Texas Senate passes its own school safety funding bill, but little time remains to get it across the finish line
Senate Bill 5 would send an extra $800 million to public schools for security upgrades over the next two years. But the measure is at risk of becoming the latest casualty of the rift between the Texas House and Senate.
GOP senators, open to Paxton conviction, flipped when they realized they were still short the votes
โI feel there were six senators who were ready to be the 21st vote,โ said Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas. โBut they didnโt want to be the 20th vote.โ
Historic $321.3 billion Texas state budget heads to comptroller
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.
Mandatory 10-year sentences for some crimes involving guns revived by Texas Senate
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.
Texas may soon have a process to remove local prosecutors who wonโt pursue abortion, election cases
The bill would allow for the removal of prosecutors who adopt any policy to not pursue certain crimes, including some low-level theft and drug charges. The Senateโs version will need to be reconciled with the House, which had carved out some exemptions.
Bill providing death benefits for National Guard serving along southern border sent to governor
The legislation was named for Bishop Evans, who drowned last year trying to rescue migrants in the Rio Grande.
Protesters decry stalled fentanyl test strip bill; Texas House passes get-tough criminal penalties
Stuck in committee, the test-strip legislation has support from Gov. Greg Abbott and bipartisan lawmakers, who see it as a way to save lives.
Bills to create new Texas courts would likely reverse Democratic gains, restore GOP dominance
Supporters say the proposals would increase efficiency and expertise, but opponents argue the attempts are political and probably unconstitutional.
Texas Senate passes $308 billion budget plan, kicking off high-stakes negotiations with the House
There are $5 billion and several political wedges standing between the House and Senate plans, which now move into conference committee with less than five weeks before session ends.
Texas Senate approves bill that would create mandatory prison or probation terms for some gun crimes
Sen. Joan Huffman said the bill was in response to increased violent crime since 2019. Legislative researchers could not determine how the bill would affect the stateโs prison population.
Bill intended to force Texas prosecutors to pursue abortion, election cases passes Senate
The bill, a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is part of a larger effort to limit the power of elected prosecutors, especially in Texasโ largest, left-leaning counties.
To be safe, Texas Senate again approves political district maps
The vote ensured the Senate met its constitutional requirement to redraw districts in the first regular session after publication of the 2020 census results.
Bills advance to close loophole allowing some lawmakers to increase their pay to $140,000
Two bills that advanced in House and Senate committees on Wednesday both exempt any lawmaker who has already taken advantage of the benefit.
Texas Senate budget writers propose billions for teacher raises, lower property taxes and water projects
The Senate Finance Committeeโs proposals wonโt be voted on and sent to the full chamber until April.
โWe just want parityโ: Military groups call on lawmakers to give Operation Lone Star troops death benefits
Law enforcement officers who serve on Operation Lone Star get a $500,000 death benefit for their survivors if they die on duty. But National Guard troops on the same mission donโt get a dime from the state for their families if they die.
Texas bill requiring 10-year prison sentences for gun felonies faces opposition from criminal justice and firearm advocates
Under Senate Bill 23, all felonies involving a gun would incur a mandatory 10-year prison sentence. Itโs meant to curb crime, despite the lack of correlation between harsher sentences and crime rates.
Texas Senate passes first bill this session, a bipartisan effort to close teen gun loophole
In its first bill passed this session, the Texas Senate sought to ensure juvenile mental health hospitalizations are reported to the federal firearm background check system.
Lawmakers could use $5 billion of a record surplus for raises, flood prevention and border operations
Budget proposals would boost state spending for the current budget cycle for projects ranging from mental health hospitals to state pay raises. This would leave $27 billion in surplus for next two years.
Lawmakers could no longer โdouble dipโ into pension funds under newly filed bill
State Sen. Joan Huffman filed a bill that would repeal a provision that allowed longtime lawmakers to increase their yearly take-home income by $140,000 by collecting pension payments without retiring.
Texas Tech reviews its hiring practices as efforts to promote diversity come under fire
Texas Techโs review comes as Gov. Greg Abbott has instructed state agencies and public universities that โforbidden DEI initiativesโ violate federal and state employment discrimination laws.
Texas Senate leaders signal intent to spend big on border security
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.
Texas universities propose two-year tuition freeze in exchange for nearly $1 billion in additional state funding
The leaders of the stateโs six biggest university systems are seeking the money to fund instruction, university operations and employee health insurance and to cover a free tuition program for veterans and their children.
After a Texas National Guard member died, his family got no financial payment. Lawmakers want to change that.
In April, Bishop Evans drowned after jumping into the Rio Grande to save two migrants being swept away by the current. His family members will receive no financial payment, but they would if he worked for DPS or was under federal deployment.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joins other key Republicans in supporting repealing the โtampon taxโ
Advocates have previously called for repealing the sales tax on products like tampons, sanitary pads and pantyliners. Menstrual products are already tax-free in 24 states.
Federal judges wonโt halt Texas primary in state Senate district being challenged for alleged discrimination
The redrawn state Senate District 10 splits Black and Hispanic voters in Tarrant County. A full trial on whether GOP lawmakers intentionally discriminated against voters of color is expected later this year.
Republicans say Texasโ new political maps are โrace blind.โ To some voters of color, that translates as political invisibility.
With partisan fervor, Republicans drew new maps for Congress and the Legislature that dilute the power of voters of color. Now the lawsuits begin, as groups that feel marginalized battle for representation in the halls of power.
