Leaders hope to treat groundwater and capture more rain as the water from one of the nation’s most iconic rivers becomes less reliable.

The law, on the books since 1973, has been unenforced since 2003, when the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.

Last year, lawmakers waded into a dramatic feud over the case of death row inmate Robert Roberson, seen as the embodiment of the failures of Texas’ junk science law.

The bill would cap out-of-state political donations to a candidate or lawmaker to $5,000 for a statewide election, $2,500 for a district office and $1,000 for a county office.

House Bill 2988 was centered on who pays the legal fees of those who successfully defend themselves against libel or defamation lawsuits.

In an appeal filed this week, Maria Rojas’ attorneys accused Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office of a careless investigation.

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.

A raft of social conservative priorities backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick hang in the balance, including efforts to infuse more religion into public schools.

Supporters say the bill would protect farmland in Texas. Opponents say limiting PFAS chemicals in biosolids will force water utilities to look at other disposal methods, which will lead to higher utility bills.

It is unclear whether the House bill could come back as an amendment to another measure before the legislative session ends June 2.

Before the House takes a final vote on the bill, it could face a proposal that would allow adults and minors to marry if their age gap is three years or less.

A key Senate critic threw a lifeline to the Texas Lottery when he proposed moving its oversight to a new agency instead of eliminating it entirely.

Amending the Texas Constitution to crack down on the state’s bail practices has been an elusive priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s for three consecutive sessions.

House Bill 46 would increase the number of health conditions eligible and would offer smokeable products under the state’s medical marijuana program.

Texas’ newest Republican megadonor Alex Fairly got a look under the hood of Texas’ far-right political machine, and didn’t like what he saw. Here are six takeaways from his exclusive interview with The Texas Tribune.

The bill contains many provisions legal experts say are likely unconstitutional, including one that says it can’t be challenged in state court.

If it becomes law, the bill would define sex based on reproductive organs and require state documents and policies to comply with that framework.

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

The bill would bar those under 18 from checking out books with sexually explicit material without parental permission.

The group from Johnson County waited 18 hours to testify at a hearing that started at 1 a.m. on a bill to limit toxic chemicals in fertilizer.

A Texas business illegally dumped industrial waste into Skull Creek in Colorado County six years ago, then residents complained to the attorney general’s office.

Texas Republicans are pushing the federal government to pay the state’s costs of Operation Lone Star, Gov. Greg’s Abbott’s border security initiative.

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.

Across Texas, abandoned wells are erupting with chemical-infused liquid and some have created massive lakes of contaminated water. Regulators say they need more money to address the problem.

Fairly, an Amarillo businessman, backed many candidates aligned with conservative West Texas billionaire Tim Dunn’s political operation in 2024. Now he’s disavowing what he says are dishonest and aggressive campaign tactics while pondering his path forward.

Supporters said the bill would protect poll workers who continue to face violent threats.

While Gov. Greg Abbott steps up his push for stricter bail rules, critics seek a balance between the rights of the accused and the goal of keeping dangerous defendants behind bars.

According to ERCOT, the state’s energy demand may double in six years.

Opponents fear that fentanyl test strips will increase the usage of the deadly drug.

The House’s version of the bill would strip it of several controversial provisions, including one that sought to stretch the state’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion.

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.

One proposal would allow the attorney general to sue cities and freeze sales tax revenues for up to 90 days.

A fiery debate on the House floor Friday gave way to the Senate Bill 412’s final vote. Supporters say it’s needed to protect children.

Former state Rep. John Zerwas will temporarily replace Chancellor JB Milliken in leading the 256,000-student university system.

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

The bill would allow a vaccine exemption form to be downloadable. Currently, a form must be requested from the state and mailed to the recipient.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called banning THC products a top priority. The latest draft of the lower chamber’s THC regulation bill would allow retailers to continue selling edibles and drinks.

In the deadly summer of 2020, Hispanics in Texas were half of all COVID-19 deaths, spurring many to vaccinate. Today, in a startling flip, Hispanics make up less than a quarter of deaths from the disease.

The legislation, which won unanimous approval in both chambers, was written following the state’s historic Panhandle wildfires last year.

The former federal prosecutor cited shifting priorities after a family health scare for his withdrawal, which comes less than a month after his entry into the race.

So far, nine Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees have been fired for improperly accessing Texans’ data.

The bill faced fierce opposition from hardline conservatives who say it is policing speech and could allow the state to jail people over silly political memes.

The Texas House passed onto the Senate a proposed ban Tuesday, alongside another bill that would require a social media warning label for minors.

Republican lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen the state’s ban on homeless encampments and speed up the eviction process.

The Senate has a similar proposal, but is more prescriptive in how the money should be spent. The two chambers must agree on the final proposal to send to voters.

During a visit to College Station, the U.S. health secretary said Europe has a worse track record with the virus, which gets too much media attention.

