Business tax breaks closer to reality after Texas Senate approves compromise
The Texas House must approve changes to the proposal that were brokered by party leaders. It’s part of a package of bills to bring down property taxes statewide. Full Story
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![Small businesses are reflected in a storefront window in downtown Smithville on Mar. 11, 2024.]()
Credit: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune -
Clock is ticking for Texas’ $8 billion school funding bill
Senators will hold a hearing Thursday on their counterproposal to the House's school funding bill. House Democrats and public education advocates have criticized the upper chamber for not moving faster to advance the legislation. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students line up to enter their next class on Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
“A gift to our mothers”: Moms could drive solo in car pool lanes under Texas House bill
The bill originally allowed pregnant women to drive in HOV lanes, to be consistent with Texas abortion laws, but legislators extended it to all mothers. Full Story
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![A toll road in Austin on Dec. 17, 2019.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
It’s not just about vouchers and school funding. Here are other Texas public education bills you should track.
Student discipline, uncertified teachers and school bans on DEI and cellphones are some of the topics being debated at the Texas Legislature this session. Full Story
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![A classroom at Kennedy-Powell Elementary in Temple on April 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
Proposals to require judges to deny bail more often advance through House panel, signaling a broader agreement
Amending the Texas Constitution to crack down on the state’s bail practices has been an elusive priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s for three consecutive sessions. Full Story
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![An Austin Bail Bonds II sign near Interstate 35 on Feb. 5, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
6 takeaways about Alex Fairly’s journey into Texas GOP politics
Texas’ newest Republican megadonor Alex Fairly got a look under the hood of Texas’ far-right political machine, and didn’t like what he saw. Here are six takeaways from his exclusive interview with The Texas Tribune. Full Story
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![Alex Fairly attends a board of directors meeting for the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation on Monday, April 21, 2025, in Amarillo.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas allows certain children to get married. Lawmakers may close that loophole.
Lawmakers in 2017 took a major step to end most child marriages. However, emancipated teenagers 16 and older can get married. Full Story
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![The Capitol dome is seen from the north side of the complex in Austin on March 18, 2025.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers want to spend millions on Child ID kits. Experts say there’s no evidence they work.
Texas legislators slipped millions for child ID kits into a 1,000-page budget proposal. The move comes two years after they quietly cut funding for such kits following a ProPublica and Texas Tribune report that showed there’s no evidence they work. Full Story
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Credit: Lauren Crow for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
Texas lawmakers want to lower homeowners' insurance costs, but have few options
Texans pay some of the highest insurance premiums in the country, putting lawmakers under pressure to tackle rising costs. Full Story
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![Homes in a college neighborhood off Park Place in College Station, Texas, on April 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Ishika Samant for The Texas Tribune -
Texas may put restraints on new big businesses hoping to tap into the energy grid
According to ERCOT, the state’s energy demand may double in six years. Full Story
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![The recently-opened Edge Data Center in Amarillo on March 19, 2025.]()
Credit: Angelina Marie for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House committee advances legislation that targets state’s universities
Senate bills that reduce the influence of faculties and restrict protests on college campuses were voted out of committee in a last-minute meeting Monday. Full Story
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![The University of Texas at Austin campus.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Lottery and billions in school funding in limbo as deadline nears at Capitol
Lawmakers must act on two bills in order to ensure the lottery continues past September, or find a way to make up the $2 billion for schools the game provides yearly. Full Story
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![A Texas Lottery billboard in El Paso, Texas on March 14, 2025.]()
Credit: Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
Private school vouchers are now law in Texas. Here’s how they will work.
Texas will give participating families about $10,000 to pay for their kids’ private schooling. Other details about the program, set to launch in 2026, are unclear. Full Story
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![Governor Greg Abbott signs SB2 authorizing educational savings accounts (ESA's) helping parents pay private school tuition for their children during a ceremony at the Texas Governor's Mansion on May 3, 2025.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
SpaceX workers in South Texas vote yes to create City of Starbase
Critics of Elon Musk and SpaceX say that a new city will give more power to a company they believe is harming the environment. Full Story
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![SpaceX Starbase, situated off of State Highway 4, is framed in a windshield on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS -
Will Saturday’s elections be the last one in May for Texas?
The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections, which have the lowest turnout of any election. Full Story
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![Love Vial, center, votes at the West Gray Multiservice Center in Houston on Election Day, Nov. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Watch the TribCast team discuss legislative session’s impact on Texas schools and libraries
During our TribCast Live event at Austin Central Library, we explained what happened, looked ahead toward the impact on Texas schools, and heard from experts about what comes next Full Story
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Texas House panel advances THC bill with stricter regulations — but no ban — for hemp industry
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called banning THC products a top priority. The latest draft of the lower chamber’s THC regulation bill would allow retailers to continue selling edibles and drinks. Full Story
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![Restart CBD displays beverages in a fridge on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Beverages are a really interesting opportunity for this industry as they are accessible like edibles, but also allow for people to consume drinks that aren’t alcohol but still have some sort of benefit.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Can Texas clean up fracking water enough to use for farming? One company thinks so.
The Texas Legislature has also invested millions in research to clean the fracking wastewater. Critics say it’s not a viable solution to the state’s water crisis. Full Story
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![Technical Research & Development Manager Adrianne Lopez gives a tour of the Texas Pacific Water Resources’ project site greenhouse on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, outside of Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will share equipment database with local fire departments to help beat wildfires
The legislation, which won unanimous approval in both chambers, was written following the state’s historic Panhandle wildfires last year. Full Story
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![A firefighter with Forest Bend Fire Department extinguishes flames at the site of the Borrega wildfire on March 31, 2022. The wildfire burned through a large part of the King Ranch and surrounding areas in Brooks, Jim Wells and Kleberg counties.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Wide-ranging crackdown on abortion pills passes Texas Senate
The bill gives the state new tools to try to stop the flow of abortion pills, but critics say it’s legally dubious on several fronts. Full Story
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![A nurse drops Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, into a patient's hand at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, on April 9, 2024.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein