Texas Legislature

Analysis: Can Texas Republicans raise the sales tax without suffering a backlash?

It would take only a simple majority of the Texas Legislature, and a signature from the governor, to raise sales taxes and use the new revenue to buy down local school property taxes.

A Texas sales tax increase would hit poor people the hardest

Texas’ Republican leadership wants to raise the taxes that consumers pay when they go shopping in order to lower the taxes that homeowners and business owners pay on their properties.

Texas Senate passes legislation to prevent surprise medical bills with arbitration, mediation

The Texas Senate passed a bill Tuesday that could provide relief to Texans slapped with surprise medical bills when health care providers and insurance companies disagree on the costs of medical treatments.

Texas House approves “born alive” abortion bill

The Texas House tentatively approved a bill Tuesday that would require doctors to treat babies born alive after a failed abortion attempt.

Texas Senate says cities can’t ban employers from asking about criminal history

The Texas Senate on Tuesday preliminarily approved the last two bills in a package of splintered legislation aimed at limiting the ability of cities to regulate private companies’ employment policies.

Property tax reform bill reaches the Senate floor without “nuclear option”

After months of stalemate, a revised priority property tax reform measure cleared a steep hurdle Monday, earning the vote of a longtime Republican holdout to come to the Senate floor for a vote.

Texas Senate approves two bills to override paid sick leave, local control over employment practices

After facing unexpected friction in Texas’ Republican-dominated Legislature, a pair of bills to override local rules mandating paid sick leave and standardize employment practices across the state passed the Senate on Thursday over the objections of LGBTQ advocates who have warned the bills could threaten local non-discrimination protections.