TEXAS SENATE

The Senate wants to raise the homestead exemption. The House wants to tighten the appraisal cap. Both chambers’ leaders are skeptical of each other’s proposal.

The bill requires college athletes to compete on sports teams based on their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their gender identity. It now heads to the Texas House, where Republican lawmakers have expressed their support for similar legislation.

A Texas bill that would revoke the licenses of doctors who provide gender affirming medical therapies to trans youth just cleared a significant hurdle.

Senate Bill 14 would now allow trans children who are already receiving some transition-related treatments to continue getting that care. The Senate gave initial approval to the reworked legislation Wednesday.

After final Senate approval, the bill will head to the Texas House where enough lawmakers have already expressed support to approve a similar bill. Gov. Greg Ab

There’s broad, bipartisan support in the Texas Legislature for using the state’s record surplus to cut taxes, but the Senate and House are at odds on how to accomplish that goal.

The Republican-controlled Texas Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill Tuesday that would ban transgender athletes from participating in university women’s sports.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Opponents of the bill call it a “power play aimed at making the lives of transgender children as difficult as possible.”

Texas state lawmakers are moving forward on two bills banning drag performances in the presence of minors and in public, and now the proposed laws are heading to the senate floor.

Two measures that passed the committee stage Monday would effectively criminalize drag performances across Texas.

The Texas Senate last week unanimously approved a $16.5 billion package to lower property taxes and inject billions of dollars into public schools.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] Opinions San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

The Senate Finance Committee’s proposals won’t be voted on and sent to the full chamber until April.

Homeowners and businesses could see some relief from their property taxes after the Texas Senate unanimously passed a package of bills on Wednesday, pending a statewide election.

Proposed legislation from Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would criminalize explicit performances where children are present and strip libraries of state funding for hosting any event featuring performers in drag. Critics say the bill is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

The proposal recommends spending billions on programs including property tax cuts, teacher pay raises, mental health services and border security. It leaves out requests for pay raises for retired state employees and funding for rent relief and childcare programs.

The bills would increase tax exemptions for homeowners and cut taxes for business owners. They will now be sent to the Texas House, which has taken its own approach to property tax relief.

The proposals target the taxes homeowners pay and require school districts to lower their tax rates.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has embraced Senate Bill 8, which will get its first committee hearing Wednesday. But House Speaker Dade Phelan hasn’t made school choice legislation a priority.

Senate Bill 736 requires that an independent and neutral third party be appointed to be an arbitrator when negotiations between the city and the firefighters break down.

Senate Bill 14 would ban doctors from providing kids with transition-related treatments that medical groups recommend for children with gender dysphoria.

Nelson’s former colleagues unanimously voted to confirm the longtime Flower Mound senator as Texas’ new secretary of state on March 15.

The Texas Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a key bill of the Legislature’s war on opioids that would increase the penalties related to the sale and production of fentanyl, by classifying overdoses from the drug as “poisonings.”[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

The Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would allow the state to take legal action against those who traffic or distribute fentanyl in fatal cases.

Cuts to school property tax bills. Bigger tax benefits for homeowners. A controversial idea to limit property tax growth. Here’s what you need to know about the brewing property tax debate at the Texas Legislature.

Houston Senator Joan Huffman authored Senate Bill 645, which would make the manufacture and delivery of less than 1 gram of fentanyl a third degree felony. The crime would rise to a second degree felony if a person dies from an overdose.

Political analysts Mark Jones and Renee Cross discuss the latest developments in the Houston Matters weekly roundup.

Nelson’s former colleagues in the Senate gave her resounding approval, avoiding another embarrassment for Gov. Greg Abbott, whose last three nominations for secretary of state did not receive confirmation.

The lieutenant governor has consolidated power in the Legislature and exercises near-total control of his chamber. Will anyone challenge him?

Senate Bill 2, authored by Senator Bryan Hughes, would also change the requirement that a person know he or she was voting illegally in order to be charged and convicted.

A sweeping education bill introduced in the Texas Senate late Friday would allow families to use taxpayer money to send their children to private schools, establish new opportunities for parents to review instruction material and impose new rules on how gender and sexual orientation is taught in all grades.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos

The priority bill, backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, reverses a change the Legislature made two years ago during an omnibus voting bill that made illegal voting a misdemeanor.

Lawmakers now have roughly two-and-a-half months to pass new bills.

If Texas’ budget surplus were distributed directly to Texans, it could pay for 12 years of school lunches, seven months of rent or 11,000 miles of travel. Here’s how to put the big number into perspective.

The bill, which has the blessing of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will create new rules on how gender and sexual orientation is taught.

