KPRC 2 Investigates has found that truancy data reported to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is not proactively monitored, despite a state law requiring school districts to engage in and report truancy prevention efforts.
Even voters in Austin, one of the state’s most liberal cities, shot down a measure to raise property taxes.
The Texas Senate has passed Senate Bill 8, a bill that will make several changes to education in public schools across the state, namely replacing the STARR exam and restoring A-F public school accountability ratings.
A bill filed in the aftermath of the devastating July 4 Texas Hill Country floods which aims to install outdoor warning sirens in areas with a history of flash flooding has passed the Texas Senate.
Texas lawmakers, led by Senator Paul Bettencourt and Representative Brad Buckley, have introduced bills to eliminate the STAAR test, replacing it with three shorter assessments.
The Texas Capitol is buzzing as the legislative special session officially begins. Lawmakers were called back to Austin on orders from Governor Greg Abbott to address pressing state issues.
During the upcoming special session, Texas lawmakers will examine everything from emergency communications to relief funding for the Hill country.
Citing federal studies, Bettencourt worries alerts on cell phones can be ignored. A study of the effectiveness of the 2023 Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) national test alert showed, 17.5 percent of adults opted out of one or more WEA alerts.
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.
Homeowners are one step closer to property tax relief with Governor Greg Abbott set to sign two bills after lawmakers approved $22.7 billion in property tax cuts this session.
Lawmakers tried to tackle the problem of truancy and chronic absenteeism in Texas during the last legislative session, but many proposed laws failed to pass. However, one bill is now on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk waiting to be signed.
Texas is slated to spend $51 billion on property tax cuts over the next two years. Some worry that’s unsustainable.
A set of property tax cut bills in Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23, are now headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for signature.
The Texas Senate has passed House Bill 4 with a 23-8 vote, citing Houston ISD's academic improvements under Superintendent Mike Miles as an example of effective accountability.
Federal action would be needed to make the change legal. Lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have debated the question for decades.
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.
A bill, Senate Bill 2722, aims to reform the distribution of toll road revenues in Harris County, potentially providing Houston up to $80 million over five years.
Republican lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen the state’s ban on homeless encampments and speed up the eviction process.
Voting rights advocates worry that legislation approved by House and Senate committees could make it harder to get more people on the rolls.
The Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 2010, authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, to prevent local governments from using public funds for universal basic income programs like Harris County's "Uplift Harris."
This new legislation aims to restore property rights by streamlining the eviction process, ensuring that rightful owners can reclaim their properties swiftly and efficiently.
The Texas Senate has passed a bill that will crack down on organized fuel theft rings across the state.
The Texas senate has passed a bill that would expand death penalty eligibility for individuals convicted of murdering children.
A new bill and joint resolution introduced in the Texas Senate by a Houston-area senator would give Texans the opportunity to vote on whether the state continues to observe Daylight Saving Time or Standard Time.
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.
In a letter, Sens. Brandon Creighton and Paul Bettencourt said they found “numerous” violations of the law, but didn’t provide specifics.
With approximately 1 million students reported truant each year over the last four school years, concerns are rising about the effectiveness of truancy prevention measures.
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.
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.
The 89th Texas Legislative Session is now underway, with lawmakers officially sworn in and a new Speaker elected. Already, legislators have introduced more than 2,500 bills, setting the stage for a busy few months ahead.
State lawmakers are looking at bringing more nuclear power to the Texas grid system using new technology.
A Votebeat analysis shows how such requirements risk disenfranchising key voter groups, including Native Americans and college students.
“We’ve got to get back to where there’s a way to handle truant kids, and part of that is the school districts have to be able to go knock on doors again," Sen. Bettencourt said in a statement.
Sen. Paul Bettencourt is asking a judge to look into a whistleblower's complaints after learning only one out of four water tanks are being used because the other three have rusted over.
Texas Republicans have been trying to reduce the state’s high property taxes for years, but some acknowledge eliminating them would be too expensive.
The county plans to ID eligible voters and send them registration forms. GOP officials say it’s an end-run around state law.
Texas’ Lt. Governor Dan Patrick criticized CenterPoint Energy for leasing massive rate-payer funded generators instead of mobile generators which could be used more effectively in emergency situations.
Housing advocates say Texas laws fall short when it comes to property trespassers but they warn changes could worsen the state’s evictions crisis.
In the state’s larger counties, voters can now elect people to the agencies that appraise property values.
Have you checked out your property tax bill this year? Texas homeowners are noticing big savings thanks to legislation passed by lawmakers and voters. Investigator Amy Davis explains what to look for on your bill.
Texas lawmakers passed and voters approved several property tax bills last year. Those bills will be due at the end of the month, and it will save some hundreds of dollars.
The Republican Party of Texas is suing an attorney it claims it paid to help challenge the results of the 2022 elections in Harris County.
Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to soon sign an immigration enforcement bill into law. Senate Bill 4 was passed by the state House and Senate during the legislature’s 4th special session.
The $18 billion property tax-cut package is aimed squarely at lowering school district property taxes, which make up the lion’s share of a Texas landowner’s property tax bill.
Democrats, however, said their GOP colleagues “caved” to outside pressure in voting to acquit and return Ken Paxton to his job as attorney general.
The Texas Supreme Court denied Harris County’s request to temporarily block the implementation of Senate Bill 1750 on Sept. 1, which will abolish the Harris County Election Administrator’s Office, the Harris County Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday.
