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Sami Sparber is a senior at the University of Texas at Austin and is returning to The Texas Tribune for her third semester as a reporting fellow. She has been a political unit intern at NBC News and a reporting intern at the Houston Chronicle. She has also worked as managing editor and projects editor at The Daily Texan.
Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other Republicans who were initially noncommittal about the bill were under immense political pressure this session from conservatives and gun rights advocates, who have long lobbied the Texas Legislature for permitless carry. Full Story
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The Legislature passed a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training — an expansion of gun rights so divisive Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it. Full Story
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Abbott has said he would sign the permitless carry proposal into law. Full Story
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House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun. Full Story
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House Bill 1024 allows beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in pickup and delivery food orders, securing a revenue stream made available to restaurants during the pandemic when their dining areas were forced to close. Full Story
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House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun. Full Story
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House Bill 1024 would allow beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in pickup and delivery food orders, securing a revenue stream made available to restaurants in the last year during the pandemic. Full Story
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The lower chamber gave initial approval Monday to a series of bills responding to this year’s catastrophic power outages during a deadly winter storm. Full Story
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The push to steel Texas against new federal rules comes as gun violence nationwide — including a recent shooting in Bryan — has sparked Democrats to call for an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks, among other changes. Full Story
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The momentum follows a shake-up in House leadership and comes as the practice is gaining traction in statehouses across the country. Meanwhile, gun control advocates are sounding the alarm about making it easier to carry guns after recent mass shootings. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday there is an even greater urgency this legislative session to pass laws expanding gun rights because of Joe Biden’s presidency. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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The deaths occurred in at least 25 counties. And 25 of the fatalities occurred in Harris County. Some Texas deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and medical equipment failure. Full Story
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A 2015 law that allowed licensed adults to carry concealed weapons on college campuses sparked widespread protest. Now one legislator wants to extend the practice to include public schools and some charter schools. Full Story
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State Rep. Craig Goldman and state Sen. José Menéndez talk with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith about the Texas Legislature's next steps following the February winter storm and the impact on the energy industry. Full Story
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Some utility companies that deliver electricity to Texans are telling customers to expect power outages through Monday night and potentially into Tuesday. Full Story
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The NBA said the team would resume playing the song at home games, a day after it was reported that the national anthem had not been played at any Mavericks home games this season. Full Story
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The absence of any mention of the mass shootings rankled gun control advocates and state lawmakers from El Paso, who see this legislative session as their best chance to advance the very measures Abbott expressed support for in 2019. Full Story
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The violent storming of the U.S. Capitol prompted some states to reconsider allowing firearms in their statehouses. Not Texas. Full Story
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The high court vacated two rulings from the lower U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals that sided with Texas GOP officials arguing that Gov. Greg Abbott’s March 2020 executive order prohibited abortion under all but a few narrow circumstances in an attempt to preserve medical resources for COVID-19 patients. Full Story
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