The bill, which has the blessing of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, will create new rules on how gender and sexual orientation is taught. It will face a tougher test in the House.

Gun policy reform is the best way to address school safety, according to experts on a panel in Austin. They also cautioned against doubling down on surveillance technology.

The bill would require courts to send mental health information to the government agency that does criminal background checks for gun purchasers.

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.

Texas lawmakers this year are debating whether to block transgender kids’ access to transition-related health care, classify businesses that host drag shows as sexually oriented establishments and limit public school lessons on sexuality and gender identity.

The Texas Senate on Friday unveiled its priority school safety bill that would create a safety and security department housed in the Texas Education Agency. And the legislation would give the education commissioner more direct power to compel school districts to establish safety protocols for active-shooter situations.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News,

The bill, introduced months after the Uvalde school shooting, also allocates more funds to the state’s school safety allotment, which is money given to districts to improve campus security.

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.

The measure, endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, originally would have banned citizens of China, Iran, Russia or North Korea from buying land in Texas. Under a new version considered Thursday, the ban wouldn’t apply to dual citizens or lawful permanent residents.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s main property tax proposal unveiled Thursday calls for $17 billion in cuts and a stricter cap on how much school district taxes can go up each year — setting up a stark divide between the Texas Legislature’s two chambers on how to provide tax relief to property owners this session.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San

During dueling speeches to a conservative think tank in Austin, state House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who have a history of animus, split over property tax relief, criminal justice reform and school choice.

The measure, endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, originally would have banned citizens of China, Iran, Russia or North Korea from buying land in Texas. Under a new version considered Thursday, the ban wouldn’t apply to dual citizens or lawful permanent residents.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s proposal reveals the different roads the Texas House and Senate want to take on property taxes — and the fight that might emerge between the two chambers this session.

Senate Bill 2 would make illegal voting an offense punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. It’s one of several election-related bills before the Texas Legislature, several of which appear squarely aimed at Harris County.

Republican leaders in the Texas Senate are intent on raising the penalty for voting illegally from a misdemeanor to a second-degree felony, despite the lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud in Texas. The effort comes nearly two years after the Legislature passed a sweeping voting bill, Senate Bill 1, that lowered the penalties for such crimes to a misdemeanor — and then

In an interview with the Tribune, the governor also backed criminalizing some health care treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a conservative policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis.

Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Stephanie Muth told lawmakers Friday the agency will require a different set of skills from its employees as it changes how foster children’s cases are managed.

Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican, was booked into the Travis County jail at 2:12 a.m.

The Texas Sports Betting Alliance threw its weight behind new legislation Monday to let voters decided whether to legalize online sports betting.

Gambling legalization advocates in Texas are going all in again this legislative session, confident that they have built more support since their efforts came up far short in 2021.The push is still an[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Given the stiff headwinds, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.

Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.

The Texas Senate committee assignments for the 88th Legislative Session have been announced.

Conservative activists have pushed for legislative leaders to ban Democrats from leading committees.

We would like to know more about what you’re seeing in your community to help guide our reporting during the 88th legislative session.

Many officials are speaking out against the recently filed Texas Senate Bill 147, which would prohibit citizens and business entities from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing land within the state of Texas.

For the third straight legislative session, state Rep. Jarvis Johnson, D-Houston, has filed a bill to end Confederate Heroes Day as a state holiday.

After redistricting, the state constitution requires senators to draw lots to determine which half of the chamber will have four-year terms and which will have two-year terms. This keeps Senate district elections staggered every two years for the rest of the decade.

The redistricting process this year is mostly procedural and is not expected to produce very different results from the most recent process completed in 2021.

In the 2023 legislative session that convened Tuesday, 70% of lawmakers are men. More than half of the Senate and House members are white, and nearly half are white men.

The House chose Beaumont Republican Dade Phelan as speaker, keeping intact the Republican leadership term with Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick.

Look up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you.

The Texas Tribune is streaming the 2023 legislative session live from the Texas House and Senate chambers. The session runs from Jan. 10 to May 29.

Here’s a rundown of how a bill becomes a law, how the Texas Legislature works and the power players who keep things moving under the Pink Dome.

The move to take news reporters off the Senate floor was implemented in 2021 as a COVID-19 precaution, but an official said Friday the measure would continue in the upcoming session.

The move to take news reporters off the Senate floor was implemented in 2021 as a COVID-19 precaution, but an official said Friday the measure would continue in the upcoming session.

Republican Adam Hinojosa conceded Friday after a recount that included three counties in Senate District 27, the most competitive senate district in the state.

Nelson planned to retire from the Senate after 30 years in office. But her nomination will give Abbott a clearer path to having his nominee confirmed by the Senate after his last three have gone unconfirmed.

