In 2001, Texas Republicans saw expanding college access for certain undocumented students as a way to build an educated workforce. Now, some GOP lawmakers feel only U.S. citizens should receive those benefits.

The program would give low income families an extra $120 per child for summer lunches, but federal debate about food benefits could endanger the program.

Texas passed sweeping changes to cannabis policy, including expanding the medical marijuana program and banning hemp products, while also boosting psychedelics research.

At the same time, some Democrats acknowledged the Lubbock Republican let them leave their mark on some of the GOP bills they disagreed with.

A bill headed for Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk may not go into effect until 2027. Election administrators say the changes could create staffing challenges.

The trial of the Peruvian woman was the first test of the Trump administration’s new policy aimed at prosecuting immigrants who crossed the border illegally with military-related charges.

The 33 potential voting violations are a tiny fraction of the roughly 11 million who cast ballots in the November 2024 election.

Jones, a Democrat elected to the Texas House in 2022 and previously served on the Houston City Council, joins a slate of candidates running to fill the solidly blue seat.

Far from the Capitol, students at Texas Tech spend time examining the quality of beef for meat judging competitions.

Michael Curry, Joe Lonsdale, Beto O’Rourke, Katie Phang and Margaret Spellings, among many others, join us this November in downtown Austin

Not long ago, developers of the massive server farms talked about powering them with wind and solar energy. Now they’re bypassing the grid and building their own gas-fired power plants on site.

Lawmakers sought to close gaps in education and support funding for agriculture, disaster preparedness and health care this year.

Within hours of a federal lawsuit targeting Texas’ policy of letting undocumented students qualify for lower public tuition rates, the 24-year-old law was no more.

The spending package will give schools more money for staff pay raises, operational expenses, special education and more.

Buoyed by the Trump administration's willingness to place restrictions on food assistance programs, Texas moves to limit junk food.

Texas is slated to spend $51 billion on property tax cuts over the next two years. Some worry that’s unsustainable.

People at the raided house say they rented it for a birthday party and deny any connection to the gang. One man says law enforcement accused him of being in Tren de Aragua because of his tattoo.

Will Texas be able to keep the lights on and water flowing til the next legislative session?

A package of bills aims to better prepare the state to prevent and fight wildfires.

An agenda driven by conservative priorities, schools’ financial duress and teacher needs led to an $8.5 billion boost, new discipline rules, more Christianity in classrooms and a DEI ban.

Abbott faces pressure from both sides of the aisle. The prohibition was a priority for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, but some hemp farmers and veterans want it killed.

House and Senate members agreed that judges needed a pay raise. But they spent the final hours of the legislative session debating whether Texas lawmakers should also benefit from the boost.

Tinderholt attributed his decision to retire to his confidence in a new conservative generation of lawmakers and a desire to spend more time with his family.

The Legislature wrapped up without the same drama that defined the end of the last two sessions, with state GOP leaders checking off nearly everything on their to-do lists.

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath applauded the district for its improvements while citing the need for more time to “achieve lasting success for students.”

Former Empower Texans leader Michael Quinn Sullivan has challenged a $10,000 fine from the Texas Ethics Commission for failure to register as a lobbyist for more than 10 years at nearly every level of the state court system.

Texas is poised to lead the country in an initiative to inform denizens of what’s in their food. Food industry experts say it’s going too far.

Texas lawmakers bypassed bills that would have restricted “forever chemicals” in sewage sludge, studied health impacts and banned some uses of PFAS-laced firefighting foams.

A set of property tax cut bills in Texas Legislature, Senate Bill 4 and Senate Bill 23, are now headed to Governor Greg Abbott’s desk for signature.

State legislators passed an array of bills this year aimed at reining in the state’s high home prices and rents.

The state standardized test has long been criticized for taking instructional time away from teachers and putting unnecessary pressure on students.

Local organizations strongly opposed the measure, hosting phone banking events to urge lawmakers to vote against the bill.

