"No fist fights. No gun threats." Lawmakers give 86th Texas Legislature high marks (Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune, Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune)
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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 completing a successful, substantive session.
The intense focus on overhauling school finance and the property tax system left little time for social conservatives' priorities — a sign the Legislature moved to the middle on divisive issues following the 2018 midterm elections when Democrats picked up seats in both chambers.
The reporters who covered the goings-on day in and day out, confess that a session heavy on policy and light on political drama made for a pretty boring 140 days.
For the final episode of our mini-documentary series, "Under the Dome," we collected a mix of final thoughts on the 86th.
Revisit the entire video series now.
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