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James Barragán was a politics reporter for The Texas Tribune with a focus on accountability reporting. Prior to joining the Tribune, James worked as a statehouse reporter for The Dallas Morning News and previously had stints at the Austin American-Statesman and the Los Angeles Times. In 2021, he was a finalist for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Local Reporting for his coverage of Texas politics during the COVID-19 pandemic. James was selected as a 2023-24 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. A Southern California native, James received his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He was based in Austin and is a native Spanish speaker.
Phelan has touted a list of conservative wins in his first session as House leader, such as passing legislation to let Texans carry handguns without a license and approving some of the strictest restrictions on abortion in the country. Full Story
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A governor targeting the Legislature’s budget would be unprecedented in Texas history. Full Story
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Republicans were assigning blame after the measure’s dramatic failure Sunday night, but were also already looking ahead to a special session. Full Story
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Democratic lawmakers waved transgender pride flags on the chamber floor after Senate Bill 29 missed the deadline for the House to pass all bills from the upper chamber. Full Story
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The Democrats delayed and deflected as they tried to run out the clock on bills they oppose. Republicans strategized to push through bills they’d worked on all session. Full Story
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Democrats supported Phelan for House speaker, reassured he would avoid controversial social issues that target LGBTQ Texans. They say they’re disappointed he is now signaling support for bill targeting transgender student athletes. Full Story
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Texas law enforcement agencies have long dealt with troublesome officers who move from one department to another. Transparency bills aim to make their disciplinary records more easily accessible to such agencies. Full Story
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Abbott already planned to call a special session later in the year for the Legislature to do its decennial redrawing of Texas political maps. Full Story
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House lawmakers expressed frustration Thursday that some of their priority legislation had not moved in the upper chamber, including a package of health care and criminal justice reform bills pushed by House Speaker Dade Phelan. Full Story
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As a powerful committee chairman, Dutton could have bottled up legislation that Democrats opposed. Instead, critics say, he’s pushed through Republican bills that Democrats find objectionable. Full Story
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