our 10/29 conversation, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court addressed the recent pushback against the "lawlessness" of the U.S. Supreme Court's unelected jurists.

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At our 10/29 conversation, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court talked about the timing of a possible ruling on the state's appeal in the school finance lawsuit.

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Full video of my 10/29 conversation with Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court.

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During the keynote sessions of the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival, we featured one-on-one conversations with Dan Patrick, Joe Straus, Nancy Pelosi and Julián Castro. You can watch those interviews and videos of our other keynote sessions here.

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Here's video of the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival's "Their Last Sine Die" panel, which featured former state Rep. Joe Farias and state Reps. Patricia Harless and Jim Keffer.

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The State Keynote track at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival included interviews with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, as well as a pair of panel discussions focused on the Texas Legislature.

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Check out the full 30-minute PBS special of "God and Governing," our project on the intersection of faith and politics at the Texas Legislature.

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Here's full video of our conversation with Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Oct. 17 at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival.

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Here's video of our "Really, How Conservative Was the 84th Session?" panel from Oct. 17 at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival. Panelists included State Sens. Paul Bettencourt and Konni Burton and state Reps. Stephanie Klick, Matt Rinaldi and Jonathan Stickland.

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Among the ballot items that Texas voters are deciding Tuesday: an effort by state lawmakers to lower Texans’ property tax bills. Use our interactive tool to see how much would you save if Proposition 1 passes.

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Do the math: The support of two or three out of every 100 people, depending on the year, is all that’s needed to decide the constitutional changes the rest of us have to live by.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick unapologetically stuck to his guns in an on-stage interview Friday evening — and his religious views, and the Legislature’s conservative budget and the state’s reluctance to embrace Medicaid expansion and the federal health care law.

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Here's full video of my conversation Friday with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at The Texas Tribune Festival.

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Following a legislative session in which lawmakers debated whether to cut property taxes, business taxes, sales taxes or a combination of the three, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick signaled an interest Wednesday in continuing the conversation.

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Legislation that would have blocked public employees from paying union or association dues with paycheck deductions failed last session. But the Senate is reopening the issue, and it could play against a powerful House chairman up for reelection next year.

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Tune in to "God & Education" — the final part of our "God & Governing" documentary-style series — to see how lawmakers' personal religious beliefs played into abstinence education and school voucher debates in the 2015 Texas legislative session.

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Check out "God & Marriage" — part 4 of our "God & Governing" documentary-style series — to see how lawmakers' personal religious beliefs drove the same-sex marriage battle during the 2015 Texas legislative session.

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