Texas Tribune Brief

The Texas Commission on Public School Finance will meet for the first time this week as it develops legislative recommendations for overhauling the state's system for funding public education. Plus, Dallas County Republicans file a lawsuit, alleging more than 120 Democrats are ineligible to run in the upcoming primaries. And Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush walks back his words about the need for a special legislative session.

Austin and Dallas are among 20 North American cities being considered for a second headquarters for online retail giant Amazon. Plus, with early voting set to start Feb. 20, the campaign ad season is upon us.

Both incumbents and candidates are working to convince voters they can best represent a region still reeling from last year’s storm. Plus, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case over whether Texas' congressional and House district boundaries discriminate against voters of color. And the Tribune investigates the data collection and contributing factors behind the number of women dying within a year of giving birth.

A U.S. Department of Education investigation found Texas violated federal law by failing to ensure students with disabilities were properly evaluated and provided with an adequate public education. Plus, a few female lawmakers address the #metoo movement at the state capitol. And the latest campaign finance numbers start to roll in.

Chris Evans, a Republican primary candidate for House District 59, said he "blew up tree stumps recreationally and meant no harm." Plus, former Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez makes her Democratic bid for governor official. And the 36,000 Salvadoran immigrants living in Texas learn the federal government will not be renewing their temporary protected status to be in the country legally.

U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold is not quite ready to strike a check to the federal government for a prior sexual harassment settlement it paid out on his behalf. Plus, relatives of inmates have reported that more than 30 Texas prisons lacked adequate heating during the state's recent cold snap. And the Federal Emergency Management Agency changed its policy to allow religious groups to apply for disaster recovery help.

The former San Antonio mayor and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is expanding his presence in national politics. Plus, a South Texas bureaucrat became a multimillionaire amid the last rush to build a border fence.

The Texas Education Agency is staying quiet about why it awarded a no-bid multi-million dollar contract to a little-known data company. Plus, a Mexican reporter and his son get some good news about their pending deportation. And revisit the best The Texas Tribune published in 2017.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn and U.S. House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady were key in getting the tax reform bill to the president in the closing days of 2017. Plus, after some legal questions, Congressman Blake Farenthold's name won't appear on the 2018 ballot. And new U.S. Census Bureau numbers show more people than ever before call Texas home. We explore what's driving the explosive growth.

Health insurance for more than 450,000 Texas children and pregnant women will be restored, at least through February. The Trump administration announced it would fund the Children's Health Insurance Program, if Congress fails to renew it. Plus, UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven says he'll retire in May. And a high speed train linking Dallas and Houston gets closer to becoming a reality.