DADE PHELAN

The Senate wants to raise the homestead exemption. The House wants to tighten the appraisal cap. Both chambers’ leaders are skeptical of each other’s proposal.

The Senate wants to raise the homestead exemption. The House wants to tighten the appraisal cap. Both chambers’ leaders are skeptical of each other’s proposal.

The proposal would remove sales tax on diapers, baby wipes and bottles; feminine hygiene products including tampons, sanitary pads and menstrual cups and more.

The proposal would remove sales tax on diapers, baby wipes and bottles; feminine hygiene products including tampons, sanitary pads and menstrual cups; maternity clothing; and products for pumping breast milk.

Parents, teachers and advocates traveled from across Texas on Tuesday to hear from Gov. Greg Abbott and make their case to lawmakers for expanding support for private schools.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has embraced Senate Bill 8, but House Speaker Dade Phelan hasn’t made school choice legislation a priority.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has embraced Senate Bill 8, which will get its first committee hearing Wednesday. But House Speaker Dade Phelan hasn’t made school choice legislation a priority.

In previously unreleased interviews, police who responded to the Robb Elementary shooting told investigators they were cowed by the shooter’s military-style rifle. This drove their decision to wait for a Border Patrol SWAT team to engage him, which took more than an hour.

Housing advocates, builders and real estate experts agree that the state simply isn’t building enough homes to keep up with its booming population and economic growth.

Law enforcement officers who serve on Operation Lone Star get a $500,000 death benefit for their survivors if they die on duty. But National Guard troops on the same mission don’t get a dime from the state for their families if they die.

Cuts to school property tax bills. Bigger tax benefits for homeowners. A controversial idea to limit property tax growth. Here’s what you need to know about the brewing property tax debate at the Texas Legislature.

House pushes armed officer at all schools Under legislation prioritized by House Speaker Dade Phelan, every Texas school would have an armed police officer, and aspiring teachers would receive extra support.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] Opinions San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

The lack of support imperils a $3.3 million resolution to a lawsuit alleging the AG fired four deputies who accused him of misconduct.

House Bill 20 by state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, would test the boundaries of the state’s ability to enforce immigration law, which courts have historically ruled falls under federal purview

Plagued by decades of scandals over sexual and physical abuse of children, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is at a crossroads.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan revealed House Bill 9 and House Bill 10, which seek to create the Texas Broadband Infrastructure Fund and the Texas Water Fund, respectively.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

More than nine months after the Uvalde school shooting, top GOP lawmakers maintain focus on school safety reforms and investments in mental health resources in hopes it will prevent future tragedies.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s main property tax proposal unveiled Thursday calls for $17 billion in cuts and a stricter cap on how much school district taxes can go up each year — setting up a stark divide between the Texas Legislature’s two chambers on how to provide tax relief to property owners this session.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San

During dueling speeches to a conservative think tank in Austin, state House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who have a history of animus, split over property tax relief, criminal justice reform and school choice.

Property tax relief is one of the top priorities for Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott. Lawmakers in the House and Senate have vowed to provide the largest property tax cut in state history.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s proposal reveals the different roads the Texas House and Senate want to take on property taxes — and the fight that might emerge between the two chambers this session.

Seventy-seven Texas House Republicans signed on as co-authors to state Rep. Valoree Swanson’s bill extending restrictions on transgender athletes to college sports. Gov. Greg Abbott has expressed support for the legislation, which is also a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

Priority bills by the leader of a legislative chamber are generally fast-tracked through the lawmaking process.

Business groups warned lawmakers that Texas could lose business to other states without something to replace the so-called Chapter 313 tax break, which gave some companies big breaks on school taxes.

The bipartisan proposals reflect “some of the most pressing ​​issues on the minds of Texans today,” Phelan said. More priorities will be announced later in the legislative session.

The leader of the state House also threw his support behind bills to crack down on how companies handle private data and to protect children from “addictive algorithms” by digital companies.

Abbott told business leaders in Arlington on Wednesday that Texas is already suffering from the end of the tax-break program, recently losing a “massive” computer chip factory to New York.

Texas is the latest state to pitch a version of the program, which lets parents who opt out of their local school districts use tax dollars to pay for private schooling.

The governor also backed criminalizing some treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis.

