State
Senator Seeks To Stop School Electioneering on Taxpayers’ Dime
State Sen. Brian Birdwell’s bill aims to prevent misuse of public resources to influence elections.
Texas Senate Moves Quickly as Patrick Releases More Legislative Priorities
Patrick reiterated that while only 40 bills carry his official priority designation, the Senate is set to pass hundreds of bills.
F.U.R.R.I.E.S. Act Would Ban Animal Behavior in Class
The proposal would require all public school districts to include prohibitions on “non-human behavior” in their student codes of conduct.
Analysis: If You Don’t Want to Register as a Lobbyist, Just Hire One
“It’s not easy, I understand. It’s certainly not intuitive,” said TEC Chairman Randy Erben, explaining the state’s lobbyist registration laws.
State Archive
Incoming Lawmaker Proposes Two-term Limit for House Speaker
The speaker of the House could be limited to two terms if state lawmakers approve incoming State Rep. Mitch Little's newly filed proposal. House Bill 1758, one of the shorter pieces of legislation filed this session, states that no speaker candidate would be eligible...
Tarrant County GOP Chair Presses Lawmakers To Abide by Caucus Rules in Speaker Vote
Texas House members are set to vote on their next speaker in one week—and Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French is pressing lawmakers to abide by caucus rules. On social media platform X, French noted that State Representatives Charlie Green (R-Fort Worth), Giovanni...
Meet the Freshmen: Helen Kerwin
Helen Kerwin, who defeated incumbent DeWayne Burns in the Republican primary, is bringing her experience as a former mayor and county commissioner to the Texas House. Motivated by both local and statewide issues, Kerwin says her decision to run was rooted in a desire...
Ken Paxton Calls for Republican Unity Ahead of Legislative Session
It’s time for Republicans to lead the Texas House. That was the message delivered by Attorney General Ken Paxton to a packed room in Leander on Tuesday, as hundreds gathered to hear his remarks just one week before the Texas Legislature convenes. The race for speaker...
Abbott Appoints Blacklock as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Sullivan as Justice
Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Jimmy Blacklock as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas and James P. Sullivan as a justice on the court. Blacklock, a member of the Federalist Society, has served on the Texas Supreme Court since January 2018. Before that, he...
Experts Warn Enrollment-based School Funding Would Be Wasted on ‘Ghost Students’
While some Texas school districts are advocating for a new system of funding based on student enrollment, public policy experts say the process would force taxpayers to pay for “ghost students.” A ghost student is a student who appears on a school’s roster but has...
Dan Patrick Warns Against ‘Counterfeit Speaker’ in Texas House Race
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has issued a strongly worded statement ahead of the Texas House speaker election, urging Republicans to support the party’s caucus nominee, State Rep. David Cook, and reject what he called a “counterfeit Speaker” scenario where a Republican is...
Report: Texas Land Still Vulnerable to Ownership by Hostile Nations
Specialists state Texans remain vulnerable to hostile powers buying land in their state. The road to addressing this may not be easy. Concern about hostile powers buying up land in Texas has escalated for the past few years. It started when it was widely reported that...
Meet the Freshmen: Katrina Pierson
Katrina Pierson, former spokesperson for Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, is preparing to take a seat in the Texas House after defeating incumbent Justin Holland in the Republican primary. A veteran of the Tea Party movement, Pierson says her campaign was...