TEXAS LEGISLATURE

Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan back a plan that spreads property tax relief among all landowners, while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s proposal would give homeowners a bigger boost than businesses.

Following Paxton’s impeachment on Saturday, Gov. Greg Abbott appointed former Texas Secretary of State John Scott to serve as the state’s top attorney.

The Houston-based attorneys are legends in their own right, having participated in numerous high-profile criminal and civil matters.

The former Dallas ISD superintendent and state-appointed board of managers will replace Houston’s elected school board in response to years of poor academic outcomes at a single campus in the district.

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

Texans across the state are affected by declining water supplies, water infrastructure disruptions and flooding in their communities.

This legislative session has been unique to say the least.

Always happy to castigate the Texas House, Patrick breaks form to criticize the governor as misinformed and unsympathetic toward homeowners.

Scott, a former deputy attorney general, will run the agency because Ken Paxton has been suspended from office until his impeachment trial before the Texas Senate.

Lawmakers were assured that outsourcing management of foster care services would fix the state’s troubled child welfare agency. But the rollout of the new model, set to be completed by 2029, has been complicated by setbacks.

For one Round Rock teen, getting accepted to Harvard was her ticket out of a state that she says is hostile to trans youth. Now Texas will ensure young people like her no longer have access to gender-affirming care.

The Florida governor’s events in six cities are drawing some of the state’s biggest Republican donors.

The defense team includes the agency’s chief appellate lawyer and head of its general litigation division.

The debt agreement, they say, violated a promise to cut spending that secured crucial support for U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blasted Speaker Dade Phelan's handling of the issue, while Phelan indicated he hopes to pass out new tax legislation Tuesday.

At least five candidates have already announced their intention to run in the solidly Republican North Texas district.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will hold a post-legislative session presentation and news conference on Tuesday morning.

Their dream of passing a bill to improve access to state services for Texans who don’t speak English or Spanish was dashed. Woori Juntos activists fought until the end seeking at least a study of their ideas.

Now that Texas has a near-total ban on abortion, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are trying to make sure colleges are serving students who are pregnant or have children.

Abbott noted many bills that were passed during the regular session, which ended around 6 p.m. Monday, but he added that “many critical items remain” and will require multiple special sessions.

The 2023 legislative session started with a $32.7 billion surplus. It was mired in Republican infighting and multiple scandals. Then, the House impeached the state’s attorney general.

After negotiations that became tense and public, the House and Senate fell short of delivering on one of the biggest legislative priorities for Republicans in the regular legislative session.

Seven Republicans and five Democrats make up the board of managers who will handle the prosecution in the trial, which has yet to be scheduled.

Gov. Greg Abbott over the weekend signed into law a bill prohibiting race-based hair discrimination in Texas workplaces, schools and housing policies. It goes into effect in September.

Brent Webster came to the Texas attorney general’s office in 2020. His work as Ken Paxton’s top aide was quickly mired in controversy.

In 1917, lawmakers debated the extent of their constitutional authority before they convicted Gov. James “Pa” Ferguson and removed him from office.

After the previous, widely criticized program expired in December, lawmakers worked hard to craft a plan that won overwhelming support in both chambers.

The bill comes in response to the Uvalde school shooting last year that left 19 children and two adults dead.

The GOP priority legislation could remove prosecutors from office if they don’t pursue certain crimes. The bill gained traction after some Democratic district attorneys said they would not prosecute abortion-related crimes.

Voters will be asked to approve a state constitutional amendment to create the Broadband Infrastructure Fund.

Originally pitched as an effort to restrict children from seeing certain drag shows, the House and Senate agreed on a version of the bill that could still ensnare LGBTQ performers.

Following one of the hottest summers on record, lawmakers have set an ambitious target: By 2033, they want to bump up the state’s water supply by an amount equal to three of the largest reservoirs in the state.

Despite a generation of political dominance, the party has had trouble uniting behind a common vision. The infighting over Paxton suggests that’s not about to change.

A failure to compromise on school choice, border security and, for now, property taxes all but assures the governor will call lawmakers back for a special legislative session.

