2015 Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature meets in regular session on the second Tuesday in January of each odd-numbered year. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. Learn about the latest developments in the 2015 Texas Legislative Session here.
February 20th, 2015
Think your state and local taxes are too high? Well, so do Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and each has promised property and business tax cuts this session. “I will reject any budget that is sent to my desk that...
February 17th, 2015
Governor Greg Abbott addressed a joint session of the House and Senate Tuesday to deliver the State of the State address. He outlined five emergency items, which included...
February 7th, 2015
Gov. Abbott has become a familiar face in Texas politics among all groups—ethnicity--race, gender, and age. He has shown us all that his vision for Texas is one as big as his heart. This is why the majority of Texans...
January 29th, 2015
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick referred the Campus Carry Bill to the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday. The move comes one day following what has been seen by some as a contradictory statement about open...
January 23rd, 2015
A report from a bipartisan panel of Texas lawmakers says companies that pretend their employees are independent subcontractors are undermining free markets and encouraging illegal immigration, among other serious problems....
January 23rd, 2015
Due to a schedule change, I was able to return from Scotland early enough to attend the Texas inauguration of Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Governor Greg Abbott in Austin. Clear blue skies and a warm sun made a perfect day...
January 21st, 2015
Click to watch the inauguration of Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
January 19th, 2015
For the first time in more than a decade, the Texas House has approved a new process for people to apply for a media credential at the Texas Legislature.
January 16th, 2015
The following story originally appeared on The Quorum Report.
January 14th, 2015
The Texas House of Representatives overwhelmingly elected Joe Straus as Speaker of the House at the opening of the 84th Legislature yesterday. Last week, Joe Straus announced that the House will soon release a budget...
February 18th, 2015
I filed a bill that provides that straight-ticket party balloting would no longer apply to non-policy making elected offices such as judges, district attorney and sheriffs. This bill will ensure that our judges and district...
February 10th, 2015
In much the same way that Waylon brought a new audience to country music, the Tea Party has attracted huge numbers of people into the political process and reenergized the base of the GOP. People who had never worked on a...
January 30th, 2015
Texas is a great state, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but sometimes you have to wonder what folks on the outside looking in see when they read about what went on in Austin the first few days of the...
January 28th, 2015
Dozens of gun rights activists gathered in front of the Capitol Monday morning to voice their support for a bill that would end Texas’ 144-year ban on the open carry of handguns...
January 23rd, 2015
“Our legislation is focused on the patients, who are mostly children, who deal with these horrible seizures on a daily basis,” Eltife said. “As a parent, I can’t imagine knowing there is a safe treatment for my severely sick...
January 21st, 2015
Governor Greg Abbott became our 48th governor on January 20, 2015 at 11:00 am on the Texas Capitol grounds. He is the first governor elected in a wheelchair and Cecilia is the first Hispanic Texas First Lady. Before leaving...
January 20th, 2015
AUSTIN, Texas – For the first time since the first year of this century, Texas will have a new Governor. It has been over fourteen years since Governor Rick Perry First took the oath of office filling the vacancy created...
January 18th, 2015
It’s not every day you get invited to the Governor’s mansion for lunch. As luck would have it, I had to decline our first invitation due to my husband’s surgery. But a couple weeks later, I received the same invitation and...
January 16th, 2015
As the 84th Texas Legislature opened, mixed emotions ran through my heart and my mind. I was sitting in the Texas House of Representatives' gallery looking down to a full floor of elected state representatives and their...
January 12th, 2015
The battle playing out among the largest anti-abortion groups in Texas is difficult to understand without taking into consideration some of the undercurrents and becoming familiar with some of the key players in our great...