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Alana Rocha was the director of news partnerships for The Texas Tribune until June 2022. She was previously a multimedia reporter, after working in television and radio news for eight years. Alana covered politics for stations in Florida, Kansas and Texas and traveled the country reporting from the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaign trails. She was the lead reporter on several award-winning projects and launched “The Brief,” a daily audio update. A native of Tampa, Florida, Alana received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from the University of Florida.
A change of heart by a powerful lawmaker and vocal opposition by veterans groups have imperiled hopes for a major overhaul of Texas' free tuition program for veterans and their kids. Full Story
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After 16 hours of tense debate, the Texas House passed a bill that would outlaw so-called "sanctuary" cities. The measure would allow law enforcement officials to ask the immigration status of any person legally detained. Full Story
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House Republicans successfully added gender-defining language to a bill that would regulate companies like Uber and Lyft. That's among the news in this week's Texas Political Roundup. Full Story
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Asked to re-evaluate the state’s voter ID law, a federal judge rules for the second time that state lawmakers intentionally discriminated against Latino and black voters in passing the strict law. Full Story
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Colleges are asking the state to pare back the state program that offers free tuition to veterans or their children. But key lawmakers in the Texas House don't want to mess with what's being offered to current veterans and their families. Full Story
The Trump administration announced this week that Texas’ longest-serving governor, now the U.S. energy secretary, would be a member of the president’s main advisory group on intelligence and defense matters. Full Story
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A Texas Senate committee will take up a bill Wednesday that would redefine "psychology" in response to a court ruling that found parts of the state's current definition are unconstitutional. Full Story
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Texas' longest-serving governor took time away from his new job as the U.S. Secretary of Energy to question the election that resulted in Texas A&M's first openly gay student body president. Full Story
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In the Texas Political Roundup: Both the House and Senate budget plans have zeroed out the funding for Governor Greg Abbott’s early education grant program. Plus, the “bathroom bill” advances in the Senate. And one lawmaker files a bill that would penalize men for masturbating. Full Story
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Who can use what bathroom dominated the talk at the Texas Capitol this week. Full Story
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