Bill requiring voters to show proof of citizenship clears Texas Senate
Senate Bill 16 would create new barriers for voters and new burdens for election officials. Full Story
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![Voters visit the White Oak Community Center during the first day of early voting on Monday October 21, 2024, in White Oak.]()
Credit: Michael Cavazos for The Texas Tribune -
Sheriffs would be required to cooperate with immigration agents under bill approved by Senate
Senate Bill 8 would require sheriffs in urban counties to enter into 287g agreements with ICE, which can then train deputies and jailers on how to identify and apprehend undocumented immigrants. Full Story
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![Webb County Sheriff and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain an individual in February 2021.]()
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Store, harvest, fix: How Texas can save its water supply
State lawmakers are poised to devote billions to save the state’s water supply. These are some of the ways the state could spend the money. Full Story
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![Treated water at the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in Austin, TX. The treatment plant will undergo a billion dollar expansion starting this summer to meet the increasing demand due to the growth the city has faced. Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate advances bill to allow smaller homes on smaller lots
Lawmakers, who are preempting locals on lot sizes in new subdivisions, have been eyeing ways to allow more homes to be built as the state faces a shortage. Full Story
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![The Mueller neighborhood in East Austin on Oct. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes hemp ban, a Dan Patrick priority
Patrick says the measure will shut down the dangerous THC products business. The House’s proposal would tighten oversight of the industry without a full ban. Full Story
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![A flowering cannabis plant at Texas Original cannabis farm on Sept. 26, 2024.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Lawmakers weigh moving bingo operations out of Texas Lottery’s purview amid agency’s uncertain future
A possible reassignment of the charitable games comes as 15 bills in the Legislature seek to either alter or abolish the troubled agency. Full Story
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans seek to clarify when doctors can intervene under abortion bans
A Senate bill filed Friday does not expand abortion access, but aims to give doctors clarity while operating under laws that come with up to life in prison. Full Story
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![A surgical suite at Eastland Memorial in Eastland on March 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Gary Rhodes for The Texas Tribune -
A Republican effort to set deadlines to plug orphan wells in Texas hits resistance
The bill would have set deadlines for the oil and gas industry to plug inactive wells, which can pose a danger to the environment. Full Story
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![A pump jack and a gas flare in the Eagle Ford oil patch south of San Antonio.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate majority unveils bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship
All 20 GOP senators signed on to Senate Bill 16, which would apply to currently registered voters, and restrict some to only congressional elections. Full Story
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![Jessika Morales, 33, assists Francisco Jubera, 63, who just moved into the county, to register to vote at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi, Texas on Sept. 11, 2024.]()
Credit: Gabriel V. Cárdenas for Votebeat -
Rafael Cruz, father of Ted Cruz, wants Texas to require school lessons about “evil” of communism
The prominent right-wing pastor told state lawmakers that an anti-communist curriculum is crucial to reaffirming that America is a “Christian country.” Full Story
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![Rafael Cruz, father of U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, testifies before the K-12 Senate education committee on March 11, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate panel sends message to Trump: Get our water from Mexico
Farmers and elected officials told a Senate committee Monday that the lack of water is becoming dire, with little relief in sight. Full Story
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![Water marks are seen on the dam gates and concrete at the Falcon Dam in Starr County on Aug. 18, 2022. This area of the reservoir is normally under water, but because of an extended drought, water levels have been below 20% full since earlier this year. The Falcon Dam was dedicated by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines in 1953.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Hemp industry pushes back against Senate bill to ban THC
There is little doubt that a ban will sail through the Senate. But its prospects are far less certain in the House. Full Story
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![Various Delta 8 THC products at a Valero station on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 in Spring Branch.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Senate wants more — and smaller — starter homes in new neighborhoods
The goal of the new legislation is to help drive down the cost of housing so that more Texans can afford homes. Full Story
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![Star Creek, a neighborhood in Allen, on May 8, 2023.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes ban on lottery sales through courier services
Unanimous passage in the Senate comes after top Texas officials say the third-party services undermine trust in the lottery. Full Story
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![Texas Lottery stand at an Austin convenience store on Feb. 20, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Teacher Retirement System leader says Senate voucher proposal would not harm retirement funds
A recent budget analysis noted the Texas Senate’s voucher bill could affect the fund if it leads students and teachers to leave public schools. Full Story
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate unanimously approves tax cuts for homeowners
The marquee proposal would increase the amount of a home’s value exemption from school taxes to $140,000 from $100,000. The legislation must win approval from the House next. Full Story
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![Housing development in Celina on Nov. 13, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill that lets families use tax dollars for private schools swiftly sails through Senate
Senate Bill 2 now heads to the House, where top officials say they have the support to create education savings accounts. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Senate take up Senate Bill 2, regarding school vouchers, during the 89th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature in Austin on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas senators fast-track school voucher bill for full vote
The Senate could vote on the proposal as soon as next week. Democrats on Tuesday criticized the bill saying it fails to prioritize the state’s neediest children. Full Story
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![State Sen. Brandon Creighton, chair of the Senate Committee on Education K-16, lays out the SB2 plan for an education savings account program at a hearing at the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 28, 2025.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Legislature should clarify Texas abortion law to protect mothers at risk
Patrick on Sunday said the Legislature should amend the language of the state’s near-total abortion ban to address confusion over when doctors may terminate pregnancies. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks at the Texas GOP Convention on Thursday, May 23, 2024, in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislature is back. Here’s what we’re watching.
From debating school vouchers and improving the state’s water supply to reining in property taxes, the GOP-led body will look to pass its conservative priorities amid fighting within the party. Full Story
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![State Representatives and their families gather on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune
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