The long list of accusations were outlined as part of 20 charges of impeachment adopted by the Texas House.

Ken Paxton helped elect his wife, Angela, to the state Senate. That chamber will now consider whether to remove him from the attorney general’s office. She has not said whether she will recuse herself.

The Texas Legislature already made one historic move with the impeachment of Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton.

About $17 billion worth of commitments lawmakers made in the new budget were snagged in policy fights between the Texas House and Senate on Saturday night.

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

The end of House Bill 100 is a bittersweet victory for public education advocates who vehemently oppose school voucher programs but lament that schools won’t get additional funds to pay for teacher raises or balance their budgets.

Abbott himself is a former attorney general, preceding Paxton in the position. The governor has built deep connections in the conservative legal world and is known to lean on former aides for high-profile appointments.

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

The state Senate originally passed a bill to ban tenure, but on Saturday it approved the House’s counterproposal, which enshrines tenure in state law.

The House voted 121-23 to suspend the attorney general and refer him to the Senate for trial on charges of bribery, abuse of office and obstruction. It was the first such impeachment since 1975.

The full House and Senate still must approve the final bill language before sending the legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott. If it becomes law, Texas will become the second state in the country to ban DEI offices at public universities.

Child support enforcement, environmental regulation, consumer protection and a host of other responsibilities fall under the attorney general’s realm at what is essentially the state’s largest law firm.

The embattled attorney general has criticized a Republican-led push that could remove him from office. The Texas House is set to debate 20 articles of impeachment at 1 p.m.

A committee of House and Senate members agreed to a plan to extend Medicaid coverage for a year after childbirth — with a controversial anti-abortion amendment attached. The bill now goes to both chambers for a final vote.

Dr. Lesia Crumpton-Young said she is leaving TSU to help elevate historically Black colleges and universities on the national stage.

The governor has said he would support legislation prohibiting transgender men from competing on men’s college sports teams and transgender women from joining women’s college athletic teams.

Supporters of the attorney general portray Saturday’s impeachment vote as a political witch hunt meant to sideline President Joe Biden’s biggest headache.

Abbott will have until June 18 to sign or veto bills. If signed, SB 629 will become law immediately.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the first impeachment proceedings against a sitting attorney general in Texas history.

Paxton said House members were showing “contempt for the electoral process” and accused them of sabotaging his work challenging the Biden administration.

The value of a household’s vehicles disqualified nearly 55,000 people seeking federal food assistance in 2022. House Bill 1287 increases the threshold of car values that lead to SNAP applicants being denied aid.

A Texas House committee has filed 20 articles of impeachment, but it’s not yet clear when the full chamber will take them up. Republicans’ attempts to remove one of their own sets up a dramatic showdown in the waning days of the 2023 regular legislative session.

Stifling heat has killed inmates and exacerbated employee turnover in Texas prisons. But funding for air conditioning was whittled down in the draft budget released Thursday.

The high-stakes confrontation could have an impact on retirements accounts, corporations and much more.

Republicans have chosen to remain largely silent during years of alleged misconduct and lawbreaking by the attorney general. Now they will have to take a public stand.

The mistake meant about 7,400 soldiers sent to the Texas-Mexico border under Operation Lone Star were hit with higher-than-expected federal income taxes.

The Texas House will vote on accusations that include bribery, dereliction of duty, disregard of official duty and obstruction of justice.

The Texas Legislature has never removed an attorney general. If the House votes to impeach, the Senate will hold a trial.

Texas parks officials said they are taking “all necessary steps” to purchase the land and save Fairfield Lake State Park from being turned into a luxury gated community and golf course.

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.

Rhodes was among the many Texans who played key roles in fomenting, planning or fueling the Jan. 6, 2021, violence at the U.S. Capitol.

One to four of those storms could be Category 3 or higher, meaning they will have wind speeds of at least 111 miles per hour.

The proposal would leave billions of anticipated tax revenue untouched at a time when the state has more money coming in than lawmakers are constitutionally allowed to spend.