Uvalde’s former mayor, now in the Legislature, wrote the bill so that law-enforcement agencies would have better coordination and leadership as they respond to a mass shooting.

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

If approved, the legislation would expand one of the state's most popular loan programs with even lower interest rates.

The measure was briefly delayed by Democrats’ efforts to block the voucher program, but eventually passed with bipartisan support.

Local prosecutors have used the charge to punish police accused of misconduct. Legislation that would prevent that is advancing through the Legislature.

Policy experts say undocumented immigrants' cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans.

After Republicans and Democrats fight over the budget and constitutional amendments, GOP members stake out a new battlefield.

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.

What immigrants and citizens should know about federal agents’ power to question and search people at airports and the border.

Lotto.com’s suit, which was filed Thursday, comes less than a week before the state agency votes to ban the third-party services.

Senate Bill 1717 would require the name of Gulf of Mexico to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication.

Some Republicans have bristled at the hefty cost of the bill, and Democrats could reject the funding for it over the school voucher dispute.

The first bill to reach Abbott’s desk this session creates a regulation-cutting state agency under the purview of the governor. It was passed with bipartisan supermajorities.

Residents in Trinity County will now have to travel 30 miles to access the closest hospital.

The only time the state conducted such an assessment two decades ago, it found that undocumented Texans contributed more to the state’s economy than they cost the state.

The revised bill, which seeks to clarify when a doctor can perform medically necessary abortions, aims to address concerns from abortion advocates and conservative groups.

The gang welcomes back an old friend, Patrick Svitek, to preview Texas’ biggest political throwdown in years.

El Paso County added 12 cases in the past week, the most new cases in the state, followed by Gaines County, which had seven.

There’s political urgency for Republicans to deal with housing affordability, especially as surveys find most Texans say housing costs are a top concern.

A state employee testified Monday that tens of thousands of people in the U.S. unlawfully were treated, but it was unclear how long the data had been collected.

The Texas Lottery Commission did not immediately clarify why Ryan Mindell chose to resign, as lawmakers have discussed abolishing the lottery outright.

Some are questioning whether lawmakers should commit billions more to border security with illegal crossings dwindling and a Trump immigration crackdown.

As lawmakers work to close loopholes that allow minors access to cannabis consumables, hemp farmers warn a total THC ban would strangle a once-hailed crop.

House Bill 4572 would introduce new requirements for pits where drillers bury oil and gas waste.

After a deal to pipe water from Lake O’ the Pines to North Texas came to light, residents voiced opposition everywhere they could to block it.

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.

In this week’s episode of the TribCast, Matthew and Eleanor ask the question: Are Texas teachers OK?

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.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas was able to close the Jim Hogg County facility because of Trump’s immigration policies. Records reveal that the reality is more nuanced.

Four people tied to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office committed suicide recently, calling attention to ongoing mental health struggles among law enforcement.

Since 2023, we have worked diligently to reach new audiences in Texas, increase trust in our work and expand into local news. At the end of this year, with a strong leadership team in place, I will be transitioning.

El Paso Matters, Fort Worth Report, Houston Chronicle, The Texas Newsroom and WFAA will join us to support accountability journalism in Texas.

For the first time since Texas outlawed nearly all abortions, lawmakers are clarifying the “life of mother” exception. But they don’t plan to address cases where the fetus won’t survive.

Desalination can create millions of gallons of fresh water a day. But it is expensive and there are many environmental concerns.

The lower chamber’s plan largely aligns with the Senate’s proposal and puts billions toward teacher pay, border security and property tax cuts.

Senate Bill 36, a priority bill for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, would create an office within the Department of Public Safety focused on immigration enforcement, organized crime and threats to state infrastructure.

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

Among the hundreds of amendments were ones that focused on school vouchers, the attorney general’s office and the Texas Lottery.

State and local health agencies are having to cut programs and staff to make up the loss and more cuts could be coming.

State health officials added four more counties to what they consider “outbreak areas” and advise those visiting or living in those counties to consult measles vaccination guidance for those areas.

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

The legislation would put new requirements on wind and solar companies that oil and gas companies in Texas do not face.

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

The Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard presence has largely disappeared from Shelby Park, which sits next to the Rio Grande.

The Texas Legislature is considering bills that transit officials warn could hamper public transportation in the Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth regions.

Paxton vowed to appeal the “bogus ruling” that found he improperly fired the four plaintiffs after they reported him to the FBI on allegations of corruption.

Attorney General Ken Paxton previously sued the City of Austin for helping residents travel out-of-state for abortions.

The lawmakers behind the bill promised there would not be an increase in the number of days the beach is closed.

Katherine Wells was celebrated early during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then public health became a political litmus test.

One Senate Democrat joined Republicans, providing the margin needed to approve Justin Berry to the state law-enforcement board.

Senate Bill 7, which won unanimous approval, is among legislation that seeks to avert a looming water crisis as the state’s population booms.