State government

State Rep. James White, an East Texas Republican, won't seek another term in Texas House

by Patrick Svitek and Colleen DeGuzman June 11, 2021

White, chairman of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee, has served in the lower chamber since 2011. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott wants to build a border wall, but does Texas have the ability — or money — to do so?

by James Barragán and Heidi Pérez-Moreno June 11, 2021

Critics have denounced Abbott's proposal as "political theater" that won't pass legal muster. But the two-term Republican governor says it's time to secure the border. Full Story 

Republicans think they can take South Texas — especially after a win in McAllen

by James Barragán June 11, 2021

Statewide officials are campaigning in the Democratic stronghold and GOP groups are now targeting statehouse districts. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas will build a border wall, but doesn’t yet give details on cost or location

by Heidi Pérez-Moreno Updated: June 10, 2021

The governor suggested more details would be released next week. The announcement Thursday of several initiatives is the latest in an ongoing conflict between Abbott, a Republican, and Democratic President Joe Biden's administration. Full Story 

Analysis: Ken Paxton’s attractive troubles

by Ross Ramsey June 10, 2021

The 2022 political season is just starting, but there are already three Republicans with statewide experience running for attorney general — including the incumbent. Full Story 

Lawyers prosecuting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s fraud case challenge decision to move trial back to his home county

by James Barragán Updated: June 9, 2021

Last month, a divided three-judge panel ruled that the case should move back to Collin County. Prosecutors are asking the full 1st Court of Appeals to review and reverse that ruling, potentially further delaying the 6-year-old case. Full Story 

Texas’ 1836 Project aims to promote “patriotic education,” but critics worry it will gloss over state’s history of racism

by Heidi Pérez-Moreno June 9, 2021

The project is essentially an advisory committee designed to promote the state’s history to Texas residents, largely through pamphlets given to people receiving driver’s licenses. Full Story 

Texas power generation companies will have to better prepare for extreme weather under bills Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law

by Isabella Zou Updated: June 9, 2021

Senate Bills 2 and 3 are aimed at overhauling the state’s power grid after the devastating winter storm in February and the widespread power outages that followed. Full Story 

An anti-abortion program will receive $100 million in the next Texas budget, but there’s little data on what’s being done with the money

by Shannon Najmabadi and Carla Astudillo June 8, 2021

Critics say the fast-growing Alternatives to Abortion program is secretive and a “waste” of money. But the program has strong supporters in the Republican-controlled Legislature who say it helps those who decide to “choose life in difficult circumstances.” Full Story 

Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman resigns

by Cassandra Pollock Updated: June 7, 2021

Her resignation is effective Friday, she told Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill to punish businesses that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination

by Karen Brooks Harper June 7, 2021

Abbott's signature means that businesses that require so-called vaccine passports can't get state contracts and could lose state licenses or operating permits. Full Story 

Texas House rallies behind Speaker Dade Phelan, even as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blames him for GOP legislative failures

by Cassandra Pollock and James Barragán June 7, 2021

Phelan has touted a list of conservative wins in his first session as House leader, such as passing legislation to let Texans carry handguns without a license and approving some of the strictest restrictions on abortion in the country. Full Story 

Analysis: The Texas electric grid and the improvements that didn’t come

by Ross Ramsey June 7, 2021

Texas lawmakers passed major bills in response to the winter storm power outages that killed hundreds of Texans in February. But there’s still a lot to do. Full Story 

Despite GOP majority, a number of conservative “bumper sticker” issues fell short

by Alana Rocha, Justin Dehn and Todd Wiseman June 5, 2021

The Tribune’s Ross Ramsey breaks down the big takeaways from the 2021 Legislature. Listen in the weekend edition of The Brief podcast. Full Story 

In fight against Texas GOP’s voting bill, options are limited for Democrats in Congress and the White House

by Abby Livingston June 4, 2021

The filibuster stands in the way of Democrats passing bills aimed at expanding access to the vote. Meanwhile, the executive branch has lost one of its most powerful tools for intervening. Full Story 

Allen West resigns as chair of Texas Republican Party, says he's mulling statewide run

by Patrick Svitek Updated: June 4, 2021

West declined to say whether he was eyeing any particular statewide office, though he told a radio host earlier Friday morning that the host was "safe" to assume West was mulling a gubernatorial run. Full Story 

Texas Republican leaders promised action on gun safety after the El Paso shooting. Instead, they passed permitless carry.

by Sami Sparber June 4, 2021

The Legislature passed a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training — an expansion of gun rights so divisive Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it. Full Story 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott could be upsetting balance of powers with threat to veto Texas Legislature’s pay

by James Barragán June 3, 2021

A governor targeting the Legislature’s budget would be unprecedented in Texas history. Full Story 

Texas’ GOP leadership already at odds over plans for special legislative session

by Patrick Svitek and Cassandra Pollock June 3, 2021

Since House Democrats staged a walkout that killed Republicans’ priority elections bill for the regular session, the governor and the leaders of the state House and Senate have diverged notably in interviews about how they are approaching the overtime round. Full Story 

Everyday Texans overlooked in state lawmakers' response to power outages during winter storm

by Erin Douglas and Mitchell Ferman June 3, 2021

While lawmakers took significant steps toward preventing another blackout, hardly any of the proposals passed during this legislative session will aid consumers in recovering from the February storm — but they’ll see higher utility bills. Full Story