The goal of the bill, according to the author, was to curb “nuclear verdicts” — ones that award victims $10 million or more.

A bill to increase judicial salaries from $140,000 to $175,000 a year stalled amid a disagreement over lawmakers’ own retirement benefits.

Tensions flared and the debate turned personal as Republicans said their bill empowered parents and denied predictions that the ban will endanger children.

A boost in public school spending, school vouchers, and money for water systems are other highlights of the state budget, which was bolstered by a $24 billion surplus.

Research shows cellphones interfere with students' ability to focus in class. Texas would join at least nine other states that ban students from using their phones during the school day.

The Legislature has approved a conference committee report that lists sales to certain people from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran as threats to national security.

Senate Bill 3, a controversial measure that would ban all THC products in Texas, has officially passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature. The bill is now on Governor Greg Abbott’s desk, where he will make the final decision on whether it becomes law.

Gov. Greg Abbott has already said he intends to sign the bill, which will give schools funding for salary increases, special education, teacher preparation and operational costs.

Texas property owners can use nearly as much water under their land as they want. That’s unlikely to change even as the state approaches a crisis.

Reallocated funding for the program that will go to providers will benefit nearly 95,000 children on a waitlist for scholarships.

House Bill 3006 would have required the installation of climate control in state prison by 2032.

Critics say House Bill 229, which has gone to the governor, discriminates against trans people, but the full effect remains to be seen.

House Bill 186, approved by the lower chamber in May, never received a vote in the Senate.

House Bill 6, which now heads to the governor, targets the increase in violence that has plagued schools since the pandemic.

Supporters said the proposal, which sought to amend the state constitution, would improve safety. Critics said it would violate due process and unfairly target minority groups.

The harassment allegedly took place while the two were on leave from the agency working on Paxton’s impeachment defense.

At least four companies say they are prepared to treat the water well enough to be released into rivers in West Texas. Environmental groups say the state is moving too fast.

Lawmakers filed dozens of bills that would increase transparency around spending in elections and strengthen penalties for campaign and lobbying violations. None are poised to pass.

Many trans Texans have changed the sex listed on their birth certificate, driver’s licenses and other documents. They say their identities will be invalidated under bill headed to governor's desk.

House Bill 126, which allows student athletes to receive a slice of the billions Texas colleges generate in revenue from their teams, now awaits the governor’s signature.

Senate Bill 2858 would have expanded a sweeping state law intended to erode the authority of the state’s major urban areas.

The proposal is largely in response to massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say it would walk back free speech protections that conservatives advocated for in previous legislative sessions.

House Bill 46, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval, would include more patients with chronic pain and allow for prescribed vaporized and aerosol products, such as vapes.

Senate Bill 1362 would prevent officials from taking someone’s firearms if they haven’t been charged with a crime or aren’t subject to a protective order under the Texas Family Code.

Senate Bill 1150, which is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott, is a rare example of the Texas Legislature regulating the state’s oil and gas industry.

Senate Bill 15, a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is part of a broad push by lawmakers to put a dent in the state’s high home prices.

The deal allocates $1 billion a year to water projects for 20 years, which some groups estimate is a fraction of what Texas needs to save its water supply.

In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor talk with politics reporter Jasper Scherer about education funding, a THC ban and the success of conservative priorities this year.

The schools were closed last week after years of declining enrollment. The school communities said increased choices were to blame.

The bill would have withheld some tax dollars from cities that did not comply with state law.

The House made changes to the proposal that leave open ways for victims to be compensated beyond medical bills.

Senate Bill 13 would require school boards or advisory councils to approve new books and review complaints. In most cases only 50 parents’ approval would be needed to create the oversight councils.

Much of the debate focused on the tense relationship between cities and the Texas Legislature. The bill is head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

Texas lawmakers are advancing several bills that could impact student experience in schools across the state, ranging from enhanced safety measures to religious expression and technology use policies.

