Latest Contributions

• After an Austin employee gave birth to a stillborn baby, she was disqualified from parental leave. Now, city leaders want change.

  By Eleanor Klibanoff June 15, 2023

  Two days after delivering a stillborn baby, an Austin Public Health employee was notified she would not qualify for the city’s eight weeks of paid parental leave. Full Story 

• This year, Texas lawmakers zeroed in on existing health care programs, leaving bolder measures by the wayside

  By Stephen Simpson, Eleanor Klibanoff and Karen Brooks Harper June 8, 2023

  Pregnant moms on Medicaid will get health care coverage for a year, patients will get more detailed billing and nurses will get help with school loans. But efforts failed to gain steam for legalizing fentanyl test strips, increasing the pool of mental health professionals who accept Medicaid and expanding Medicaid benefits to more Texans. Full Story 

• Texas Legislature passes bill reining in “rogue” prosecutors

  By Jolie McCullough and Eleanor Klibanoff May 28, 2023

  The GOP priority legislation could remove prosecutors from office if they don’t pursue certain crimes. The bill gained traction after some Democratic district attorneys said they would not prosecute abortion-related crimes. Full Story 

• All eyes on Sen. Angela Paxton as Texas Senate takes up her husband’s removal

  By Eleanor Klibanoff May 28, 2023

  Ken Paxton helped elect his wife, Angela, to the state Senate. That chamber will now consider whether to remove him from the attorney general’s office. She has not said whether she will recuse herself. Full Story 

• Texas Legislature passes bill to offer new moms a year of Medicaid coverage

  By Eleanor Klibanoff Updated: May 28, 2023

  The Texas House and Senate voted for the proposal, capping a yearslong effort to extend coverage for low-income moms. Medicaid covers half of all births in Texas, and coverage currently expires after two months. Full Story 

• Senate priorities on bail, Ten Commandments in schools stall out in Texas House as key deadline passes

  By Eleanor Klibanoff, James Barragán and Jolie McCullough May 24, 2023

  The two chambers have been at odds over property tax relief and school choice, but on Tuesday night, those divisions spilled over into priorities the bodies had previously agreed upon. Full Story 

• Texas House votes to repeal sales tax on menstrual products and diapers

  By Eleanor Klibanoff May 23, 2023

  The bill, which Democrats have been pushing for years, has become a top priority after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Senate has already passed the bill, which would provide tax relief on the purchase of menstrual products, diapers and other child care necessities. Full Story 

• After doctors left Dell Children’s adolescent clinic, Austin teens and their families are scrambling to find specialty care

  By Eleanor Klibanoff May 22, 2023

  The adolescent clinic treated eating disorders and menstrual complications. It also offered gender-affirming care — which is still legal for now but triggered an investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story 

• Texas Senate OKs extending postpartum Medicaid — with an anti-abortion amendment

  By Eleanor Klibanoff May 21, 2023

  New moms will be able to keep their health insurance for a full year under a proposal the Senate passed Sunday. A last-minute anti-abortion amendment means the bill will go back to the House. Full Story 

• Texas may soon have a process to remove local prosecutors who won’t pursue abortion, election cases

  By Jolie McCullough and Eleanor Klibanoff May 19, 2023

  The bill would allow for the removal of prosecutors who adopt any policy to not pursue certain crimes, including some low-level theft and drug charges. The Senate’s version will need to be reconciled with the House, which had carved out some exemptions. Full Story