T-Squared: The regular 2023 legislative session is behind us. We were with Texans the whole way.
The Tribune’s editor-in-chief on covering the 2023 Texas legislative session. Full Story
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Where Texas redistricting lawsuits stand after U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Alabama case
The high court left intact a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act in a case many feared would go the other way. The decision’s importance in ongoing litigation over Texas’ political maps will largely be felt in what didn’t happen. Full Story
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![The newest drafts of the statewide congressional districts in Texas outside the Senate Chamber in the Texas Capitol in Austin on Sept. 30 2021.]()
Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune -
Trap-neuter-release programs for cats are now legally protected in Texas
Animal advocates are deeply divided over whether so-called TNR policies are a good idea. A bill signed by the governor last weekend gives them legal protection statewide. Full Story
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![There are an estimated 75-100 stray cats fed daily by volunteers at various locations in Tomball, on June 11, 2023.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott says he won’t renew his COVID-19 disaster declaration later this week
Texas appears to be the last state with a broad pandemic declaration, which was begun in 2020, still in place. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott signs six bills relating to border security at the state Capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
With $1.4 billion investment, Texas hopes to sprint to the front of the microchip manufacturing race
Microchips are increasingly present in every day life, from phones and laptops to cars and washing machines. Gov. Greg Abbott approved last week a stimulus package in an effort to shore up the supply chain after the pandemic’s disruptions. Full Story
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![Workers inside the clean room of U.S. semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology, where computer chips are made, in Bloomington, Minnesota in April, 2022.]()
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Lawmakers passed a bill to stop insurers from considering ESG criteria in setting rates
So-called environmental, social and governance policies are often adopted by companies to reduce their carbon footprints. The new Texas bill aims to stop insurers doing business in Texas from using ESG criteria, but it doesn’t include penalties for violations. Full Story
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![State Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, presents SB 14, which seeks to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth, for it's second reading on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on May 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
How Texas’ plan to curb school violence was knocked down by a pandemic and little oversight
Threat assessment teams were created to prevent the next school shooting. However, confusion surrounds how these teams operate and what they even do with a child exhibiting threatening behavior. Full Story
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![Texas Governor Greg Abbott convenes the third of three roundtable discussions on school safety and gun violence on May 24, 2018 in the wake of the Santa Fe High School shooting that left ten students dead.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
State environmental agency proposes new rules for concrete plants in Texas
The TCEQ has proposed changes to concrete batch plant permits including lowering production limits, reducing dust coming from plants and setting minimum distance requirements from nearby communities. Full Story
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![A concrete truck is washed at a concrete batch plant in Gunter, TX on March 21, 2023.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opts for eminent domain to save Fairfield Lake State Park
With only three days left on the state’s lease, the agency unanimously voted to condemn almost 5,000 acres in Freestone County in an effort to keep the park open to the public after developers purchased the property to build a gated community. Full Story
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![State Park Police Officer Kyle Ware makes the rounds at Fairfield Lake State Park in Fairfield on Feb. 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans in Congress stand behind Donald Trump after federal indictment
GOP lawmakers dismiss the charges over classified documents as a partisan attack, but Democrats say the matter proves nobody is above the law. Full Story
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![Hundreds of people gathered to attend former President Donald Trump's first 2024 presidential campaign rally in Waco on March 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Nate Paul charged with 8 felony counts of making false statements to financial institutions
The Austin real estate investor was a central figure in allegations that led the Texas House to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton last month. One of the charges against Paul has ties the impeachment allegations. Full Story
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![The United States Federal Courthouse in Austin on June 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: How does Nate Paul’s arrest affect Ken Paxton?
In this week’s episode, we discuss the arrest of Austin developer Nate Paul, what it might say about Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial and whether it makes Paxton more vulnerable to criminal prosecution. Full Story
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![The electronic board during the vote to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, on the House floor of the state Capitol on May 27, 2023 .]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Appeals court dismisses GOP megadonor’s lawsuit against Beto O’Rourke
Billionaire Kelcy Warren claimed that he was defamed by the Democratic candidate’s criticism of the power-grid failure in 2021. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke greets attendees during a Get Out the Vote Rally hosted by the Asian American Democrats of Texas in Asiatown on October 15, 2022.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues EPA over federal smog control plan
The lawsuit claims the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority with its plan to reduce ozone emissions that cross state lines. Full Story
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![Smoke from a power plant in San Antonio on Aug. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Determined to forge ahead with canal expansion, Army Corps unveils testing plan for contaminants in Matagorda Bay
The expansion project will enable the world’s largest class of tanker ships to dock at a new oil export terminal on the Gulf Coast. It also involves dredging a Superfund site. Full Story
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![Max Midstream's Seahawk oil terminal stands across Lavaca Bay from a jetty at Lighthouse Beach in Port Lavaca on Wednesday, June 7 2023.]()
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Texas is set to improve in-person and mail-in voting for people with disabilities
Voters with disabilities have been pushing for more accessibility for years. This legislative session two bills gained bipartisan support. Full Story
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![Chase Bearden, 45, of Harlingen, the deputy executive director of The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, poses for a portrait in his office in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Disability doesn’t discriminate,” Bearden said. “We want everybody to be able to vote independently.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
With another DACA court ruling looming, Texas recipients who are now adults worry about their jobs and futures
A federal judge in Houston is expected to rule for the second time that the Obama-era program is illegal. The possible end of DACA could upend the lives of more than 95,000 Texans enrolled in the program. Full Story
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![Itzayana Mondragon sits with her son Dylan at her home in Austin on June 5, 2023. Itzayana is a DACA recipient who worries about the unclear future of the program and her immigration status. Itzayana has been in the U.S. since she was less than a year old and fears the idea of going back to Mexico with her life here.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for the Texas Tribune -
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information. Full Story
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![An industrial irrigation system on a farm in Floydada, TX, on Mar. 8, 2012.]()
Credit: Jason Janik for The Texas Tribune -
Nate Paul, Austin developer at center of Ken Paxton impeachment, arrested in Travis County
It is not immediately clear what Paul was charged with, but Travis County officials confirmed he was being held in the jail at the request of the FBI. Paxton’s deputies accused Paul of bribing the now-suspended attorney general in 2020. Full Story
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![Nate Paul is the CEO of World Class, a real estate holding company.]()
Credit: World Class website -
Texas to deploy buoys to deter Rio Grande crossings, Abbott announces
The governor revealed plans for a floating river barrier at a Capitol signing ceremony for six new laws related to border security. The first 1,000-foot section will be set up near Eagle Pass. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott displays SB 1113, one of six bills he signed during a border security bill signing session at the state capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune