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An air quality alert in effect for 8 regions in the area

See the complete list

WEATHER ALERT

An air quality alert in effect for 8 regions in the area

88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION


3 days ago

Cars registered in Texas after 2025 will no longer need to pass a safety inspection, but owners will still pay the fee

Cars in some of Texas’ larger counties will still be required to have their emission output checked.

“I’m here to watch history”: Texans marvel at Paxton impeachment spectacle

The suspended attorney general’s supporters thought lawmakers tried to overrule voters. Ken Paxton’s critics felt accountability was a long time coming.

Ken Paxton was impeached by the Texas House. See how each representative voted.

Here’s a list of the representatives who voted for and against impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday.

Aide to Ken Paxton calls investigation into attorney general “illegal,” says Paxton can’t be impeached for current allegations

Chris Hilton, head of litigation in the attorney general’s office, told reporters that lawmakers can’t oust Paxton. His comments came as a House committee met behind closed doors about its investigation into the state’s top lawyer.

What to know about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s long-running scandals and legal battles

Less than a year into his first term, Paxton was charged with felony securities fraud. The Justice Department is investigating bribery allegations against him as a Texas House committee conducts its own probe into his behavior.

After Taylor Swift Eras Tour glitch, Texas bans bots that buy concert tickets

Texas lawmakers, deciding not to not be the anti-hero, looked into the issue that outraged Swift fans last fall. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn hopes to take the issue on in Congress.

Texans will be asked to approve $5 billion for broadband access statewide this fall

An estimated 7 million Texans don’t have access to high-speed broadband internet access.

Texas senator tries new path in bid to revise Texas free-speech law

In a last-minute hearing Wednesday, Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, opened another avenue to get the bill passed, raising alarm among free-speech advocates.

Is it law yet? See how far some of the most consequential bills have made it in the 2023 Texas Legislature

A look at the status of the major bills making their way through the Texas Legislature.

House advances bill that could provide billions of dollars for new water projects and fixing aging infrastructure

The bill aims to create a water supply four times the size of Lake Livingston, one of the state’s largest reservoirs. But it may still be a “drop in the bucket” compared to the state’s needs.

LGBTQ Texans rally at Capitol as House set to consider banning puberty blockers, hormone treatments for trans kids

Senate Bill 14 spurred protests that led to altercations with state police last week. A majority of Texas House members support the legislation, and the Senate has already passed a version of the bill.

In surprise move days after Allen mall shooting, Texas House panel OKs bill raising age to buy semi-automatic rifles

The legislation would raise the minimum age for purchasing certain firearms but likely wouldn’t have been a hindrance to the Allen gunman obtaining a weapon. The bill still faces an uphill climb in the Legislature.

Under mounting pressure, Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns before expulsion vote in Texas House

GOP leaders and key supporters, including Texas Right to Life, wanted the Royse City Republican out of office amid accusations of an inappropriate sexual relationship.

Democrats again delay Texas House debate on banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans kids

Senate Bill 14 spurred protests that led to altercations with state police earlier this week. Bill supporters and opponents again showed up at the Capitol for an expected vote Friday.

Texas likely will spend billions fixing its water systems. Will it reach these forgotten colonias?

An estimated 500,000 people live in thousands of colonias along the Texas-Mexico border. Largely built between the 1950s and 1980s, these communities have been promised water — but it has never come.

Screenings for sexually transmitted infections don’t routinely test for HIV in Texas. A House bill could change that.

House Bill 3377 was authored by freshman state Rep. Venton Jones, the Legislature’s first openly HIV-positive member. It’s received overwhelming public and bipartisan support.

Texas towns need money, technical help and compromise to save their water systems

Water agencies have long resisted working together out of fear of losing their local powers. But an example from Florida could help save the Lone Star State’s water and infrastructure.

Everything you need to know about Texas’ beleaguered water systems

Texas has more than 7,000 water systems. A fraction of them self-reported that they lost 30 billion gallons of water due to broken pipes and leaks in 2021.

“A death sentence”: Trans Texas teen plots his future as proposed ban on hormone therapy progresses

As Texas House members could soon vote to ban transition-related care for minors, many lives are in limbo, and trans kids like 16-year-old Randell are grappling with difficult decisions.

Texas House OKs $5 billion for broadband, if voters give thumbs up

The legislation — which falls short of the $10 billion needed to ensure all Texans have reliable internet access — must still win approval in the state Senate.

