Texans are being asked to cut property taxes, create a new fund for water infrastructure and give child-care facilities a tax exemption among other propositions. Here’s a breakdown of each constitutional amendment and what you need to know to vote.
Marissa Martinez
Marissa Martinez was a spring 2021 reporting fellow. A graduate of Northwestern University, she was the editor-in-chief of The Daily Northwestern, where she held various roles including diversity and inclusion editor. She previously participated in the Politico Journalism Institute and will join Politico in June for a yearlong fellowship focused on race and demographics. Marissa is a member of NABJ, NAHJ and AAJA.
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Texas Legislature 2021
The Texas Legislature’s sole Black freshman had big plans for her first session. She ended up mostly playing defense.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett pushed bills to reform policing, expand voting options and loosen drug laws in the state. But she made waves for her passionate dissent.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Amid a pandemic with unequal impact, a proposal for a new Office of Health Equity died in the Texas Senate
Democratic lawmakers wanted to replace a defunded agency by creating a new office that would look at health inequities across the state. But after Republicans pulled it into ongoing debates about transgender rights and critical race theory, the bill died in the Senate.
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Coronavirus in Texas
What it’s like to be a doctor in training in the middle of a pandemic
After years of studying how to practice medicine, they quickly learned how to treat COVID-19 patients, relay difficult news to loved ones and manage their own mental health during a pandemic.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Texas announces Pfizer vaccine now available to adolescents as young as 12 years old
Parental consent is required for vaccinating children in this age group, either orally or in writing, though the guardian does not necessarily need to be present for the shot itself.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Resuming in-person learning at Texas schools last fall accelerated spread of COVID-19, study says
The researchers said the additional cases they tracked after students began returning to schools represented 12% of the state’s total cases during the eight weeks after reopening and 17% of deaths.
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Coronavirus in Texas
COVID-19 variant cases are on the rise in Texas. Here’s what you need to know.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says vaccines and other preventive measures like social distancing and mask-wearing should protect people from variants.
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Coronavirus in Texas
COVID-19 vaccine demand drops in Texas, though less than a quarter of population is fully vaccinated
Local health officials reported shorter lines and less demand at vaccination sites, and warned that there’s still much work to be done to make Texans safe from the virus.
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Criminal Justice
Marvin Scott III died in Texas police custody. His family will protest until the officers involved are arrested.
Though seven of the sheriff’s officers have been fired after initially being put on administrative leave and another resigned while under investigation, the family and protesters say they don’t plan to stop until the officers have been charged with a crime.
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Coronavirus in Texas
As Texas expands COVID-19 vaccination eligibility, racial disparities persist among Black, Hispanic residents
White Texans are being vaccinated at nearly twice the rate of Hispanic Texans and more than six times the rate of Black Texans, according to state data.