Politics

The deal, confirmed by three lawmakers familiar with the discussions, appears to strike a face-saving compromise for both chambers over how to increase funds for the state's public schools.

State Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) introduced the floor amendment that transformed Senate Bill 3 – which would have regulated and taxed THC-containing products while leaving many of them legal – back into the complete prohibition initially passed by the Senate.

ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found nearly three dozen school districts were missing required campaign finance reports online. Now lawmakers are pushing to impose steep penalties on local governments that fail to abide by the law.

Lubbock Democrats hosted a workers’ town hall Monday night, inviting District 19 U.S. Congressman Jodey Arrington to take questions from West Texans. Several veterans came to the town hall, hoping to speak with Arrington, including one who announced his own intention to run for the District 19 congressional seat this week. Meanwhile, our Bishop Van Buren reports that Lubbock ISD has posted an opening for the position of Monterey High School's head football coach.

House Bill 46 is expected to pass the lower chamber Tuesday. It reached the floor ahead of the House rewrite of Senate Bill 3, which would impose strict new regulations on consumable products containing THC.

The Texas House has just over two weeks left to give Senate bills their critical second reading. Following action in the House over the weekend, Houston Public Media’s Andrew Schneider has a roundup of some of the bills poised to make that critical deadline, including property taxes and voter registration. One bill — which passed earlier this session and was signed into law by Governor Abbott — will allow families to use public funds to pay for private school tuition. The program is expected to start in Fall 2026, but the Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey says critics are still fighting to stop it.

Demonstrators filled streets in cities and towns all around the Lone Star State on Saturday for "50501" demonstrations. The coordinated, nationwide protests against the Trump administration saw major turnouts reported in Houston, Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio.

Two Texas Tech alumni and major donors, Cody Campbell and Dustin Womble, were elected chairman and vice chairman of the university's board of regents. Our reporter Bishop Van Buren has more on the appointments. The United States Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, was in Lubbock yesterday. After the recent tariffs from the White House, she acknowledge the uncertainty farmers are facing. Tomorrow, Lubbock’s city offices will be closed in observance of Good Friday. Libraries and city museums will also be closed on Easter Sunday.

Some Texas legislators may be done questioning the merits of education savings accounts as it moves to a vote in the State House, but voters aren’t. Model programs in other states are showing rural voters could stand to lose the most, and they’re preparing to do the math on election day.

The Texas House of Representatives was offered a resolution to have house speaker Dustin Burrows vacated from his position. The resolution was swiftly tabled by an overwhelming Meanwhile, our Bishop Van Buren reports the leading scorer with Texas Tech University men’s basketball team J.T. Toppin will return next season, bypassing the NBA Draft process and squashing rumors about possibly entering the transfer portal.