Transgender Texans of all ages could lose access to transition-related care under Senate bill

The Senate advanced a bill that could create such high financial risks for doctors and health insurers that they’d stop providing or covering gender-affirming care — even for adults.

Texas Senate moves to end countywide voting on Election Day

Voters in nearly 100 counties — mostly rural — can vote at any polling site in their county. The sponsor, without offering evidence, said the practice was not secure despite years of successful elections in Texas with the system.

Texas House passes bill that aims to keep sexually explicit materials out of school libraries

Legal experts, librarians and some parents say House Bill 900’s language is so vague and broad that it could ensnare books that are not inappropriate.

Texas Senate gives first OK to school library bill meant to keep “harmful” materials off shelves

Proponents of the bill say it will keep inappropriate material away from kids. Some librarians are concerned about the logistical challenges it could bring.

Texas House passes CROWN Act, which would ban hairstyle discrimination

The bill seeks to ban discrimination based on certain hairstyles — like braids, dreadlocks and twists — in schools, workplaces and housing.

Texas House votes to permanently stay on daylight saving time. But Congress won’t allow it — yet.

The chamber voted 138-5 on Wednesday to approve a bill that seeks to end the practice of changing clocks twice a year. But that doesn’t mean the measure has an easy path to reality.

Texas Senate approves bill that would create mandatory prison or probation terms for some gun crimes

Sen. Joan Huffman said the bill was in response to increased violent crime since 2019. Legislative researchers could not determine how the bill would affect the state’s prison population.

Texas Senate votes to close employment loophole after Refuge foster care scandal

The upper chamber unanimously passed Senate Bill 182 after The Texas Tribune reported that a state-licensed foster care facility hired a caretaker whom the Texas Juvenile Justice Department previously fired for having inappropriate relationships with children.

Texas Senate scales back proposed restrictions on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender kids

Senate Bill 14 would now allow trans children who are already receiving some transition-related treatments to continue getting that care. The Senate gave initial approval to the reworked legislation Wednesday.

Texas Senate budget writers propose billions for teacher raises, lower property taxes and water projects

The Senate Finance Committee’s proposals won’t be voted on and sent to the full chamber until April.

Transgender Texans and doctors say Republican lawmakers misconstrue what science says about puberty blockers and hormone therapy

In 2021, a bill that would block transgender kids’ access to transition-related care passed the Senate but died in the Texas House. This year, a majority of House members back such a ban.

What transition-related health care is available to transgender kids in Texas? Here’s what you should know.

Some Republicans want to block transgender kids’ access to puberty blockers and hormone therapies. Here’s what medical experts and trans Texans say about transition-related care.

LGBTQ groups criticize Texas bill’s broad restrictions on school lessons and activities about sexuality and gender identity

Senate Bill 8 supporters say the legislation protects the rights of parents who don’t want their kids to learn about gender identity and sexual orientation. Critics say it could force schools to ignore the existence of LGBTQ people.

West Texas A&M University president cancels student drag show, saying it degrades women

Students and First Amendment lawyers say President Walter Wendler’s portrayal of drag shows is off base and the cancellation violates free-speech rights.

Texas lawmaker again tries to block discriminatory hairstyle bans in schools and workplaces

Texas lawmakers could prohibit race-based hair discrimination at schools and workplaces. At least 20 states have already passed similar legislation, according to a group that champions the laws.

Texas Senate takes first step toward establishing billions for state’s water supply, infrastructure

Voters would have the final say on whether the state sets aside billions of dollars to acquire new water sources and invest in aging infrastructure.

Texas Senate panel advances bill that would hinder transgender kids’ access to puberty blockers and hormone therapies

Senate Bill 14 would ban doctors from providing kids with transition-related treatments that medical groups recommend for children with gender dysphoria.

Lawmakers propose energy bill relief for Texans with $4 billion legislation

The allocation is part of a plan to add $12 billion to the current budget. It hasn’t been approved yet by the House.

Texas Senate gives first OK to make illegal voting a felony again

The priority bill, backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, reverses a change the Legislature made two years ago during an omnibus voting bill that made illegal voting a misdemeanor.

Legislature has little appetite to fund Ken Paxton’s settlement with whistleblowers

A lack of lawmaker support jeopardizes the attorney general’s $3.3 million settlement, which would resolve a lawsuit alleging Paxton fired high-ranking deputies who accused him of misconduct.

