Texas Standard

June 5, 2023

What happened to the bill closing the ‘dead suspect loophole?’

Property tax cuts and border security are on the agenda as the Legislature’s special session moves into week 2. A bill to promote police transparency received support in the House and the Senate, but now it’s apparently gone missing. KXAN investigative reporter Josh Hinkle explains. There’s a shortage of mental health treatment for people arrested […]

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June 2, 2023

Is there such a thing as climate-friendly beef?

Two high-profile Texas attorneys have been tapped to lead the case against Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate impeachment trial. Lauren McGaughy of the Dallas Morning News joins us with more about the legal top guns brought in by the Texas House. A disagreement over property taxes between Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. […]

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June 1, 2023

What did the Legislature accomplish for rural Texans?

The U.S. House approved a measure lifting the debt ceiling, but we’re not out of the woods quite yet. As state lawmakers continue to tangle with the governor’s priorities, what actually was accomplished in the regular legislative session? A roundtable of Texas reporters looks at changes for rural Texans. A federal district judge will hear […]

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May 31, 2023

Uvalde mariachi team’s win was a bright spot in a year of darkness

Why couldn’t Republicans who control the Legislature see eye to eye? There’s a cost to Texas taxpayers that comes with the Legislature going into overtime. Professor Mark Jones of Rice University helps us crunch the numbers. The Texas Education Agency is expected to take over the Houston Independent School District on Thursday. We’ll take a […]

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May 30, 2023

What’s in store for lawmakers’ first special session?

The gavels have fallen on the 88th legislative session, yet lawmakers are still in action, as the governor called the first of what are expected to be multiple special sessions. We’ll look at the unfinished business on the agenda, and a special focus on where we stand with several bills related to public education. The […]

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May 29, 2023

Reviewing this session of the Texas Legislature

For the first time in Texas history, the House voted to impeach the state’s highest law enforcement official, setting the stage for a trial in the Senate for Attorney General Ken Paxton. The drama comes as the Texas Legislature gets set to end its 88th session today. But already, with some of the Gov. Greg […]

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May 26, 2023

Texas House committee recommends impeaching Attorney General Ken Paxton

As the Texas Legislature moves into the final hours of the 88th session, a Republican-led House committee has issued 20 articles of impeachment against state Attorney General Ken Paxton, alleging a yearslong pattern of misconduct by the state’s top law enforcement official. What happened to the $30 billion+ surplus lawmakers started out with this session? […]

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May 25, 2023

What are the weirdest laws in Texas?

At the Capitol, an intraparty rivalry between Republicans explodes into the open. The dueling charges between Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dade Phelan are so personal and serious, some longtime Capitol watchers are characterizing the battle as among the most significant in Texas political history. Lauren McGaughey of the Dallas Morning news will […]

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