Senate Bill 6, which now heads to the governor’s desk, gives the state’s electricity managers the ability to shut power to large consumers during emergencies.

Democrats declined to support Senate Joint Resolution 87, which sprinted through the Senate and needed 100 votes to clear the lower chamber.

While state leaders say growers can still produce industrial hemp, farmers say they will quit growing the plant altogether under a total THC ban.

The governor has not addressed whether he supports the ban, as hemp industry leaders have urged him to veto Senate Bill 3.

SB 3070, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature, would move the lottery game to Texas’ Department of Licensing and Regulation and includes new restrictions on ticket purchases.

Instead of waiting for the state to send them one, parents would be able to print out vaccine exemption forms at home if they want to skip school-required shots. Critics believe the bill would increase infections.

A top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the legislation would make it easier to construct homes on smaller lots. A House Democrat briefly killed the bill.

A 2024 war among Republicans tilted the House to the right. Now more closely aligned with the Senate, Speaker Dustin Burrows has accelerated action on bail, school vouchers and social issues.

Senate Bill 12’s supporters say DEI programs use class time and public funds to promote political agendas.

Both houses have approved Senate Bill 10 even though a similar Louisiana law was deemed unconstitutional. Supporters say Christianity is core to U.S. history.

The latest version of the proposal eliminates language that would have required university curricula not to advocate that “any race, sex, ethnicity or religious belief is inherently superior to another.”

The state constitution’s legislative calendar — not a vote threshold — makes it hard to overrule the governor. Legislators are crafting an amendment that would make more overrides possible.

The chamber jettisoned a provision tenants’ advocates warned would make it easier for Texas landlords to evict renters.

Many low-income families would see cuts in health care and food benefits. The state hopes for a big reimbursement for border security spending.

A bill that would make it illegal to sell THC products could soon head over to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. For a cannabis store employee, lawmakers don't know enough about the industry they're trying to shut down.

As the state seeks to put guardrails around the fast-growing technology, some critics say the bill doesn’t go far enough to protect citizens while industry worries about stifling innovation.

The ban aims to remove products — made legal through a 2019 loophole — that provide a similar high to marijuana and are easily accessible to the general public.

The chambers differ on how much power districts should have to push back in courts over their accountability ratings. They risk keeping STAAR by default if they don’t reach an agreement.

The legislation includes new pots of money for teacher raises and other school costs like insurance and transportation. It now heads to the House, where leaders say it will pass.

The Texas Senate had previously proposed more severe consequences in the bill.

The bill, which is poised to become law, creates up to a $250,000 fine for medical professionals who change a patients’ listed sex outside of certain exemptions.

Some hemp retailers are looking at other states, while others say they are ready to take Texas to court over a THC ban.

Federal action would be needed to make the change legal. Lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have debated the question for decades.

A House vote showed broad support for the measure that would let districts set aside time for prayer or religious study.

A new law in Texas will soon prohibit e-cigarette advertisements within 1,000 feet of schools and churches, following the signing of Senate Bill 1316.

Texas lawmakers are poised to make it easier to suspend disruptive students. But some teachers and school psychologists say discipline alone won’t meet the mental health needs at the root of their behavior.

Many of the patients are being treated in Lubbock, a medical hub for the South Plains where the outbreak originated.

The House approved the ban after previously considering proposals to preserve the industry by tightening regulations.

The bill won bipartisan support despite efforts from multiple Democrats that would have also required students to learn about fascism and Nazism.

The U.S. House approved the budget reconciliation bill, which also includes preservation of 2017 tax cuts and changes to Medicaid and SNAP.

Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders have called for a major investment to save the state’s water supply. How to spend the money has caused friction at the Capitol.

The deal appears to strike a face-saving compromise for both chambers over how to increase funds for the state’s public schools, with money earmarked for teacher pay and overhead costs.

U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz hope to fund an operation to kill the parasitic fly before too much damage is done.

The trial in El Paso will hear a challenge over the redistricting maps drawn by the Legislature that are based on the 2020 census.