GREG ABBOTT

Texas is installing new anti-climb walls in Brownsville. The 8-foot gates are being strung together and wrapped in razor wire to make them even more difficult to get over or through.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has appealed a judge’s ruling to release records from the Uvalde school shooting.

Five months after a Texas Department of Public Safety medic told his superiors that troopers were ordered to push migrants back into the Rio Grande and deny them water, an internal DPS investigation found no systemic wrongdoing by its personnel on the Texas-Mexico border.

San Antonio’s largest public university is charting a new course for its soon-to-be-closed Office of Inclusive Excellence. The move comes as public universities in Texas grapple with a shifting Texas higher education landscape.

In court filings Tuesday, the secretary of state’s office argued that the plaintiffs in the election contests “never served a citation” properly. But there’s no guarantee it’ll work.

Abbott is promising to continue the fight for “school choice” but staying mum on whether that means he will call another special session as he has previously threatened.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has canceled plans to build a temporary winter camp for migrants in Chicago, citing the risk of contaminants at the former industrial site.

The latest casualties were Senate Bill 5, which would spend $800 million on school safety measures through 2025, and Senate Bill 6, which would change the timeline of a trial after an election contest is filed by a citizen or group.

The Texas House’s vote to block education savings accounts disappointed voucher advocates and likely spelled doom for additional public school funding. Both bands say they’ll keep pushing for their priorities during next year’s primary elections and the 2025 legislative session.

The decision to end work Tuesday leaves long odds for bills to boost school safety funding and make sure that election challenges don’t delay the implementation of property tax cuts, teacher pension raises and infrastructure spending.

A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas must move a floating barrier on the Rio Grande that drew backlash from Mexico.

A federal appeals court has ruled that Texas must move a floating barrier on the Rio Grande that drew backlash from Mexico.

Senate Bill 3 would also appropriate $40 million for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development outside of Houston, and allow the state to send money to local jurisdictions to offset the cost of enforcing another immigration-related bill.

Tax cuts were a major legislative priority for Republican leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor cannot certify the election results until the challenges are resolved.

Abbott on Tuesday backed Hillary Hickland, an activist mother who is running against Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple.

Abbott visited the San Marcos area to go skydiving with Al Blaschke, a 106-year-old World War II veteran who has already broken records for his own aerial feats.

Vouchers were left without a clear path forward after a decisive vote Friday. Gov. Greg Abbott, who had threatened lawmakers with more special sessions to pass the proposal, seems to have turned his attention to punishing voucher opponents in next year’s primary elections.

The runoff features two Republicans from dueling factions of the party, Jill Dutton and Brent Money, vying to finish the term of former state Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City.

No members who voted against Abbott’s top legislative priority received the governor’s backing.

The debate, scheduled for Sept. 16, 2024, will be the first of four for the general election. The San Marcos school would be the first Texas university to hold a presidential debate, Texas State officials said.

Abbott made the presidential endorsement after he and Trump served meals to service members deployed for Operation Lone Star, Abbott’s sprawling border security mission.

Donald Trump has returned to the U.S.-Mexico border for a visit and he's picked up the endorsement of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas.

If elected next year, Woodfill also plans to run for House speaker. His campaign accuses his 2024 opponent, conservative state Rep. Lacey Hull, of conspiring with incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan to work against conservatives.

Despite intense political pressure, Republican Rep. Gary VanDeaver said he won’t support a bill that includes school vouchers. Rural Republicans like VanDeaver have long opposed school vouchers because of the unique role public schools they play in their communities.

The outcome was an embarrassment to Gov. Greg Abbott, who spent seven months lobbying two dozen Republicans who signaled opposition to vouchers in April.

Last year, Texas joined more than 30 other states in banning TikTok on government-issued cell phones and computers. A nationwide coalition of professors are suing the state over the ban, arguing it has limited their ability to teach and research the social media app.

Texas Republicans are pushing new boundaries over immigration on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Police say three individuals have been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting at a Texas flea market.

The ban applies to all private businesses, including health care facilities like hospitals, which can jeopardize the health of those with compromised immune systems or other underlying conditions.

Thousands of Texans rallied in front of the state Capitol Sunday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 10,000 people.

The committee action means school voucher legislation is poised to get its first House floor vote in recent history. Gov. Greg Abbott said if the Legislature fails to pass it this time, he will continue to call them back into session until they do.

The Senate revved to life Thursday, holding committee hearings with little advance notice and advancing four bills that satisfy Abbott’s agenda.

