Politics & Policy
June 18, 2019
2019: The Best and Worst Legislators
They called it the kumbaya session, but we still found plenty of scoundrels and statesmen.
86th Legislature
Politics & Policy
June 10, 2019
Texas Parks Are Broke. But There’s Good News: Voters Can Rescue Them.
A constitutional amendment on the ballot in November aims to shore up funding for Texas’s system of state parks and historic sites.
Politics & Policy
June 3, 2019
Congratulations, You’re a Plumber Now
Thanks to the the Texas Legislature, you and your plumber will soon have the same credentials.
BBQ
May 30, 2019
Texas Legislature to Sid Miller: Back Off the BBQ Joints
A new law strips the Texas Agriculture Department’s oversight of barbecue scales. But Miller has a history of thumbing his nose at the Lege.
Politics & Policy
May 30, 2019
Inside the Legislature’s High-Stakes Deal to Save Texas Public Schools and Cut Property Taxes
Texas's top lawmakers managed to put together an $11.5 billion package, but they did it in a way that all but guarantees a tax hike in 2021.
Politics & Policy
May 29, 2019
How Texas’s Powerful Police Union Went to War Against Criminal Justice Reform
In one of the worst legislative sessions for criminal justice reform in years, bipartisan legislation got caught between an ugly fight between the police lobby and prominent Democrats.
Politics & Policy
May 23, 2019
There’s a Grand Bargain on Property Taxes and Education Funding. But What Is It, Exactly?
The governor, lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the House announced a deal on property taxes and school finance. It sounds good, but offered awfully little in the way of specifics.
Politics & Policy
May 22, 2019
Seventh Time’s the Charm: Despite Repeated Bungling, the Lege Manages to Pass an Update to the Sandra Bland Act
Let us count the ways legislators passed, killed, and then resurrected what was a popular, bipartisan way to limit arrests for minor infractions.
Politics & Policy
May 22, 2019
Jonathan Stickland and the Case of the Special Session That Wasn’t
Stickland and his band of merry pranksters could have pushed the Legislature into a special session by killing a popular bill to increase mental health services for kids.
Politics & Policy
May 20, 2019
The Culture Wars Come Roaring Back in the Closing Days of the Texas Legislature
The last few days have brought tearful, angry debate over abortion, religious discrimination, and LGBTQ rights.
Business
May 17, 2019
Is a Proposed Ban on a State Income Tax Really a Stealth Move to Undermine the State’s Business Tax?
The Legislature’s own budget advisors have warned that a constitutional amendment prohibiting an income tax could cost the state billions in lost revenue from the business tax.
Politics & Policy
May 16, 2019
Valoree Swanson’s Cough May Have Killed a Controversial Elections Bill
House lawmakers are watching the clock as a key lawmaker's absence from the Capitol has suddenly imperiled a controversial elections measure.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2019
Inside the Story of How Democrats Killed a Law That Could Have Saved Sandra Bland
In a fit of idiocy and confusion, Democrats in the Legislature not once, but twice derailed bipartisan legislation prohibiting police from making arrests for minor infractions.
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2019
The Loudest and Least Effective Legislator Has Actually Passed a Bill
But don’t think that means Representative Jonathan Stickland is all grown up. He’s still more or less the lib-baiting troll he’s always been.
Health
May 4, 2019
An Afternoon With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Texas Anti-Vaccine Movement
Kennedy’s presentation to vaccine activists at the Capitol was a master class in how to turn fears toward a dangerous cause.
Business
May 3, 2019
The Paid Sick Leave Fight is All About Whose Interests Matter Most at the Legislature
In a dispute between cities and the state, employees and employers, you can probably guess who has the upper hand.
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2019
Without the Votes for His Sales Tax Hike, Dan Patrick is Exploring Other Tax Increases
The Big Three are desperate to save their property tax proposal. Among the ideas to buy down property taxes is an increase in the oil and gas severance tax.
Politics & Policy
May 2, 2019
‘A Hearing Can Save a Life’: Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy Gets a Courtesy Airing
Despite Representative Celia Israel’s emotional, personal testimony, her bill to curtail the discredited practice has little chance of becoming law.
Politics & Policy
April 30, 2019
If You’re Looking for Dan Patrick This Legislative Session, You Might Find Him on Fox News
Once upon a time, the Texas Senate was Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s whole world. His turbulent 2014 campaign for the post was a radical change in Texas politics, the tea party revolution taking the throne. In his inauguration speech he proclaimed that his arrival marked “a new day
Best and Worst Legislators
April 20, 2019
Best & Worst Legislators in Real Time: Senator Bob Hall
If you’re going to traffick in conspiracy theories, at least be nice about it.
Politics & Policy
April 17, 2019
Dan Patrick’s Budget Negotiators Lack Racial, Ideological, and Geographic Diversity
The senators who will help finalize the state budget—which affects 28 million Texans—are all white and Republican, and four of the five are from the Houston area.
Politics & Policy
April 16, 2019
The Governor Wants to Replace Property Taxes With ‘Consumption’ Taxes. That’s a Terrible Idea.
Many Texans think their property taxes are too high. But the highly regressive sales tax would put even more of a burden on those who can least afford it.
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2019
Dan Patrick Gets His Way with Property Tax Reform, But Another Republican Has the Last Word
In a powerful floor speech Monday, Senator Kel Seliger offers a demonstration of decency that diminishes the lieutenant governor’s raw power play.
Politics & Policy
April 12, 2019
Dan Patrick Alerts Senate That He Intends to Use “Nuclear Option” to Pass Property Tax Reform
Unless a compromise can be reached next week, Patrick's decision to move forward will upend decades of Senate tradition.
Best and Worst Legislators
February 22, 2019
Best & Worst Legislators in Real Time: Senator Angela Paxton, for Filing Legislation That Could Directly Benefit Her Indicted Husband
The rookie lawmaker stunned the Texas Senate.
Best and Worst Legislators
February 8, 2019
Best and Worst Legislators in Real Time: Senator Kirk Watson
The Austin senator grills the secretary of state to get to the bottom of the controversial elections advisory.
Best and Worst Legislators
February 1, 2019
Introducing the Best and Worst Legislators in Real Time
One of the most anticipated lists in Texas politics will be publicly deliberated for the first time.
Politics & Policy
January 15, 2019
At Inauguration, Greg Abbott Declares It’s “Time for Texas to Deliver Real Education Reform”
The first step in that direction came from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who announced a bill that would give Texas teachers a $5,000 pay raise.
Politics & Policy
January 7, 2019
Five Things to Watch in the Upcoming Session of the Texas Legislature
The 86th Legislature convenes at noon on Tuesday. Here's a primer on some of this year’s action.