The biggest barriers to making Texas’ power grid 100% renewable have little to do with politics.

State lawmakers have pushed bills to support fossil fuel-burning power plants and restrict renewable energy development this legislative session.

A Texas Tribune review of the investigators’ employment history, voting records and campaign donations found a lack of support for the attorney general’s claim.

Lawmakers hope to hammer out a program to replace the embattled Chapter 313 program before the legislative session ends Monday.

A bill that would prevent cities from passing laws on evictions, labor issues, and numerous other areas, is on Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. With no clear answers on what is or isn't allowed, San Antonio's city attorney said the city will continue to enforce all its ordinances.

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

Numerous vigils and memorials were planned in Uvalde to mark one year since the Robb Elementary School shooting. In what became the deadliest school shooting in Texas, a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others.

Opponents fear the bill is a “Trojan horse” for evangelizing kids and will worsen the state’s mental health crisis through disproven counseling approaches.

Democrats played a major role in killing legislation aimed at boosting Texas’ flagging housing supply — to the frustration of housing advocates.

Many allegations against Paxton were already known, but the airing of them revealed the scope of the investigation by the committee, which has the power to recommend censure or impeachment.

Senate Bill 1515 was one of several legislative attempts by conservative Christians to center public life around their religious views.

Twenty-one people died at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022. The mass shooting and delayed police response spurred calls for stricter gun laws.

Wednesday marks exactly a year since a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. The community continues to grapple with the trauma and pain, and for those who lost someone that day, they’re determined to keep the memories of their loved ones alive.

The House has already passed the bill, but the two chambers will need to iron out the differences in their versions before it is sent to Gov. Greg Abbott.

The two chambers have been at odds over property tax relief and school choice, but on Tuesday night, those divisions spilled over into priorities the bodies had previously agreed upon.

If the bill becomes law, book vendors would have to assign ratings to books based on depictions or references to sex.

The bill, which Democrats have been pushing for years, has become a top priority after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Senate has already passed the bill, which would provide tax relief on the purchase of menstrual products, diapers and other child care necessities.

The idea appeared to die in the Texas House over the weekend, but senators kept it alive by grafting the proposal on to another piece of legislation.

Despite its tendency to distort memories, hypnosis has been used on witnesses in numerous investigations, including death penalty cases. Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a similar bill in 2021.

The attorney general’s comment came after a viral video showed Phelan slurring his words while leading the House. Phelan defenders say he appeared fine before and after the clip.

The bill would direct Texas agencies to not enforce federal regulations on the oil industry if there’s not a similar state regulation. But it likely wouldn’t apply to most federal environmental rules, experts and lawmakers said.

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.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick wants to eliminate tenure, but his attempts have impacted the institute he helped create.

U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar’s legislation, dubbed the Dignity Act in partnership with a Florida Republican, also seeks to change asylum processes.

Emotions often ran high over a proposal to limit young adults’ access to some firearms. Lawmakers have largely prioritized school safety measures, but there was still progress for some gun-related legislation.

Dangerous dog legislation passed by the Texas House and Senate is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in the coming weeks.

The Texas Senate wants to ban tenure. The House gave initial approval Monday to a a bill that would instead enshrine tenure policies in state law. After final passage, the two chambers have a week left to come to a compromise.

For the third time, the Senate is pushing a proposal critics say will ignore the existence of LGBTQ people in every grade level. Two other bills that contained similar language missed key legislative deadlines.

State lawmakers passed legislation that would ensure the UT flagship can continue to cap the number of students it automatically admits because of their academic achievement at 75%, giving the university room to accept other students using different criteria.

Senate Bill 7 would limit how much electricity customers could end up paying if the state opts to use performance credits, which would give the money to power generators in hopes they’ll add more power to the state grid.

Seeking to avoid a special session, the state leaders discuss school choice, property taxes and grid reform.

The legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.

Texas senators have latched education savings accounts to a school funding bill in a last-ditch effort to avoid a special session. But some House members are furious at the revamped version and have vowed not to let it become law.