Political hardball, committee assignments spark joy and drama alike in the...
It's the list lawmakers anxiously await at the start of every legislative session: committee assignments. They not only determine what issues members will be focused on for the rest of the session,...
View ArticleThe state of Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency items: Will property tax and school...
Lawmakers have their marching orders. Gov. Greg Abbott identified a list of emergency items — issues that the Legislature can begin tackling immediately. The state Constitution prevents legislators...
View ArticleThe top places Texas lawmakers go to wine, dine and deal during legislative...
In Austin, a lot of the lawmaking gets done far away from committee hearings, members' offices, and the House and Senate floors. But not too far. There are a handful of spots within walking distance...
View ArticleWhat the “wave of women” elected in 2018 looks like in the 2019 Texas...
Seeing a baby girl on the Texas House floor has become commonplace this session. Well, one baby in particular. State Rep. Erin Zwiener's 8-month-old daughter, Lark, can often be heard cooing as...
View ArticleMeet the advocates lobbying Texas lawmakers for more money and support this...
Every legislative session, people comb the halls of the Texas Capitol hoping to convince enough lawmakers that their cause deserves a sliver of the budget not yet spoken for. Advocates like Susie...
View Article"We're all afraid to go to school": After Santa Fe, Texas seeks to make...
Students at Westwood High School describe the threat of school shootings as a "constant fear." Last May, at Santa Fe High School, near Houston, that fear became reality when, authorities say, a...
View ArticleHurricane Harvey destroyed every apartment in Rockport, Texas. Some residents...
Hurricane Harvey, which caused more than $125 billion in damage, is the most expensive storm in Texas history. It wreaked havoc on nearly every Gulf Coast community when it came ashore Aug. 25, 2017....
View ArticleIt's crunch time: Texas bills are going to start dying
The 86th Texas Legislature wraps in a few short weeks, and lawmakers are running up against deadlines to get their bills moving. That immediacy is forcing many members to get creative in how they...
View ArticleTribCast: Tax night in the Texas Lege; state ends its voter citizenship review
State representatives take a picture of the Texas Taxpayer Transparency Act on the House Floor. Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune (Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.) On this...
View ArticlePoint of Order: Appraising the House
(Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.) In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Reps. Dade Phelan and Donna Howard about the...
View Article"I'm honestly still stunned that I work here": Meet the staffers who keep...
Patsy Spaw, the secretary of the Texas Senate, has been around longer than most of the senators. Others are experiencing their first legislative session in the building. Some spend their days out of...
View ArticleTribCast: Stickland's bomb-throwing, O'Rourke's reboot
State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, on the House floor on May 21, 2019. Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune (Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.) On this week's TribCast,...
View ArticlePoint of Order: Kum-bye-a
(Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.) In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Reps. Ina Minjarez and Matt Krause about the...
View ArticleMany marijuana and pro-LGBTQ bills died this legislative session. Expect to...
Whether it's addressing access to medical marijuana, legalizing industrial hemp farming or establishing the Texas Legislature's first-ever LGBTQ Caucus, lawmakers know that reaching success on their...
View Article"No fist fights. No gun threats." Lawmakers give 86th Texas Legislature high...
Lawmakers had enough money in the 86th Texas Legislature to increase state spending on schools and cut property taxes. They accomplished both and were quick to pat themselves on the back for...
View ArticleOne shelter for migrant children is trying to distinguish itself from Border...
Inside the nation’s latest holding facility for migrant children, about 200 unaccompanied teenagers live under the care of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Carrizo Springs. Mayor...
View ArticleTribCast: Two Texas mass shootings in a month
A vehicle's windows were shot out at a car dealership in Odessa. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare (Audio unavailable. Click here to listen on texastribune.org.) On this week’s TribCast, Emily talks to Evan,...
View ArticleVisa denial rates for highly skilled workers are on the rise. Small Texas...
Temporary visas for highly skilled noncitizen workers are key for Texas businesses, but they're also in short supply. The federal government issues 85,000 of those visas — known as H-1Bs — annually to...
View ArticleTribCast: The Tale of the Tape
From left: Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith is joined by Tribune political reporters Cassi Pollock, Alex Samuels and Patrick Svitek for a live TribCast on Oct. 16. Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune (Audio...
View ArticleBig Tex and Dickies are a perfect fit, but Uvalde factory's fate is another...
Following the 2018 announcement that Texas-based clothing manufacturer Williamson-Dickie was being sold, the city of Uvalde learned that the company's last U.S.-based factory — based in their city —...
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