House Bill 1, which stagnated during the previous special session, finally received a hearing in the lower chamber, a crucial step that will decide whether the proposal gets a full vote.

High-speed pursuits of migrants and suspected smugglers have become routine in Texas.

The voter approval rate for school maintenance and construction costs dipped in 2021 after lawmakers required school boards to call them “tax increases.”

A full 30-day session amounts to about $1 million in per diem payments to lawmakers, which are meant to cover their expenses in Austin.

The $18 billion property tax-cut package is aimed squarely at lowering school district property taxes, which make up the lion’s share of a Texas landowner’s property tax bill.

The governor announced the fourth special session would start an hour after the previous session adjourned.

The Senate on Sunday afternoon failed to take action on a border security bill, leaving virtually no time to pass the bill before the special session ends on Tuesday.

The third special session for the Texas legislature wraps up on Tuesday. Gov. Greg Abbott has already signed one bill on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, but little headway has been made on school choice. In the meantime, three bills related to border security are moving through the legislature.

The revised bill promises a significant funding increase for public schools and academic accountability measures for students participating in the proposed voucher program, two of the biggest requests from voucher opponents.

Journalists covering the Texas Capitol discussed what came out of this year’s third special session and what is still to be resolved.

Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous.

The governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker generally agree on building more border barriers and making illegal border crossings a state crime. But disagreements over strategy and personal animosity mean those measures face long odds this special legislative session.

Abbott traveled to the Middle Eastern country as his priority legislation over school vouchers was stalling and with less than a week before the special legislation session he called is set to conclude.

If bills now being considered pass, lawmakers will be left with $3.3 billion to take care of unforeseen costs over the next two years. Some experts worry that Texas can’t sustain its massive spending on the border and public education.

Gov. Greg Abbott just announced he’d reached a deal with the House to advance school vouchers, but with less than a week before the Legislature must adjourn the lower chamber took no action on the governor’s priority legislation.

Volunteers, churches and advocacy groups are scrambling to find indoor shelter for migrants in Chicago as the temperatures drop.

A bill to increase the state’s support for school safety appears stalled in this month’s special legislative session. But even if it passes, superintendents warn it isn’t enough.

Along with the money to build more border barriers, Senate Bill 6 would devote $49 million to beef up law enforcement of the Colony Ridge development that’s become a target of far-right media.

The legislation, which Republican lawmakers have been trying to pass since 2021, offers no exceptions for doctors’ offices, clinics or other health facilities.

A deal between the governor and House would be a breakthrough after months of talks. But whether they actually have a deal is unclear.

For the first time in a generation, Texans were more likely to die of gunshot wounds than car crashes in 2021. Experts worry a lack of research on the issue has hampered the search for solutions.

A federal judge has ordered Border Patrol agents not to interfere with razor wire installed by the state of Texas at a busy crossing for migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border.

With rural Texas relatively underserved by private schools, the potential for expansion could play a role in the debate over whether to let families use taxpayer money to pay for private education.

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has been one of the staunchest voucher supporters, arguing it would increase access to religious education regardless of income level.

Two Texans — a Jewish man, a Muslim woman — want more support from the federal government to bring their loved ones home. Their families are stuck in a war zone, along with hundreds of other Americans.

Texas is moving closer to giving police broad new authority to arrest migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Vouchers are the governor’s top legislative priority. But he has signaled opposition to a proposed House compromise that would tie them to increased funding for public schools.

Republicans showed a more clear divide, giving the Senate higher marks than the House for how the attorney general’s impeachment was handled.

The Texas Attorney General has filed a lawsuit over the breach of the state's controversial razor wire, strung along the border in key areas to deter immigration.

Senate Bill 7 bans private employers from having mandates that require someone to have the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of their employment or position.

Houston’s next mayor will tackle many challenges similar to ones faced by other large U.S. cities: crime, crumbling infrastructure, budget shortfalls and a lack of affordable housing.

As tensions have flared in the escalating conflict and protests have spread across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Education Agency would provide resources to schools to counter misinformation and antisemitism.

The Senate’s Republican bill would let state leaders grow the program by taking money from other agencies without the Legislature’s approval. The House bill would bar the practice.

Parents of Texas’ growing population of home-schooled students are split over whether education savings accounts would give them much-needed financial help or represent an unwanted government involvement in their kids’ educations.

House Bill 1 would make an educational savings account program available to 25,000 Texas students in its first year, with increased participation to follow. The governor’s office indicated that the proposal was lacking.

