State news in Texas
Statewide Texas News
House Lawmaker Proposes DNA Testing at Southern Border to Prevent Child Trafficking
State Rep. Leo Wilson’s proposal would require state authorities to attempt to work with federal law enforcement officials to stop child trafficking at the southern border.
Illegal Aliens Cost Texas Hospitals $121.8 Million in Just One Month
Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order mandates that hospitals report quarterly on the costs of providing care to individuals in the country illegally.
House Committee Considers Legislation Creating Penalties for Distributing Abortion Pills
Texas Right to Life estimates that abortion pills are being used to end thousands of pregnancies each year.
Lawmakers Consider Measures to Ensure Only US Citizens Vote in Texas Elections
Proposed proof-of-citizenship requirements align with provisions of the federal SAVE Act, which awaits Senate approval.
State Archive
Fallon Makes Surprise Announcement, Exploring Senate Challenge to Cornyn
At a meeting of the True Texas Project in Northeast Tarrant County, State Sen. Pat Fallon (R–Prosper) surprised attendees by officially announcing he is creating an exploratory committee to potentially take on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the 2020 Republican Primary....
Patrick Standing by Calls for Gun Control: NRA is “Just Wrong on This”
Despite pressure from gun-rights activists, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is standing by his calls for gun control. Last week, Patrick took heat from conservatives after telling a Dallas-area paper he was “willing to take an arrow” to lead Texas towards adopting gun-control...
NRA Blasts Patrick’s Gun-Control Proposal
The nation’s largest pro-Second Amendment organization had choice words for one of Texas’ top elected officials. Friday afternoon, just two days following the formation of the Texas Senate’s newly assembled Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community...
Abbott Takes Executive Action on Gun Violence
While conservatives are pushing back against talk from lawmakers on increased gun-control laws, Gov. Greg Abbott has taken executive action. In a post on Twitter on Wednesday, Abbott highlighted newly formed, select committees in the Texas House and Senate on “Mass...
Saginaw Proposes Property Tax Hike
Saginaw officials have proposed a tax rate that would raise the average homeowner’s city property tax bill nearly 11 percent from last year and nearly 57 percent from just six years ago, from $533 to $836. Data from the Tarrant Appraisal District shows that from...
Abbott Urges Compromise on Gun Laws
As Texas Democrats rallied to demand a special session on gun-control measures, Gov. Greg Abbott refused to rule out any of the Democrats’ proposals. Instead, he’s urging Democrats to stop speaking from behind the media and “start talking to colleagues in the Capitol...
Debate on Second Amendment Engulfs Social Media Again
Texas politicians are starkly opposed in their reactions to the recent shootings in El Paso and Odessa. From statewide elected officials down to lawmakers in the state Capitol, politicians of every stripe are sounding off online, making known their would-be public...
Will House Republicans Back Bonnen’s Candidate?
Beginning tomorrow, the Texas House Republican Caucus will begin voting on a new vice chair. The results of the in-caucus election for the post will demonstrate for Texans whether House Republicans are willing to continue condoning the corruption within their ranks...
Smithee: GOP Caucus Has “Texas-Sized Mess On Its Hands”
State Rep. John Smithee (R–Amarillo) is the latest lawmaker to speak out against State Rep. Stephanie Klick (R–Fort Worth) and her decision, as chair of the Texas House Republican Caucus, to deny members an in-person meeting. On Friday of last week, 30 members of the...