Gov. Greg Abbott will ceremonially sign the largest property tax in Texas history, which was passed during Special Session #2 of the 88th Texas Legislature on Wednesday in New Caney.
If you talk to homeowners about property taxes right now in Texas, almost everyone will tell you they’re way too high.
The package could land on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk by the end of the week. Voters must pass the plan in a constitutional election in November for it to take effect in the 2023 tax year.
Harris County sued Texas over legislation that abolishes the county’s elections administrator position, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee announced Thursday.
A stalemate among Texas’ top Republicans has dragged on for months. Tax-cut proponents in the House and Senate made their first pitches to end the impasse Wednesday.
With several hundred bills awaiting action by the governor, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the veto threat an affront to Texans and the legislative process.
A bill filed by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt would help bring consistency to how truancy is handled by school districts across the state. After passing the Senate 30-1, Senate Bill 1630 was recently voted out of a House committee and is now headed to a vote in the House.
State Senators have proposed three bills that, if passed, could lower property tax bills this year. Senator Paul Bettencourt joins Amy Davis to explain the bills and what they could mean for people in Texas.
Housing advocates, builders and real estate experts agree that the state simply isn’t building enough homes to keep up with its booming population and economic growth.
Cuts to school property tax bills. Bigger tax benefits for homeowners. A controversial idea to limit property tax growth. Here’s what you need to know about the brewing property tax debate at the Texas Legislature.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s proposal reveals the different roads the Texas House and Senate want to take on property taxes — and the fight that might emerge between the two chambers this session.
Senators in the finance committee asked questions Monday about the pros and cons of basing the amount of money that schools get per student on enrollment instead of attendance. Districts say the change could mean millions in additional funding.
The state has spent $4 billion on border initiatives in the past two years, including $40 million to bus migrants out of Texas into Democrat-led cities.
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.
The Robb Elementary School shooter had hundreds of unexcused absences, and a House investigative report noted it was unclear whether any attempts were made by the school district to find out what was happening in the teen’s life before he was involuntarily withdrawn.
Sen. Paul Bettencourt has filed a bill in response to the recent spike in catalytic converter theft insurance claims in Texas, according to a release.
While the Legislature will soon start its new session, some laws passed in 2021 are just now taking effect.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he has called for an investigation into the widespread election problems in Harris County on Nov. 8.
Members of the Harris County Republican Party held a news conference on Thursday to discuss the problems that occurred with the Harris County Elections Administrator on Election Day.
Voters living in the area of Katy Independent School District will soon vote on a tax rate election (TRE.) It would keep the rate the same and the school district says the extra money they gain would help some staffing shortages.
As we count down to election day in two weeks, and with early voting already underway, Harris County election officials are laying out their plan for avoiding the issues that plagued the 2020 election cycle.
Allegations in an elections audit by the Secretary of States office were echoed to KPRC2 by Senator Paul Bettencourt ahead of the upcoming November election.
After eight students and two teachers were murdered at Santa Fe high school in 2018, state legislators passed more than a dozen laws. None of those laws prevented Uvalde and pressure is mounting for lawmakers to address lingering gaps in school security.
Beginning September 1, anyone who applies for a car dealer license in Texas must be fingerprinted and go through a thorough background check.
On Monday, the state House committee investigating the response to the mass murders at Robb Elementary will hear testimony from responding law enforcement officers. It is the third day of testimony in Uvalde.
The propositions on the May 7 ballot would lower property taxes by shifting more public school costs to the state. But the measures’ language can be hard to understand.
The Harris County Republican party is holding a press conference Wednesday to call for an independent elections overseer following the resignation of Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria.
The Harris County Republican Party announced that it has filed a lawsuit against Harris County Elections Administrator Isabel Longoria during a press conference Monday afternoon.
Harris County Republican Party Chairman Cindy Siegel is joining Texas State Senator Paul Bettencourt, HCRP Legal Counsel Steve Mitby and the Party’s Legal Team to discuss the widespread problems and legal action addressing what they claim is a failure of Election Administrator Isabel Longoria to properly manage the primary election.
Harris County election officials won’t have primary election results by the statutory deadline due to damaged ballots, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s office.
Ten months ago, millions of homes and businesses were plunged into darkness and more than 100 Texans lost their lives when our power grid failed at the height of a historic winter storm.
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If voters approve the measure next year, it will raise the state’s homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000 for school district property taxes, netting the average homeowner about $176 in savings.
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Democrats criticized Republicans for “targeting” a North Texas district that had been trending Democratic and for not drawing any new districts where people of color would represent a majority of eligible voters.
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Tax relief for property owners joins a packed to-do list for Texas lawmakers — which includes redistricting, COVID-19 vaccine mandates and a spending plan for $16 billion in federal stimulus dollars.
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The bill, approved by the Senate and never considered by the House, would have allowed state and local party chairs to file requests to launch audits, but Republicans say the legislation would not have spawned a debacle akin to the controversial review underway in Arizona.
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The Houston Public Library’s Central branch in downtown Houston will reopen soon, but one group has been told they will no longer be welcome there.
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Several Texas lawmakers were briefed Wednesday on the status of our state’s power grid. Gov. Greg Abbott also spoke about the recent calls for energy conservation after several power generators went offline for unexpected maintenance.