Texas bill requiring 10-year prison sentences for gun felonies faces opposition from criminal justice and firearm advocates

Under Senate Bill 23, all felonies involving a gun would incur a mandatory 10-year prison sentence. It’s meant to curb crime, despite the lack of correlation between harsher sentences and crime rates.

Lawmakers could no longer “double dip” into pension funds under newly filed bill

State Sen. Joan Huffman filed a bill that would repeal a provision that allowed longtime lawmakers to increase their yearly take-home income by $140,000 by collecting pension payments without retiring.

Plurality of Texas voters say they support school voucher-like program

The poll from the University of Texas at Austin, released Thursday, found a plurality of voters support redirecting tax revenue to help parents pay to school their kids outside the traditional public education system.

Gov. Greg Abbott promises to be ‘heavily involved’ in push for education savings accounts

In an interview with the Tribune, the governor also backed criminalizing some health care treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a conservative policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis.

New family and child welfare commissioner foreshadows change as agency plans to outsource case management

Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Stephanie Muth told lawmakers Friday the agency will require a different set of skills from its employees as it changes how foster children’s cases are managed.

Sports-betting advocates return to Capitol with narrower bill, new Republican author

The Texas Sports Betting Alliance threw its weight behind new legislation Monday to let voters decided whether to legalize online sports betting.

Texas veterans vow to protect the state’s hemp market as one state lawmaker hopes to crack down

The new delta-8 hemp products, which are widely available, can produce a high similar to marijuana’s. State Sen. Charles Perry said he and his peers never intended for such products to reach the market.

Here’s what you need to know about the fight over property tax cuts in the Texas Legislature

Republicans are wrestling over how much of the state’s nearly $33 billion budget surplus to spend on property taxes. Democrats have their own ideas about what to do with the cash.

Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t give up COVID-era power until Texas lawmakers ban vaccine mandates, strengthen border

Abbott doubles down on his long-standing call to lawmakers to prohibit local governments from enacting mask and vaccine mandates.

Two years after Texas’ voting rights showdown gripped the nation, lawmakers again push dozens of elections bills

State policymakers have mapped out familiar territory early in the legislative session, with Democrats seeking to expand voting access and Republicans pledging to make elections more secure.

In Texas’ first post-Roe legislative session, there’s a new political power dynamic on abortion

While Democrats and the far-right edge of the Republican Party remain focused on abortion, leaders in both chambers have not yet spent much time discussing the issue this session.

Texas GOP launches radio attack ads against Republican state House speaker

The radio ad, which criticizes Phelan for appointing Democratic committee chairs, prompted pushback from Republican colleagues in the House over why the state party would use resources to attack its own member.

Texas Legislature’s state budget proposals leave more than $50 billion in state funds up for grabs

The preliminary budgets by House and Senate call for $130.1 billion in state spending over two years, even though tens of billions more are available to them. The bills do not bust state or constitutional spending limits.

Texas teens embark on an idealistic quest to shut down the state’s last five youth prisons

Spurred by reports of inhumane conditions at Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities, Austin-area teenagers are lobbying the Legislature to reform the system.

Gov. Greg Abbott energizes supporters with vows to focus on education and the border as his third term begins

Texans came from all corners of the state to watch Abbott’s inauguration Tuesday. Even those who don’t completely agree with the Republican leader reveled in the ceremonies.

Ken Paxton wants more power to prosecute election crimes. These bills in the Texas Legislature would give it to him.

Although no evidence of widespread voter fraud has been found, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been actively pursuing election-related crimes since he took office in 2015.

Texas House speaker addresses prospects of anti-LGBTQ bills, gun legislation and casinos

At the start of his second term leading the lower chamber, Dade Phelan talked to reporters about several legislative issues that will be decided this year.

Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directory

Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you.

Texas House selects Rep. Dade Phelan as speaker for another legislative session

Phelan defeated Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, for the House leadership position in a vote, 145-3. In cruising to victory, Phelan secured the support of Democrats as well as the most conservative members of his party.

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.

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.

2 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.

‘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.

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.

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.

Texas House Democrats enter session with bipartisan hopes — and a new leader who’s prepared to fight

There are 64 Democrats in the 150-member House, one fewer than before the election. There is also one fewer Democrat in the Senate.

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