Texas Senate approves congressional map that draws no new Black or Hispanic districts even as people of color fueled population growth
Texas gained two new seats in Congress based on population growth fueled by people of color. But the Senateโs proposal provides no new majority-Black or majority-Hispanic districts to reflect that growth.
Senate approves map cementing GOP dominance in upper chamber, dividing up Tarrant countyโs voters of color
Democrats criticized Republicans for โtargetingโ 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.
Senate panel advances Texas Senate and State Board of Education maps
The initial drafts of both maps have so far attempted to strengthen Republican majorities by protecting incumbents and creating more GOP-friendly districts.
Overhaul to Texas state government employeesโ retirement accounts advanced by House
Senate Bill 321 would enroll new state workers in a cash-balance plan โ similar to a common 401(k) retirement account โ rather than the defined-benefit pension plan that current employees have.
A year after George Floydโs murder, only a few of Texas lawmakersโ police reform measures appear likely to become law
Narrowly targeted pieces of Texasโ George Floyd Act โ like restricting chokeholds and requiring officers to provide first aid โ are expected to pass. But the Act itself and many other related reforms have failed to progress during the legislative session that ends Monday.
Texas House OKs Senate bill to require voter approval before cutting law enforcement funds โ but only for large counties
The Senate bill originally applied to all local Texas jurisdictions, but was changed in a House committee. A House bill that is in the Senate would financially punish the stateโs larger cities if they cut police funds.
Day after Texas House demands action, Senate committee moves on a few criminal justice reform measures
Among the bills approved by the Senate Jurisprudence Committee is one that would require police officers to keep their body cameras activated during investigations.
Priority bills imperiled as end-of-session tensions rise between Texas House and Senate
House lawmakers expressed frustration on Thursday that some of their priority legislation had not moved in the upper chamber, including a package of health care and criminal justice reform bills pushed by House Speaker Dade Phelan.
Texas senator overhauls House bail bill to keep more people in jail if they canโt post cash bonds
Legislative attempts to reform bail in Texas is likely headed for a closed-door showdown over the different approaches the House and Senate each devised.
Overhaul to Texas state employee pension plan unveiled and quickly advanced by state Senate committee
Texas Senate approves bail bill that would keep more people in jail if they canโt post cash bonds
The Texas Senate on Wednesday approved the chamberโs priority bail legislation that aims to keep more people accused or previously convicted of violent crimes in jail before trial unless they can post cash bonds.
The Texas Senate has approved a new statewide appeals court. Critics contend it's another attempt to limit Democrats' power.
Voters would have to approve police budget cuts under bill approved by Texas Senate
Texas lawmakers advancing bail bills that opponents say do little for people stuck in jail because they're poor
Harris County got rid of cash bail for many people accused of minor crimes. GOP lawmakers want to walk that back.
AdBettencourt and Huffman have criticized Harris County judges for releasing most people on no-cost personal recognizance, or PR, bonds. โOther policy initiatives โ not renewed reliance on cash bail โ will be required to halt the increase in violence,โ a memo to county commissioners said. Critics of bail reform efforts and the bail bonds industry โ which is dependent on cash bail systems โ have often pointed to less people showing up to court as an argument against bail reform efforts. โPeople want to come to court and the vast majority of people do,โ said Harris County Criminal Court Judge Franklin Bynum. The Harris County court monitor report said homeless people were twice as likely to be arrested while out on bond than other defendants.
โLetโs talk Texasโ: State Senate redistricting committee looking for public input in virtual regional hearings
SAN ANTONIO โ Every 10 years the Texas Legislature is tasked with redistricting, the redrawing of district maps for the stateโs congressional, legislative and State Board of Education boundaries. Redistricting is based on new census data each decade, but this year that census data has been delayed. As Texas lawmakers await the data, which will determine size of districts and potentially add a handful of new congressional seats for the state, the Texas Senate Redistricting Committee has announced they will begin regional hearings to get public input. โThe pandemic has presented new challenges for all of us, but it will not prevent the Senate Redistricting Committee from soliciting input from Texans about their local communities--especially about local and regional considerations related to redistricting,โ said Senator Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who chairs the committee. The committee is encouraging all Texans to make their voices heard in one of a dozen hearings.
Despite committeeโs recommendation, ending Texasโ partisan judicial elections looks unlikely
The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneTexas looks unlikely to change its controversial partisan election system for judges โ even after a commission studying the issue recommended ending the practice. And in Republican primaries, judicial candidates with Hispanic-sounding surnames have often fared poorly, owing, experts say, to a largely white electorate. Those who favor partisan judicial elections have pointed out that they may work better in rural counties, where voters are electing fewer judges and itโs easier to learn their qualifications. Aside from the bias of partisanship, one of the chief concerns about the stateโs partisan judicial selection system is the influence โ perceived or actual โ of donors who bankroll judgesโ campaigns. Huffman, a powerful figure in the Texas Senate, said earlier this month she had already begun drafting a constitutional amendment that would increase judicial qualifications.
Analysis: When mapmaking Texas politicians are smiling and quiet, pay attention
This one is about redistricting โ how the state draws its political maps โ and it fits the pattern. Political maps are the foundation of who does and doesnโt have a voice in a democracy. Asked whether a Republican House and Senate, with a Republican governor, can be expected to draw maps that favor Republicans, neither lawmaker agreed. Sure enough, they draw maps that increase their chances of success โ not only in elections, but in the government decisions that follow. Republicans draw Republican maps.