Nelson planned to retire from the Senate after 30 years in office. But her nomination will give Abbott a clearer path to having his nominee confirmed by the Senate after his last three have gone unconfirmed.

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Scott as secretary of state in October 2021, and he served in an interim capacity pending Senate confirmation. He is stepping down right before the legislative session in which his appointment would have come up for debate.

Republican Adam Hinojosa filed a petition for a recount in the three Rio Grande Valley counties that lifted his challenger Democrat Morgan LaMantia to victory on Election Day for Texas Senate District 27.

Adam Hinojosa finished 659 votes behind Democrat Morgan LaMantia in a race that garnered 175,415 total votes.

Following her reelection, Sen. Judith Zaffirini pre-filed 44 bills addressing the power grid, education, mental health, Daylight Savings Time and more.

Texas Tribune photographers spread out all over the state to document a momentous midterm election.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini has been reelected to represent the Texas Senate District 21 on...

Patrick will get another four years leading the Texas Senate, one of the state’s most powerful positions.

The unofficial early election results are showing strong leads for the incumbent Texas Senate candidates of District 21 and 25.

The 2022 General Election is being held on November 8. You can find results for Texas State Senate races in the Greater Houston area on Tuesday night here.

There’s never been a better time to lose an election.

In some battleground state legislative races, Republicans have been making overtures to those who believe the ban as too extreme. They have said they are open to revising the ban to include the exceptions — and even voiced confidence that the Legislature will do so when it reconvenes in January.

In the Sept. 22 editorial, “Let them speak,” there was one error we would like to have corrected. It was the Democratic candidate for Board of Education District 2 who called in sick and the Republican candidate for Texas Senate District 20 who called in sick, as he contracted COVID. First of all, the Democrats held the hearings because the Republicans refused to do so. Strays will continue to be a problem until the county steps up to increase the availability of affordable vet services. In the meantime, the city of Mission needs to improve the conditions and staffing at the Mission PAWS shelter.

Texas lawmakers on both sides of the aisle talked schools, abortion and guns in advance of next year’s session in a range of panels at The Texas Tribune Festival.

For example, members of the Railroad Commission don’t deal with railroads. Here’s what the many officials elected statewide do with the power voters give them.

The endorsement comes after Patrick’s Democratic opponent, Mike Collier, received endorsements from two Republicans, Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley and state Sen. Kel Seliger of Amarillo.

Advocates for transgender people say a federal ruling that gender dysphoria is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act could hurt conservative political efforts to restrict access to gender-affirming care.

Republicans are starting to pay more attention to Texas Senate District 27 — the only competitive Senate seat in November — but whether they will go all in remains an open question.

U.S. congresswoman Sylvia Garcia from Houston has proposed legislation that would require a minimum amount of breaks for construction workers, after similar legislation failed to pass through the Texas Senate in 2017.

In Hidalgo County, Lamantia earned 4,754 votes, or 49.37%, over Stapleton-Barrera, Alex Dominguez and Salomon Torres. Dominguez earned 1,711 votes in Hidalgo County, or 17.77%, while Stapleton-Barrera earned 2,365 votes and Torres earned 800 votes. In the Republican race for State Senate District 27, Adam Hinojosa earned 51.53% of the vote with 12,748 votes to Raul Torres’ 5,419 and Isreal Salinas’ 2,177. The Republican ticket for State Senate District 20 saw ​​Westley Wright with a commanding lead over Johnny Partain with 74.45% of the vote, 10,413 votes to 3,701. In Hidalgo County, Wright took 4,484 total votes over Partain’s 2,512 votes.

The race to replace state senator Eddie Lucio Jr. features four candidates, each with a competing vision for the future of their party.

The two will face off in a primary to represent Senate District 15, which includes Bellaire, The Heights and Humble.

The lawsuit alleges a GOP-drawn map of Texas Senate districts dilutes the voting power of minorities in North Texas. Attorneys say it could be a preview of what’s to come in the larger legal battle facing the state’s controversial new political boundaries.

Two of three candidates in the Texas Senate District 27 Republican primary race took part in a forum hosted by the citizen group Futuro RGV on Jan. 19.

Hays County will continue to be a part of Senate District 21, represented by Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo following the completion of the redistricting process for the Congressional, Texas Senate, Texas House and State Board of Education maps.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Analysis: After months of legislating, ranking the 2021 Texas House and Senate from right to left

HARLINGEN — Long-serving state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, announced Thursday that he will not seek re-election after three decades in the job.

Most elections, experts warn, could be over during primaries — which means fewer voters will be choosing candidates.