Such a program could redirect taxpayer money away from public schools as parents use that money to pay for their children’s private school or online schooling

Gov. Greg Abbott said he would travel the state to make his case for education savings accounts directly to voters.

In an interview with the Tribune, the governor also backed criminalizing some health care treatments for transgender kids and shrugged off the idea that he’s in a conservative policy rivalry with Ron DeSantis.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an already short supply of therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers.

In a statement, the attorneys for the four former top deputies who accused Attorney General Ken Paxton of crimes said state employees “cannot be expected to report government corruption in the future if they know the Legislature won’t back their rights.”

Leading up to Wednesday's announcement it was unclear whether the city would have any seats at the table doling out a massive budget surplus.

House Speaker Dade Phelan selected Democrats to chair eight of the 34 standing committees, down from the 13 he appointed at the start of the last legislative session.

The pair wasted two hours in a failed tag-team attempt to tack anti-transgender amendments onto a procedural resolution.

Millions of Texans — mostly children, young adults and new moms — stayed on Medicaid for the duration of the pandemic. The state will soon start reevaluating eligibility.

Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, advocates may be competing against each other.

Gambling legalization advocates in Texas are going all in again this legislative session, confident that they have built more support since their efforts came up far short in 2021.The push is still an[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.

Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other.

Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.

Conservative activists have pushed for legislative leaders to ban Democrats from leading committees.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, told The Dallas Morning News and other media outlets that he is open to bringing resort-style casinos to Texas.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Mayors from the state’s most populous cities presented their legislative wish list, including economic development and workforce programs, broadband infrastructure and violence prevention.

Mayors from the state’s most populous cities presented their legislative wish list, including economic development and workforce programs, broadband infrastructure and violence prevention.

At the start of his second term leading the lower chamber, Dade Phelan talked to reporters about several legislative issues that will be decided this year.

At the start of his second term, Dade Phelan talked to reporters about several legislative issues that will be decided this year.

At the start of his second term leading the lower chamber, Dade Phelan talked to reporters about several legislative issues that will be decided this year.

At the start of his second term leading the lower chamber, Dade Phelan talked to reporters about several legislative issues that will be decided this year.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, snuffed out a monthslong push Wednesday to end the chamber’s longtime tradition of having committee chairs from both parties.

Mike May was one of more than 20 losing candidates in Harris County who filed election contests, citing reports of Election Day issues.

About two months into his comeback bid, few prominent Texas Republicans have endorsed Trump — and some are showing more willingness to cross him publicly.

About two months into his comeback bid, few prominent Texas Republicans have endorsed Trump — and some are showing more willingness to cross him publicly.

Phelan defeated Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, for the House leadership position in a vote, 145-3. In cruising to victory, Phelan secured the support of Democrats as well as the most conservative members of his party.

Dade Phelan beat state Rep. Tony Tinderholt with 143 votes to three, securing his second term as the Texas House’s leader.

Lawmakers begin work today for their biennial legislative session. They’ll debate over the state budget, school issues, border security and property taxes, among other issues.

Lawmakers begin work today for their biennial legislative session. They’ll debate over the state budget, school issues, border security and property taxes, among other issues.

Gov. Greg Abbott, Thursday, ordered Texas to ban the us of TikTok on government issued devices to stop the 'Chinese Communist Party.'

Republican members of the Texas House endorsed Phelan’s bid for reelection in a nonbinding vote on Saturday. An official vote from the entire Texas House will take place in January.

Mike May, who lost to Houston state Rep. Jon Rosenthal by 6,000 votes, wants the Texas House to order a new election. State law allows such an appeal, but the House hasn’t approved one in more than 40 years.

Republican critics say conservative priorities will always be hamstrung if Democrats get a say in which legislation reaches the floor.

Republican critics say conservative priorities will always be hamstrung if Democrats, who are in the minority party, get a say in which legislation reaches the floor.

Texas homeowners have some of the highest property tax bills in the nation, a byproduct of the state’s reliance on such taxes to help pay for public schools and the state’s lack of an income tax.

Texas legislators are off to the races, filing more than 850 bills on Monday, the first day of filing season for the 88th session, which begins Jan.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

In the days since Abbott was reelected for a third term, he has embraced the word like never before, using it in a letter to President Joe Biden, echoing the intensifying language many Republicans have adopted in recent years.

