Gun policy reform is the best way to address school safety, according to experts on a panel in Austin. They also cautioned against doubling down on surveillance technology.
March 2023
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Energy
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and senators unveil package of bills aimed at improving Texas’ power grid
The bills would allow the state to hire companies to build emergency gas-fueled power plants, among other ideas for swinging the state’s power balance away from wind and solar.
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State Government
Conspiracy theory whirlwind threatens to blow Texas out of national program that keeps voter rolls updated
ERIC is a national system that Texas officials say is an important tool to keep voting rolls clean. But a band of right-wing voting fraud activists, joined by state GOP officials, wants to gut it.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Lawmakers offer stark choices for ending the crisis in Texas’ youth prisons — shut them all down, or build more
Plagued by decades of scandals over sexual and physical abuse of children, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is at a crossroads.
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Demographics
Texas led nation in white supremacist propaganda in 2022, report finds
Incidents increased by 61% in Texas and 38% nationally last year, driven by what experts say is an increasing normalization of extremism in political discourse.
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Politics
U.S. Rep. Chip Roy offers warm reception to Biden border proposal as Democrats recoil
The Austin Republican’s tacit approval only adds fuel to the fire for Texas Democrats recoiling at the report that the Biden administration could detain asylum-seekers.
Sponsor Post
Health care closer to home
Exceptional item request from the Texas Legislature will support telehealth efforts to expand health care access to underserved areas of the state.
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Rural reproductive health in Texas
“I love my babies. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy”: One mother’s struggle to survive in pro-life Texas
Pregnancy forced Destiny Williams to quit her job. She almost died during childbirth. Now with a newborn in tow, she’s struggling to build a more stable life for her and her children.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s new priority bills focus on school safety, requiring districts to adopt active-shooter plans
More than nine months after the Uvalde school shooting, top GOP lawmakers maintain focus on school safety reforms and investments in mental health resources in hopes it will prevent future tragedies.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Ken Paxton’s whistleblowers ask Texas Supreme Court to take up their case as $3.3 million settlement in jeopardy
Lawyers for four former employees who accused the attorney general of firing them for reporting alleged crimes to authorities say Paxton won’t agree to finalizing the deadline by the end of this legislative session.