Speaker Dade Phelan forcefully defends Ken Paxton impeachment in campaign ad
Facing heat for presiding over the impeachment of the attorney general, Phelan is addressing the issue head-on and citing an alleged Paxton extramarital affair. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan beckons at another member of the House during a special legislative session at the state Capitol in Austin on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
School voucher opponents are unpopular with Texas GOP primary voters, poll finds
In a University of Houston poll, nearly half also signaled they didn’t support Republican incumbents who voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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![Bonham Middle School students eat lunch in the school’s cafeteria Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet
Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and former President Donald Trump are accusing Phelan of being a “RINO,” even as Phelan has overseen the passage of some of the most conservative bills in recent history. Full Story
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![Beaumont, Texas: Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dade Phelan poses for a portrait at his office in Beaumont on Friday, Jan 26, 2024. Mark Felix/The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump endorses challenger to Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan
Phelan’s reelection campaign has become a referendum on the power of the far-right faction of the state Republican Party. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump speaks at an event at the South Texas International Airport in Edinburg, on Nov. 19, 2023, after Gov. Greg Abbott announced his endorsement of President Trump. “We need Donald J. Trump back as our president of the United States of America,” the governor proclaimed.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas man arrested after threatening House Speaker Dade Phelan
Texas Department of Public Safety arrested Daniel Troy Leblanc earlier this month after the Orange County resident made “terroristic threats” on social media. Full Story
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![A news headline on the side of The Examiner building in downtown Beaumont on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Money flows into Texas House GOP primary battles this season
Impeachment and school vouchers are animating the races as Speaker Dade Phelan tries to protect incumbents. Full Story
![House Speaker Dade Phelan speaks with other representatives during a special legislative session at the state capitol in Austin on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Attorney General Ken Paxton campaigns against House Speaker Dade Phelan in his own district
The attorney general has gone on an endorsement spree since his acquittal in his Senate impeachment trial last year, backing primary challengers to the House Republicans who voted to impeach him. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton endorses David Covey at a True Texas Project event in Beaumont on Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. Covey is running against House Speaker Dade Phelan in the Republican primary.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Far-right activist blasts Speaker Phelan for being "pro-Muslim" in political mailer
The card insinuates that Phelan wants to wish his constituents a happy Ramadan instead of a merry Christmas. Muslim Texans say it’s Islamophobic and some Republicans say it doesn't reflect Christian values. Full Story
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![Cary Cheshire outside of the offices of Pale Horse Strategies in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023. Cheshire is the executive director of Texans For Strong Borders and a longtime employee of Defend Texas Liberty-linked groups.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for the Texas Tribune -
How Gov. Greg Abbott lost a yearlong fight to create school vouchers
The governor projected confidence throughout 2023 that vouchers would pass. But his insistence on universal eligibility ensured his failure to convince 21 House Republican holdouts. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on the north steps of the State Capitol to supporters at a Texas Public Policy Foundation Parent Empowerment rally on March 21, 2023. Abbott has called lawmakers to Austin for a special session Monday targeted at passing private school vouchers.]()
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Texas Legislature adjourns fourth special session — leaving vouchers, school safety and elections bills unfinished
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. Full Story
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![Morning sunlight falls on the Texas Capitol dome on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
With GOP priorities unfinished, Texas House plans to wrap fourth special session Tuesday
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. Full Story
![House Speaker Dade Phelan stands at the dias during a special legislative session at the state capitol in Austin, Texas, on Nov. 17, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune -
Prominent anti-LGBTQ+ activist Jared Woodfill running for Texas House
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. Full Story
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![Attorney and former Harris County Republican Party Chair Jared Woodfill listens to Dr. Steven Hotze as they held a press conference to discuss his election fraud claims and answer questions about the arrest of an ex-cop who he hired to investigate the claims Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, in Houston.]()
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Abbott calls lawmakers back for fourth time to try again on school vouchers and border security
The governor announced the fourth special session would start an hour after the previous session adjourned. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott delivers remarks before signing a property tax cut bill at The Atrium Center in New Caney, on Aug. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
Watch a Texas Tribune conversation on the state Legislature’s special session
Journalists covering the Texas Capitol discussed what came out of this year’s third special session and what is still to be resolved. Full Story
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Fighting between legislative leaders imperils Texas border security bills
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. Full Story
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![State Troopers arrest an undocumented Mexican migrant for trespassing as part of Operation Lone Star after he was caught with others in private property in Kinney County, on Nov. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for ProPublica/The Texas Tribune -
With time running out, House punts on taking action on school vouchers
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. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan before gavelling in the House for the third-called special session on Oct. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Abbott touts school voucher deal with House leaders, but others reluctant to say if bill will pass
A deal between the governor and House would be a breakthrough after months of talks. But whether they actually have a deal is unclear. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the recent 88th Legislative Session to an audience at the Texas Public Policy Foundation offices in Austin, on June 2, 2023. Abbott recounted policy victories in regards to fentanyl and the border crisis, as well as limiting gender affirming care and banning DEI practices in higher education. Abbott ended the event by promising to call a special session for school choice, after the current special session for property tax resolves.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates by private employers
Violations could bring a $50,000 fine under an amendment adopted Wednesday. The bill’s sponsor said the ban would be the strongest in the nation. Full Story
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![A man carries a sign protesting Houston Methodist Hospital's COVID-19 vaccine mandate outside Houston Methodist Hospital in Baytown on June 7, 2021. Employees who chose not to inoculate themselves by the hospital's Monday deadline faced suspension without pay and job termination, a policy criticized by the protesters as unfair and unauthorized.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
House, Senate bills at odds over power to boost future funding for Texas school voucher program
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. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students take part in a class activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Special session on school vouchers begins with Republicans in disarray
Gov. Greg Abbott needs a delicate coalition of Republicans to pass his top priority. But the House and Senate leaders aren’t getting along. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan gavels in the House for a third called special session on October 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune
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