The current speaker, fellow Republican Dade Phelan, is expected to seek the gavel again but has not made an official announcement yet.

Cannabis advocates are pushing the Department of Public Safety to streamline rules for the state's so-called Compassionate Use Program.

In the final weeks of his rematch against Democrat Frank Ramirez, Rep. John Lujan has gotten help from some powerful Republican allies.

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, said Friday he opposes a push by Lt. Gov.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

The Republican Texas House Speaker is pushing his own criminal justice reforms while targeting policies like Joe Gonzales' cite-and-release.

One of the longest-serving Republican state senators, Robert Nichols is among the first to say publicly he’d support revising the state’s abortion prohibition. He spoke Friday at The Texas Tribune Festival.

At the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival, the Texas House speaker also signaled willingness to consider exceptions to the state’s abortion ban.

Texas leaders react to the delay of the maternal death data publication. It's the state's first major updated count in nearly a decade.

Texas continues to experience record-breaking heat that is putting our electric grid to the test. Several times recently, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas issued conservation pleas to Texans to avoid rolling blackouts. And the state keeps setting records for energy demand.

Dade Phelan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, issued interim charges related to healthcare reform in Texas. The House Select Committee on Healthcare Reform met Aug. 4 and 5 in Austin to address this charge. As the only member from the Rio Grande Valley and vice chair of the Public Health Committee, I am honored to represent the RGV and advocate for improved healthcare access and health outcomes in our community.

Lawmakers let the program, known as Chapter 313, expire at the end of this year after the Senate declined to consider a bill extending it. It was the first time in its 20-year history that legislators decided not to renew the program.

Nearly two months after the state’s deadliest school shooting, a comprehensive report on the failed police response and missed red flags was released to families of victims and the public.

Members of a special Texas House investigatory committee are holding a press conference in Uvalde on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Initiatives include funding for bulletproof shields, expansion of child mental health access and money for school districts to purchase panic alert technology.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan pitched redirecting more than $100 million in state funding to quickly boost mental health and school safety programs before school starts again next fall.His plan came[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Proposals include expanding access to mental health care for children and adolescents and implementing a silent panic alert system in school districts.

Texas House Speaker pitched redirecting more than $100 million to school safety.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked House leaders to support his push for arming school police officers with bulletproof shields after the Uvalde shooting. House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs.

Opinion: The most recent answer to mass shootings in Texas was the law allowing open carry without a permit.

Patrick said he wants police in as many Texas schools as possible to have bulletproof shields before the fall. He’s asked other state leaders to move around money in the state budget to make it happen.

Phelan said it is an “outrage” that officials still do not have a clear picture of what happened during the shooting. The committee’s findings will inform the House’s legislative response.

Gov.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

When asked Friday if he would call a special legislative session, Abbott said​ "all options are on the table" and he said he believed ultimately that laws would be passed.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) asked state lawmakers to convene a pair of “special legislative committees” to address the issues of school safety and mass violence in the wake of the shootings that left 19 children and two teachers dead inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Tex.

Greg Abbott is calling for special legislative committees to convene in the wake of the mass shooting at an Uvalde Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Abbott sent a joint letter to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dade Phelan on Wednesday to request Texas legislative leaders convene special legislative committees. Funerals for two of the children were held Tuesday. More funerals are expected to continue this week.

The committees are different from a special legislative session, which Democrats — and at least a couple Republicans — have asked for after the shooting. Abbott has not ruled that out.

He also wants to discuss mental health and police training.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate was escorted from the room.

Abbott was publicly criticized by his Democratic opponent for governor. Abbot also said he wasn’t sure if he would attend the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting later this week.

In Texas Legislature runoffs, three of four Republican House incumbents succeed, while Democrats set their sights on retaining a South Texas Senate seat.

The pricey fights illustrate how much of the action in Texas politics has shifted back to the primary after redistricting dramatically reduced the number of competitive seats.

The proposal is simple: When expectant Texas moms get Medicaid, let them continue to keep that insurance until their baby’s first birthday.

The next session of the Texas Legislature is months away, but by the time it actually starts, a lot of the work will already be done. Lawmakers are working on early versions of their legislation right now — before some of them have even been elected.