The money had been included in a previous version of the state’s supplemental budget, and legislators had intended for President Donald Trump’s administration to repay the funds.
Jane Nelson
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Texas Legislature 2019
This session’s biggest mental health bill got killed on a technicality — then resurrected
Senate Bill 10, focused on connecting children to mental health services, was knocked out of contention with a parliamentary maneuver Tuesday night but was revived as an amendment to another bill hours later. It’s one of several measures the state’s GOP leaders championed in the wake of the deadly shooting last year at Santa Fe High School.
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Texas Legislature 2019
After Supreme Court ruling, Texas bills would bring in $850 million in online sales tax
Lawmakers moved to apply the state’s sales tax to goods sold by remote vendors who don’t have physical operations in Texas.
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Health care
For many Texas teachers, health insurance premiums are huge — but so are the hospital bills
It’s not unusual for teachers to spend over $1,000 a month on health insurance.
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Health care
Texas lawmakers are prioritizing mental health for school safety. But advocates worry about stigma.
The newfound push this session around school safety and preventing mass shootings is reinvigorating ideas about mental health care for Texas children. But advocates often cringe when legislators make the argument that mental health care is the key to preventing mass shootings.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers look to the “cloud” for storing sensitive government data
In hopes of saving money on data storage, legislators are considering downsizing the state’s data centers and relying more on private tech companies.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers want to fix wait times at driver’s license offices. Will they agree on a solution?
The Texas House wants to pump $200 million into the state’s driver’s license program — and possibly move it to a new agency — to alleviate what have become all-day waits for some Texans at Department of Public Safety offices.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House and Senate about $3 billion apart on public education spending
Two rival budget proposals offer a starting point for debate between the two chambers on public school funding and property tax relief.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas Senate proposes $3.7 billion for mandated teacher raises
Senate leaders say they will require districts to use the money to give $5,000 raises to each teacher.
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Higher Education
A group of Texas lawmakers wants to fix higher education funding — but it won’t be easy
A panel of state lawmakers is set to reconsider the complicated way Texas funds its public colleges and universities on Wednesday after an attempt to overhaul the system failed last year.