State Capital News

Second special session gaveled to a closeThe second special session of the Texas Legislature ended last Thursday with a new congressional map, flood relief and safety measures but  a stalemate on whether to ban or regulate THC.

House bill proposes new standardized testA Texas House bill would eliminate the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness test and replace it with a test comparing students’ performance to one another rather than state-set standards, the Austin American-Statesman reported.House Bill 4 would...

House passes school voucher billThe Texas House on Thursday passed Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher bill after a years-long campaign by the governor and his allies, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Border Patrol faulted in Uvalde school shootingA 200-page report from the Department of Homeland Security faulted U.S. Border Patrol agents who rushed to the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, concluding they “failed to establish command and had inadequate training” in one of the deadliest classroom...

Federal judge appears skeptical of new border law A federal judge is expected to rule quickly on the constitutionality of a Texas law about to go into effect that institutes new state penalties for illegal border crossings.

House lawmakers defy Abbott on vouchers A key House education committee adjourned last week without voting on a school voucher bill that is Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority this session, the Houston Chronicle reported.

House OKs $4.5 billion for teacher pay raises The Texas House last Thursday passed two education-related bills, one that allocates $4.5 billion for teacher pay raises and another to increase the annual per-student base funding from $6,160 to $6,300 – a 2.3% increase.

House OKs $4.5 billion for teacher pay raises The Texas House last Thursday passed two education-related bills, one that allocates $4.5 billion for teacher pay raises and another to increase the annual per-student base funding from $6,160 to $6,300 – a 2.3% increase.

Texas leads nation in jobs added The Lone Star State continues to lead the nation in jobs added with 58,200 new positions in February, bringing the state to nearly 14 million total nonfarm jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.