State news in Texas
Statewide Texas News
Measure Placing the ‘Gulf of America’ Into Texas Law Heads to House
The proposal follows a federal executive order renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America.”
Bill Targeting Explicit Library Materials in Schools Clears House and Senate
It’s the first Texas GOP priority bill to make its way to the governor.
Texas House Weakens Transactional Gold Bill Before Passage
An amendment requires federal court approval before the legislation can take effect.
Analysis: Was the Rigging of a $95M Jackpot Legal? No.
Here are the laws that were likely broken in April 2023.
State Archive
Ready or Not, Most Texans Will Use Countywide Voting in November
With Texas’ five largest counties now approved to use countywide voting, a majority of Texans who vote on Election Day this November will do so at countywide vote centers, meaning voters can cast ballots at any polling location within their county. But a hearing last...
Texas Lawyers Urged to Reject Judicial Nominating Commissions
Adoption of a judicial nominating commission could push Texas courts further to the left, one expert argued at a meeting of Texas attorneys last weekend. Speaking in Austin at the Texas Chapters Conference of the Federalist Society, an organization of conservative and...
Activists Fear Fallon Will Flake Out of Cornyn Challenge
Earlier this month, State Sen. Pat Fallon (R-Frisco) told nearly 200 activists he was considering mounting a primary campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn. Many Texas GOP activists were excited at the news Fallon could enter the race, seeing him as the most...
More Candidates File for Texas’ 11th Congressional District
A total of six candidates have now filed to join the Republican Primary race for Texas’ 11th Congressional District, according to Federal Election Commission filing records. The seat became vacant last month after Congressman Mike Conaway (R–Midland) announced his...
Bob Hall: “Zero Compromise” on Gun Control
While some Republicans in the state Capitol are lining up with Democrats to advocate for increased gun-control laws in the wake of recent shootings, one state senator is drawing a line in the sand. In an exclusive this week, State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood) told Texas...
Cruz Splits from Patrick on Gun-Control Proposal: “A Serious Mistake”
With gun-control measures at the center of a debate in Austin and Washington, D.C., another Texas Republican is sounding off about mandatory background check proposals. At a breakfast event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz was asked to...
Abbott Moves to Right of Patrick on Gun Control
On Thursday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott released a list of suggestions for the state legislature on gun violence, following roundtable meetings in the wake of the El Paso and Odessa shootings. Dubbed the “Texas Safety Action Report,” many of Abbott’s suggestions are...
Lone Star Agenda Advocates Ask Abbott for Special Session
A dozen grassroots organizations delivered a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott Thursday asking for a special session to pass the “Lone Star Agenda,” a package of conservative reforms intended to unite voters ahead of the upcoming elections. “In the face of increasing...
State Legislature Forces School Boards to Lower Property Tax Rates
As a result of a recently passed state law, school property tax rates will be reduced in the 2019 tax year. Whether or not individual taxpayers will pay a lower tax bill will depend on the amount their property has increased in taxable value. Although the exact rate...