Most of the cities — Odessa, La Marque, Tom Bean and Whitesboro — said they are following the law and Ken Paxton’s office is jumping the gun on enforcing new state rules.

Democrats in the Texas House began the year by elevating a new speaker and left Austin relegated to the sidelines in the one chamber that had granted them at least scraps from the table.

Between cracking down on abortion pills and restricting transgender restroom use, lawmakers also tackled flood safety and the STAAR test. Left untouched: Texas’ hemp industry.

Legislators couldn’t reach a last-minute deal to tighten regulations on consumable hemp products.

The bill walks back a measure lawmakers passed earlier this year allowing voters to update their address at the polls and immediately vote in their new precinct and district if their move was within the county.

House members who freeze future legislation by fleeing Texas will face steeper fines, loss of seniority and committee posts, and limits on political fundraising.

The governor was expected to sign off on the new district lines, which passed the Legislature last week and aim to flip five Democratic seats in the 2026 midterms.

Texas cities and counties have already had their budgets compressed by a variety of factors, including the state’s current property tax limits.

Democrats said the walkout inspired a national protest against GOP redistricting. But it also greased the path for other bills they oppose and unified Texas Republicans.

Senate Bill 8, which now heads to the House floor, would restrict which bathrooms in government buildings transgender people would be allowed to use.

Republican lawmakers pushed the map through over fierce Democratic opposition, positioning the GOP to net up to five additional seats in Texas.

The order bars Paxton from prosecuting O’Rourke’s nonprofit or otherwise bringing legal action aimed at revoking Powered by People’s charter.

Republican lawmakers are pursuing the unusual mid-decade redistricting plan amid pressure from President Donald Trump to protect the GOP’s slim majority in the U.S. House.

The gang looks at what’s next in the extra-special session, as Republicans prepare to finally pass a new congressional map.

Texas lawmakers redrew congressional districts in a partisan bid to give Republicans five additional U.S. House seats. The move set off a bipartisan war across the U.S.

After two weeks out of state, Democratic lawmakers returned to Austin, paving the way for Republicans to pass their proposed congressional map.

The second session is set to consider the same agenda that stalled in the first, with redistricting and disaster response at the top of the governor’s priorities.

In a statement, the House Democratic Caucus said its lawyers had advised returning “to build a strong public legislative record for the upcoming legal battle” against the GOP’s map.

Democrats' absence has halted work in the Texas House, which must also approve the new boundaries, for more than a week.

The proposal would put tighter limits on how much property tax revenue cities and counties of a certain size can collect each year.

Critics of the bill say the state’s smallest cities and school districts will be silenced at the Capitol.

As federal pandemic aid ends and sales tax revenues cool, analysts say it could constrain the Texas Legislature in coming years. But they don’t see an immediate budget crisis on the horizon.

The Legislature passed laws allowing smaller homes on smaller lots and making it harder for neighbors to block new housing.

Our interactive tool allows you to search how state lawmakers voted on the most consequential proposals debated during the session, which ended June 2.

Aoudad sheep are joining the short list of animals Texas lawmakers allow to be shot from a helicopter, along with coyotes and feral hogs.

A bill headed for Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk may not go into effect until 2027. Election administrators say the changes could create staffing challenges.

Texas is slated to spend $51 billion on property tax cuts over the next two years. Some worry that’s unsustainable.

Will Texas be able to keep the lights on and water flowing til the next legislative session?

Abbott faces pressure from both sides of the aisle. The prohibition was a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, but some hemp farmers and veterans want it killed.

The Legislature wrapped up without the same drama that defined the end of the last two sessions, with state GOP leaders checking off nearly everything on their to-do lists.

Reallocated funding for the program that will go to providers will benefit nearly 95,000 children on a waitlist for scholarships.

At least four companies say they are prepared to treat the water well enough to be released into rivers in West Texas. Environmental groups say the state is moving too fast.

House Bill 126, which allows student athletes to receive a slice of the billions Texas colleges generate in revenue from their teams, now awaits the governor’s signature.

The proposal is largely in response to massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say it would walk back free speech protections that conservatives advocated for in previous legislative sessions.

Senate Bill 1362 would prevent officials from taking someone’s firearms if they haven’t been charged with a crime or aren’t subject to a protective order under the Texas Family Code.

Senate Bill 1150, which is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott, is a rare example of the Texas Legislature regulating the state’s oil and gas industry.

Senate Bill 15, a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is part of a broad push by lawmakers to put a dent in the state’s high home prices.

The House made changes to the proposal that leave open ways for victims to be compensated beyond medical bills.

A top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the legislation would make it easier to construct homes on smaller lots. A House Democrat briefly killed the bill.

A 2024 war among Republicans tilted the House to the right. Now more closely aligned with the Senate, Speaker Dustin Burrows has accelerated action on bail, school vouchers and social issues.

Senate Bill 12’s supporters say DEI programs use class time and public funds to promote political agendas.

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.

The latest version of the proposal eliminates language that would have required university curricula not to advocate that “any race, sex, ethnicity or religious belief is inherently superior to another.”

The chamber jettisoned a provision tenants’ advocates warned would make it easier for Texas landlords to evict renters.

The legislation would give ERCOT the ability to turn off power to major consumers in an emergency.

The bill is part of a suite of GOP proposals aimed at curbing the state’s high housing costs — chiefly by allowing more homes to be built.

The Texas House must approve changes to the proposal that were brokered by party leaders. It’s part of a package of bills to bring down property taxes statewide.

Lawmakers in 2017 took a major step to end most child marriages. However, emancipated teenagers 16 and older can get married.

