The latest 86th Legislative Session news from The Texas Tribune.
A recent EPA decision will allow Texas to regulate water discharges from oil drilling operations. Some lawmakers see a future water supply for the state in the decision, while environmental groups — and some scientists — warn it could be risky. Full Story
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Several Texas lawmakers said they would not vote to end the system of partisan judicial elections, which critics say allows for the appearance of impropriety if not bias itself. Full Story
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The Texas legislative session begins Jan. 12, and members are heading into the Christmas holiday faced with several unknowns. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the TribCast, Emma talks to Ross, Edgar and Patrick about the challenges of vaccine distribution in rural Texas, the latest in the allegations against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the controversial new head of the state GOP. Full Story
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In this week's episode, Matthew talks to Ross, Abby and Patrick about Democrats falling short of their goals for Texas and the latest on the race for state House speaker. Full Story
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An August budget document shows funding for the anti-abortion program would be maintained, but reduced for doctors and clinics that provide reduced-cost contraception and health screenings. Full Story
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The Texas A&M University System Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing has a federal contract to mass-manufacture doses of a candidate COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Novavax. Full Story
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McGinty, the CFO of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, will lead an embattled agency of nonpartisan budget analysts who have been without an executive director since October 2018. Full Story
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After losing a case at the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court, millionaire Salem Abraham set out to mathematically test the idea that campaign contributions influence the elected justices. Now he wants to change the system. Full Story
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A new commission had barely begun to study Texas' partisan judicial election system when the leader of the Texas Senate signaled skepticism of reform. Full Story
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A legal opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said that facilitating state employees' donations to Planned Parenthood falls under a 2019 state law prohibiting government entities from entering into "taxpayer resource transactions" with abortion providers or their affiliates. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers, convinced that 2018’s voters were telling them to get some serious work done, steered (mostly) away from social and cultural issues to concentrate on “meat and potatoes” items voters demanded, starting with schools and property taxes. Full Story
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Abbott has set a Dec. 1 deadline for agencies to tell his office how they plan to limit regulations, reduce fees and, "where appropriate," remove licensing barriers for people with criminal records. Full Story
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While voters supported most changes to the Texas Constitution, they opposed a measure that would allow elected municipal judges to work in more than one jurisdiction. Full Story
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The quick political demise of Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen is the kind of insider news that buttresses what many think about people in politics — and trust. Full Story
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We're livestreaming this week's TribCast recording, hosted by The Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith and featuring political reporters Cassi Pollock, Alex Samuels and Patrick Svitek. They break down the Dennis Bonnen tape released Tuesday. Full Story
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In the hourlong conversation with Michael Quinn Sullivan, the leader of the Texas House is heard offering press credentials and asking for political support for challengers in the 2020 primaries. Full Story
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A new law increased the punishment for failing to stop and render aid to match the sentence for DWI manslaughter. The goal is to deter drunken drivers from leaving the scene of an accident. Full Story
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The conservative Empower Texans leader was out of favor with Republican state leaders at the end of the legislative session. Now he's on the outs with them in a whole new way. Full Story
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On Tuesday night, the Austin City Council approved $150,000 for organizations that help women afford incidental costs like transportation, lodging and childcare when they seek an abortion. Full Story
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