On Thursday, the House State Affairs Committee held a hearing to discuss the Liberty County subdivision without considering any specific legislation.

Gov. Greg Abbott said the barrier — two rows of wire strung between metal posts near Interstate 10 — was necessary because migrants are crossing the border at New Mexico and walking into El Paso.

Two Texas House members and an immigration lawyer sat down with Matthew Watkins, the Tribune’s managing editor of news and politics, to discuss the current state of Texas’ border and immigration bills that lawmakers are weighing during the special session.

The bill offers no exceptions for doctors’ offices, clinics or other health facilities. Senators agreed to let those entities require unvaccinated employees to wear personal protective gear or take other “reasonable” measures to manage the spread.

Though lawmakers have drafted a bill to increase public school funding and teacher salaries, it cannot pass during the special session unless Abbott adds those issues to his agenda.

The Senate also approved Senate Bill 2, which would infuse $5.2 billion to school districts to help them with teacher raises and rising costs. Gov. Greg Abbott said he would add those items to the special session’s agenda once lawmakers approve a voucher program.

The proposal would give families who exit the state’s public education system access to $8,000 of taxpayer money each year to pay for their children’s private schooling.

Gov. Greg Abbott needs a delicate coalition of Republicans to pass his top priority. But the House and Senate leaders aren’t getting along.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday strongly condemned this weekend’s acts of war against Israel and innocent civilians by the terrorist group Hamas and vowed comprehensive public safety measures for Israeli and Jewish locations across Texas.

As Texas lawmakers prepare to fight over school choice, Oklahoma lawmakers say Texans should expect a fight to get it passed.

Mexico's president says he is going to send a diplomatic note to the United States protesting Texas truck inspections that have caused major delays at border crossings.

Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back to Austin to try again to pass education savings accounts, which would let families use state funds to pay for their children’s private schooling. Teacher pay was not part of his agenda.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the items lawmakers can consider when they return Monday. His agenda also includes COVID vaccine mandates and the Colony Ridge development outside Houston.

Attorneys for Texas are asking federal appeals court judges to let the state keep in place a floating barrier to block migrants from crossing the Rio Grande.

The Department of Homeland Security announced that the Biden administration leveraged sweeping executive power to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas.

A booming Texas residential development is pushing back after being put into an unwelcome national spotlight over immigration.

GOP leaders claim the development markets to undocumented people and is plagued by crime. One of its owners refutes the allegations and says he’s ready to show lawmakers that Colony Ridge isn’t different than any other rural Texas community.

As Chicago struggles to house asylum-seekers, the city is using a shuttle bus center at O’Hare International Airport.

Abbott notified lawmakers of the decision in a letter this week.

greg-abbott-texas-legislature-school-choice-vouchers This third special session comes as a rift between the Texas House and the Senate grew following Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial, raising questions about the chambers’ ability to compromise on education issues.

After conservative media portrayed the Colony Ridge development north of Houston as a haven for illegal immigrants, Gov. Greg Abbott said the upcoming special legislative session will look into the issue.

Texas Democrats in Congress are urging the federal government to audit the state’s Medicaid eligibility system

For more than a year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been busing migrants from the southern U.S. border to places like New York, Washington and Chicago.

In an interview for The Texas Tribune Festival, the journalist urged Texans to organize in response to the state’s book bans and restrictions on public school lessons.

The family of a Black high school student in Texas has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the state’s governor and attorney general over being suspended by his school district for his hairstyle.

Mexico’s top diplomat, Alicia Bárcena, says President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants to travel to Washington D.

Over the past few days, thousands of migrants have arrived in Eagle Pass, and some have already made their way here to San Antonio.

A video posted by Gov. Greg Abbott on his social media account Wednesday showed razor wire that he ordered installed along the banks of the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass cut and removed.

The governor promised political consequences if lawmakers cannot pass legislation allowing for publicly subsidized school vouchers before March primaries.

The Texas House and Senate were already far apart on “school choice.” Anger over the impeachment trial might make it even harder to find common ground.

The impeachment proceedings, and the events that precipitated them, have left the Texas Office of the Attorney General in turmoil. Can Paxton steady the ship of an institution vital to the conservative cause?

It marked a screaming milestone in a two-decade political career that has seen Paxton harness the state’s increasingly conservative politics — and later the rise of Donald Trump — to stay in power longer than his vulnerabilities would suggest.

A trial is underway over a sweeping Texas voting law that set off a 38-day walkout by Democrats in 2021 and resulted in thousands of rejected mail ballots the following year.