State 977
Attorney General Paxton Closes Superior HealthPlan Investigation, Finds No Illegal Conduct
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton closed his investigation into Superior HealthPlan Insurance on Monday after finding it did not violate Texas law in its use of private investigators (PI) to collect data on lawmakers, journalists, and private citizens. Paxton first launched the investigation in late March, shortly after a fiery hearing in the House Committee […]
First Texas House Deadline Hits as House Bills Not Passed by Midnight Expire
The clock struck midnight in the Texas House on state Rep. Terry Wilson’s (R-Marble Falls) proposal to close a loophole that allows candidates to file for both a primary ballot slot and a third party convention nomination. That bill was less important thematically than what came next: state Rep. Brent Money’s (R-Greenville) House Bill 5561 […]
Senate Passes Bill to Abolish Texas Lottery Commission, Transfer Operations to Licensing Department
The Texas Senate passed a recently introduced piece of legislation that would abolish the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC), moving its operation to another agency, and place a number of safeguards in place for retailers and players. Senate Bill (SB) 3070, authored by Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood), is the latest effort to quell some of the […]
Texas Senate Committee Passes New Version of Public School Funding, Teacher Pay Raise Bill
The Texas Senate K-16 Education Committee took up a public school finance bill that seeks to inject more than $8 billion in new funding into Texas schools. The Senate committee substitute includes several modifications to House Bill (HB) 2, which is one half of the “Texas Two Step” education package from the lower chamber. The […]
Texas House Approves Enhanced ‘Junk Science Writ’ Following Roberson Controversy
The Texas House passed a bill this week aiming to improve access to relief for individuals whose convictions or sentences may have been undermined by evolving scientific understanding. House Bill (HB) 115 was presented to the lower chamber on Wednesday by bill author Rep. David Cook (R-Mansfield). He explained that the Legislature had previously passed […]
Bill Decriminalizing Homosexual Conduct Passes Texas House
Legislation seeking to decriminalize homeosexual conduct in state code passed an initial vote in the Texas House on Thursday night with a degree of bipartisan support. Rep. Venton Jones (D-Dallas), a self-identified gay man, carried House Bill (HB) 1738 successfully through the lower chamber with bipartisan joint author support from Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) and […]
At a Premium: Texas Legislature Mulls Reforms to Cumbersome Insurance Industry
Among the weediest issues the Texas Legislature is attacking this session is insurance, an industry with ballooning premiums caused by general uncertainty on one end and certainty of payout on the other. “Insurance is the practice of assigning a dollar amount to risk,” state Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) told the House Insurance Committee in March. […]
Texas Senator Files Bill to Abolish Texas Lottery Commission, Transfer Operations
With less than 30 days left in the 89th Legislative Session, a Texas senator has introduced a new bill to address growing concerns regarding the Texas Lottery Commission (TLC) by abolishing the agency and moving its operations to another department. Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) late Monday afternoon filed Senate Bill (SB) 3017, which would abolish […]
Texas House Passes Bill Eliminating STAAR Test
With near-unanimous agreement, the Texas House passed a bill to reform the state’s public school accountability system by eliminating the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. “It’s gonna be a great day in the Texas house,” Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado) declared while laying out House Bill (HB) 4. × This page requires […]
Texas House, Senate Pass Bipartisan Reform to Affordable Housing Tax Exemption Program
The Texas House overwhelmingly passed reforms to a controversial affordable housing program over the weekend, with more than 100 members voting to crack down on alleged abuses of the system that critics say did little to provide reduced rents for low-income families. In a lopsided bipartisan vote of 113 to 15, members approved Rep. Gary […]
Texas House Passes Bipartisan Reform to Affordable Housing Tax Exemption Program
The Texas House overwhelmingly passed reforms to a controversial affordable housing program over the weekend, with more than 100 members voting to crack down on alleged abuses of the system that critics say did little to provide reduced rents for low-income families. In a lopsided bipartisan vote of 113 to 15, members approved Rep. Gary […]
Prohibition on Local Taxpayer-Funded Gun ‘Buybacks’ Passes Texas House
Legislation banning counties or cities from funding or conducting gun “buyback” programs passed the Texas House on Tuesday afternoon, on the basis that it wastes taxpayer dollars and has proven ineffective in reducing crime. House Bill (HB) 3053 by Rep. Wesley Virdell (R-Brady) successfully made its way through the the lower chamber with 85 votes […]