Texans pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the country, putting lawmakers under pressure to tackle rising costs.

The legislation had only pertained to countries the government deemed national security threats. A last-minute change would let the governor add more countries to the ban.

Senate bills that reduce the influence of faculties and restrict protests on college campuses were voted out of committee in a last-minute meeting Monday.

Texas lawmakers have sought to make it easier to build more homes — and harder for neighbors to block projects.

Legislators in the House and Senate have reached an agreement on more property tax relief. But some critics worry the cuts aren’t sustainable forever.

The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections, which have the lowest turnout of any election.

After years of claiming that companies selling lottery tickets online could not be regulated, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to ban the practice.

Democrats and other critics say Texas legislation threatens to keep citizens who can’t easily access the right documents from voting.

Voting rights advocates worry that legislation approved by House and Senate committees could make it harder to get more people on the rolls.

The lower chamber overwhelmingly voted in favor of House Bill 2, a sweeping $8 billion piece of legislation that would also limit schools’ reliance on teachers without formal classroom training.

The Senate voted Wednesday to give initial approval to a bill that would require buildings, including public schools and universities, among others to segregate private facilities, like bathrooms, by sex.

El Paso’s dry climate — it rains just 9 inches annually — is one of the reasons the city has taken water management so seriously.

The proposal would require counties who opt for hand counts to use ballots that can be scanned and tabulated by a voting machine.

While Democrats and abortion access advocates pushed to ensure pregnant women aren’t criminalized, some conservatives questioned whether this bill is needed.

Lawmakers are pursuing legislative changes that would keep more people locked up in overcrowded county jails while awaiting resolution to their cases.

Senate Bill 16 would create new barriers for voters and new burdens for election officials.

The House Public Education Committee voted to advance a pair of priority bills to create education savings accounts and to raise how much state money public school districts receive.

Animal health care experts raised concern that telehealth would lead to misdiagnosis and erode what little care already exists in rural Texas.

State lawmakers are poised to devote billions to save the state’s water supply. These are some of the ways the state could spend the money.

A recent report from the Texas Licensed Child Care Association reveals an apparent looming crisis in the state’s child care sector, with nearly half of licensed child care centers at risk of closing.

Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit.

Critics fear increased election prosecutions could intimidate voters and local election officials. Attorney General Ken Paxton has long sought more autonomy over election cases.

Most lawmakers — as well as Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — want to invest big in water. Here are the proposals that would do it.

The state House and Senate have similar proposals to solve the state's water crisis, but there are stark differences on how to invest billions of dollars to resolve.

Water is complex. So are the terms used to describe it. Get to know the language as Texas debates how to save its water supply.

The bill would have set deadlines for the oil and gas industry to plug inactive wells, which can pose a danger to the environment.

All 20 GOP senators signed on to Senate Bill 16, which would apply to currently registered voters, and restrict some to only congressional elections.

Farmers and elected officials told a Senate committee Monday that the lack of water is becoming dire, with little relief in sight.

As the Edinburg facility and others seek to assist people experiencing food insecurity, state lawmakers have more than a dozen bills that could tackle Texas’ food deserts.

House and Senate lawmakers plan to spend at least $6 billion on property tax cuts, but haven't yet agreed on how much relief should go to homeowners over businesses.

Among the proposals is a bill that would force more inspections of power lines, which a committee concluded ignited a blaze that burned more than 1 million acres last year.

The Lufkin school district says it must do a better job of promoting itself amid growing competition from charter schools and homeschooling.

Lawmakers will debate how to spend $3.5 billion in proposed tax cuts, a legislative priority for Republican leaders.

Supporters hope easing zoning rules will entice landlords to renovate and ease the state’s housing crisis.

Reported domestic violence incidents have risen 26% since 2019.

The designations come at a tumultuous time for universities as funding could be cut off and efforts to end tenure continue.

The marquee proposal would increase the amount of a home’s value exemption from school taxes to $140,000 from $100,000. The legislation must win approval from the House next.

Legislators are expected to take up a $360 million proposal that would change the landscape of financial aid in the state.

Senate Bill 2 now heads to the House, where top officials say they have the support to create education savings accounts.

Gov. Greg Abbott said cutting taxes is a top priority, however, state lawmakers don’t have as much money to plug into tax cuts as they did two years ago.

Election administrators say letting people cast a ballot at any polling site is more convenient for voters and cheaper for local governments.

Both chambers set aside $1 billion for a voucher-like education savings account program — double what was on the table two years ago — in a sign that supporters are emboldened after recent electoral gains.

As the Texas legislature kicks off the 89th session, lawmakers have introduced more than 2,400 bills across both the House and Senate. There was a flurry of bills filed November 12, 2024, the first day lawmakers could file.

The Texas House kicked off the 2025 session by electing an establishment Republican to lead the chamber, drawing criticism from within the GOP.

Here’s a rundown of how legislation moves through the Capitol, the ways lawmakers operate and who the power players are.

Proposals to allow online registration and broaden photo ID options may have a chance to advance, supporters say.

A likely fight over how much power to take away from local governments may dominate the debate.

Officials hope state lawmakers will boost the budget of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman office, an independent state agency, which can often be an elderly Texan’s only lifeline to the outside world.

A Votebeat analysis shows how such requirements risk disenfranchising key voter groups, including Native Americans and college students.

Republicans who vote against party leaders’ preferred candidate could be barred from running in primaries. Lawsuits could follow.

Faculty senates have long played a key role in developing curriculum and protecting open inquiry. State leaders have also accused them of liberal indoctrination.

The proposal comes after the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency said it needs more money to plug wells that are in some instances erupting.