“We are dying”: Houston workers protest new state law removing water break requirements
The protesters called House Bill 2127 the “law that kills” and said it will leave those who labor outdoors at the mercy of their employers. Full Story
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![Members of Fe y Justicia Worker Center hold signs in protest of HB-2127 during a press conference at Houston’s City Hall on Friday, July 14, 2023. HB-2127 is a new state law that eliminates many worker protections.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz raises $4.4 million in second quarter as he seeks reelection
The Republican’s haul fell short of the money raised by Rep. Colin Allred, a Democratic opponent who collected $6.2 million in a shorter period — but Cruz prevailed in the 2018 election despite getting outraised then. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz signs books and greets supporters during the Republican Party of Texas 2022 Convention in George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Friday, June 17, 2022.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Property tax special session is over, but months of acrimony could complicate Texas lawmakers’ mission as more work awaits
Efforts to repair rifts, particularly among Republican leaders, begin as another contentious special session looms on Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for “school choice.” Full Story
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![Speaker of the House Dade Phelan gavels the House into session on the first day of the second special session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 28, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
U.S. House adopts Texas Republican’s amendment blocking Pentagon abortion policy
Under U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson’s change to the annual defense policy bill, service members could no longer be paid travel expenses if they are stationed in a state where abortion is not available. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando on Feb. 28, 2021.]()
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New school safety laws seek to add armed guards, chaplains and mental health training. Here’s what you need to know.
Experts say many of the changes will bolster school safety but some requirements may be challenging for public schools to implement by the upcoming school year with limited funding and staffing constraints. Full Story
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![Austin Police Department officer Cory Ehrler monitors the entrance to Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Texas shortly after classes start on the Monday following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As the 83rd Legislature approaches, Texas lawmakers are considering making firearms more available to teachers and other school personnel. The Texas Tribune (Smith: School Security). Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa/The Texas Tribune -
At a shuttered Texas coal mine, a 1-acre garden is helping feed 2,000 people per month
The garden in the middle of a 35,000-acre former mine is supplying thousands of pounds of fresh produce to families in three counties that have few grocery stores. Full Story
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![From left: Ava Moore, 18; Caleb Rappolee, 17; Pera Taylor, 11; and Salaya Henderson, 11, volunteer gardeners, pick fresh onions at the Dewey Prairie Garden in Donie on June 29, 2023. The Dewey Prairie Garden is a pilot program that practices the final stages of NRG Jewett Mine’s environmental reclamation process that takes on average 12 years from start to finish.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Long-awaited $18 billion property tax-cut deal heads to Gov. Greg Abbott
House Democrats attempted to insert benefits for renters and more money for public education into the tax-cuts package in a series of floor amendments but were unsuccessful. Full Story
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![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott sends more state police to patrol Austin after city leaders call for end to partnership
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson had said that troopers pulling a gun on a 10-year-old prompted the end of the agreement. A video of that encounter shows troopers with guns pointed at the ground, not the child. Full Story
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![Increased presence of DPS at the state Capitol after a suspicious package was reported in Austin on Oct. 30, 2018.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Investigation finds no fraud by Texas prison contractor that was paid despite cutting inmate therapy services
Management & Training Corporation had been accused of defrauding the state by charging for services it didn’t provide and directing prisoners to falsify paperwork about their treatment. Full Story
Credit: Martin do Nascimento for The Texas Tribune -
Harriet O’Neill, former GOP justice on Texas Supreme Court, joins impeachment prosecutors against Ken Paxton
After 18 years as a district and appellate judge, O’Neill returned to private practice in 2010. She called the case against Paxton “clear, compelling and decisive.” Full Story
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![Former Texas Supreme court Justice Harriet ONeill in a 2010 interview with The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Justin Dehn/The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge who doesn’t want to perform gay marriage ceremonies hopes web designer’s Supreme Court case helps her fight
McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley filed a lawsuit after a state agency warned her about refusing to marry gay couples. She hopes a recent U.S. Supreme Court case about religious freedom helps her cause. Full Story
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![Gay marriage supporters hold a pride flag in front of the Supreme Court before a hearing about gay marriage in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2015.]()
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Company confirms it has found new funding to build a massive gas terminal at the Port of Brownsville
Brownsville is the last major deepwater port in Texas that doesn’t have large fossil fuel projects. The 750-acre facility will export Texas natural gas to other countries. Full Story
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![The Boca Chica Wildlife Refuge on the Rio Grande delta, about six miles east of the proposed 750-acre site of the Rio Grande LNG facility.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Professors sue Texas over TikTok ban, signaling First Amendment fight
The professors said the ban immediately halted research projects into TikTok and derailed their plans to lead classes discussing the social media app’s benefits and risks. Full Story
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![The TikTok logo outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, on Sept. 15, 2020.]()
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University of North Texas can charge out-of-state students higher tuition than undocumented Texans, appeals court rules
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a federal judge’s previous injunction that barred the college from charging out-of-state American citizens more than undocumented immigrants living in the state. Full Story
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![Students walk the University of North Texas campus in Denton, TX on Feb. 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas agency renounces workplace training that mentioned gender identity definitions
The Texas Department of Agriculture’s elected leader, Sid Miller, has fought protections for trans workers. Full Story
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![Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller speaks to a crowd gathered in front of the Governor’s Mansion to protest statewide business closures and mask mandates, on Oct. 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Rural Texas — already starved for health care — faces a dearth of volunteer first responders
The number of volunteer firefighters has dropped sharply nationwide, a trend that appears to be gripping rural Texas communities. Full Story
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![Instructor Doug Anderson works with students in the back of an ambulance while the “patient” Sabrina Rodriguez lays on the gurney during an EMT certification class in the Olton Volunteer Ambulance Association Monday, July 10, 2023, in Olton, Texas. (Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
A Comal County ranch owner ponders selling his land, setting off another clash between property rights and environmental concerns
When the owner applied for a state permit that could pave the way for a subdivision, neighbors and environmentalists rallied against it in the name of protecting the area’s rivers and the Edwards Aquifer. Full Story
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![A car drives by Doug Harrison’s property in Comal County nearly halfway between New Braunfels and Bulverde, on June 16, 2023. Harrison’s application for a wastewater treatment plant on his 500-plus-acre plot of land in Comal County stirred controversy as residents have raised environmental concerns.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott raised $15 million in 12-day window after regular legislative session
The governor, whose term ends in 2026, closed June with $23 million in his campaign fund. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott answers questions from the press after signing eight bills during a public safety bill signing session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Property tax cuts hit the fast track as Texas Senate advances long-awaited agreement
The package could land on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk by the end of the week. Voters must pass the plan in a constitutional election in November for it to take effect in the 2023 tax year. Full Story
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![Construction in the Teravista neighborhood in Georgetown on May 18, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Limited regulations make Texas workers responsible for preventing on-the-job heat injuries
In triple-digit temperatures, drinking water frequently and resting in the shade are minimum safety measures for avoiding injuries and deaths. But they are not applied to every job site. Full Story
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![Martin Capallera, 50, a construction employee, throws on his neon vest and slips on his neck gaiter after taking a break in his car while working in the late morning heat in Austin’s West Campus neighborhood on July 6, 2023. Capallera specializes in rewiring buildings and currently works on the 24th floor of a new building on W. 21st Street and San Antonio. “We try to keep our people safe,” Capallera said. “We’re all the time under the sun.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune
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