State news in Texas
Statewide Texas News
Dr. Mary Talley Bowden’s Social Media Use Under Scrutiny in Hearing
The Texas Medical Board highlighted Dr. Bowden’s use of social media in a hearing before state administrative law judges.
Texas Lottery Commissioners Finalize Ban on Ticket Resellers
The move comes amid pressure from lawmakers to take action on ticket resellers and address connections to suspicious jackpot winnings.
Republican Lawmakers Challenge Speaker Burrows Over Stalled Party Priorities
State Reps. Andy Hopper and Brent Money attempted to force votes on E-Verify and a taxpayer-funded lobbying ban, but were shut down by Speaker Dustin Burrows.
TAMU President Promotes DEI-Defending Academic to Lead Civics Initiative
Civic program becoming another example of the controversial “shared governance” philosophy.
State Archive
Could Standardized Tests Become Target in Texas Budget Debate?
As lawmakers in the Texas House prepare to debate the state’s budget on Wednesday, one proposed amendment could bring attention to standardized testing. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, commonly known as the STAAR test, is the state’s standardized...
Bill Compels Counties to Conduct Voter List Maintenance
A minor change in the wording of Texas’ election code could have a major impact on the accuracy of the state’s voter rolls by clarifying that county voter registration officials’ list maintenance activities are mandatory, not optional. House Bill 3576, authored by...
Texas Democrats Abandon Abortion Survivors in House Committee
Public testimony on a pro-life bill was scheduled to be heard Monday morning in a House committee. That is, until four Democrats united to delay the hearing. The House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence was set to take public testimony on House Bill 16 by...
Lawmakers Aim to Boost Participation in High-Stakes School Elections
Texas lawmakers are aiming to stop some of the state’s highest-taxing government entities from holding elections when the lowest number of voters participate. Senate Bill 1048 would require Texas school districts to hold all elections for school board trustees and for...
The Granny Tax is Back: Lawmakers are Trying to Tax Nursing Home Residents Again
In January of this year, Texas Scorecard posed the question: “Who Is Trying to Tax Granny In 2019?” The question appears to have been answered. In the opening weeks of the 86th Texas Legislature, lobbyists for nursing homes and their operators shopped around a plan to...
Election Integrity Bill Targets Mail Ballot Fraud
An omnibus election integrity bill introduced in the Texas Senate this week takes aim at mail ballot voter fraud, the most common form of vote stealing. Senate Bill 9, authored by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola), targets holes in voting processes—including voting...
Brett Busby Takes Seat on Texas Supreme Court
The state’s highest civil court has a new justice on the bench. Shortly after receiving his confirmation from the Texas Senate on Wednesday, Brett Busby was sworn in as the newest member of the Texas Supreme Court, filling a vacancy left by former Justice Phil...
Campus Speech Legislation Passes Unanimously in Senate
Legislation to protect free speech on college campuses is one step closer to the governor’s desk, after being passed unanimously out of the Texas Senate on Wednesday. Senate Bill 18, by State Sen. Joan Huffman (R–Houston), seeks to reverse the trend by requiring...
An Outright Red-Light Camera Ban at Risk in Texas Senate
Municipal police and local officials from across Texas descended on Austin Tuesday hoping to defeat citizen-led efforts to ban red-light cameras in the Lone Star State. While unsuccessful in scuttling the law, taxpayers should be concerned that bureaucrats were able...