AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas lawmakers were adjourned for almost three hours before Gov. Greg Abbott called them back to the Capitol on Monday. Abbott called for a special session to begin at 9 p.m. Monday following the end of the 88th Texas Legislature's regular session at around 6:15 p.m. He said property taxes and border security are on the agenda for what he called "Special Session No. 1 ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN/Nexstar) — The Texas Senate will hold the impeachment trial against Attorney General Ken Paxton no later than Aug. 28, according to a resolution adopted Monday evening by a unanimous vote. This action followed the appointment of 12 House members who will effectively serve as prosecutors during the trial. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also named seven senators Monday evening to serve on a special committee that will outline the rules for the trial to proceed. The chair will be Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, while Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, will serve as the vice chair. The othe ..read more

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) -- State Rep. Joe Moody is among the board of managers appointed for the impeachment proceedings against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Moody, D-El Paso, is the chairman of the House Committee on Jurisprudence. Moody was appointed by House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, to serve on the board of managers, which will serve as the prosecutors for the case when it is heard by the state Senate. “It would be inappropriate to comment on the case itself before its resolution,” Moody said in a news release. “But what I can say is that I intend to approach it ethically, dilig ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Late Thursday night, lawmakers received their copies of 20 articles of impeachment. Chairman Andrew Murr said he will put the articles to a vote on Saturday, May 27, at 1:00 pm. The House General Investigating Committee, which has a conservative majority, presented the articles after adopting a formal recommendation that Attorney General Ken Paxton be impeached and removed from office ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Republican-led House is now poised to vote Saturday on the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton within the final days of the legislative session. The House General Investigating Committee presented the articles of impeachment to members late Thursday night, after unanimously adopting a formal recommendation to move toward impeachment. The five-member panel, with a conservative majority, revealed on Wednesday that it had been investigating the embattled attorney general since March. Although misconduct allegations have plagued Paxton since his first term in office ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Despite hitting a last-minute snag in the final full week of the legislative session, a years-long fight to close a controversial legal gap known as the "dead suspect loophole" is still moving toward the Texas governor's desk. This development comes days after the one-year anniversary of the Uvalde mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, which put a spotlight on the importance of public records, transparency and the truth. "We've agreed to the changes that would make this bill operational and the House conferees have signed off on that," Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Pas ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The state of Texas is taking steps to save a popular state park from closure and development into a private community, but time is running out before the land is sold to the developer. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Thursday to authorize the executive director of the Parks and Wildlife Department to "take all necessary steps to purchase approximately 5,000 acres in Freestone County including Fairfield Lake State Park," according to a release from the department. The park, about 70 miles east of Waco, closed to the public at the end of February after a ..read more

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- A controversial immigration bill that would allow the State of Texas to create its own border police force, impose stricter penalties on asylum-seekers who cross from Mexico illegally, and set up checkpoints closer to the border, has moved closer to passage in Austin. Late Wednesday, the Texas Senate passed HB 7 on a third reading, despite objections from three state senators who represent the South Texas border. The bill -- which has undergone massive changes so far this Legislature -- has already passed the Texas House. Now it is up to its original author, T ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — As families and loved ones mourned the unimaginable loss of 19 children and two teachers shot dead last year in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden said from a solemn White House memorial Wednesday that too many schools, too many everyday places have become “killing fields.” The town released butterflies during a ceremony and held a candlelight vigil. The Texas legislature paused for a few moments of silence at 11:30 a.m. CDT, the moment the shooter entered Robb Elementary School last year, touching off the nation's deadliest school shooting in a decade. Biden delivered remark ..read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — As families and loved ones mourn the unimaginable loss of 19 children and two teachers shot dead last year in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden will speak Wednesday about the epidemic of gun violence that has become the No. 1 killer of kids in America. The town planned a private ceremony and candlelight vigil in the evening, and the Texas legislature paused for a few moments of silence at 11:30 a.m. CDT, the moment the shooter entered Robb Elementary School last year, touching off the nation's deadliest school shooting in a decade. Biden will talk about what he saw when he v ..read more