As the legislative clock ticks, Houston language advocates angle for a committee hearing
The window is closing for Woori Juntos in its pursuit of legislation to improve language access to state health programs. Full Story
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![Su Chong Yun, a senior Korean member of the Woori Juntos community, shares his personal story to his fellow community about not having access to Korean translated materials to apply for Medicare in Houston, on Thursday, March 23, 2023.]()
Credit: Joseph Bui for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves bill that would end faculty tenure at public universities
Senate Bill 18 faces an uphill battle at the Texas House, where Speaker Dade Phelan has expressed concerns with completely eliminating the commonplace job protection. Full Story
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![Students walk through an area known as “The Quad” on the first day of the fall semester at Texas State University in San Marcos on Aug. 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate moves to end countywide voting on Election Day
Voters in nearly 100 counties — mostly rural — can vote at any polling site in their county. The sponsor, without offering evidence, said the practice was not secure despite years of successful elections in Texas with the system. Full Story
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![People walk up to the Willie DeLeon Civic Center Precinct 1 polling station in Uvalde on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Public schools would have to display Ten Commandments under bill passed by Texas Senate
The Senate also passed a bill that would set prayer and Bible reading times during the school day. Full Story
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![The Ten Commandments Monument on the Texas State Capitol grounds in Austin.]()
Credit: Ariel Min/The Texas Tribune -
Texas judge cancels Ivan Cantu execution after new evidence suggests he might be innocent
Two jurors from Cantu’s 2001 double-murder trial now support his appeals, which claim prosecutors relied on false testimony and withheld crucial evidence. Full Story
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![Interior of Death Chamber in Texas.]()
Credit: Jenevieve Robbins/Texas Department of Criminal Justice -
Texas House passes bill that aims to keep sexually explicit materials out of school libraries
Legal experts, librarians and some parents say House Bill 900’s language is so vague and broad that it could ensnare books that are not inappropriate. Full Story
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![Demonstrators held a read-in in the capitol rotunda during the reading of HB 900, a bill aimed to prohibit inappropriate books in school libraries, on April 19, 2023. Protestors opposing the bill say the language is too vague to be effective.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves bill that would ban diversity programs in public universities
The legislation heads to the Texas House, where members have been more muted about the proposal to disband offices, programs and training that foster diversity. Full Story
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![The Academic Building on the Texas A&M University campus on March 26, 2018.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
SpaceX’s unmanned Starship explodes over Gulf of Mexico after Texas liftoff
There were no people on board the rocket that took off from South Texas on Thursday morning. SpaceX officials said the incident will still inform the company’s future flights. Full Story
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![SpaceX's next-generation Starship spacecraft atop its powerful Super Heavy rocket self-destructs after its launch from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on a brief uncrewed test flight near Brownsville on April 20, 2023. in a still image from video.]()
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San Antonio to vote on progressive wish list on abortion, marijuana, low-level arrests
Proposition A on the May 6 ballot will test the city’s political climate and progressives’ ability to advance a controversial agenda. Full Story
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![Women sit in the waiting room after their appointments at Alamo Women’s Reproductive Services in San Antonio on June 14, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
As Texas college students struggle with affordability, UT-Austin launches program to offset on-campus housing costs
Demand for on-campus housing has gone up across the country as off-campus costs have skyrocketed and students seek more affordable options. Full Story
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![Students walk up the East Mall stairs at the University of Texas at Austin on Aug. 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes bill to strengthen school active-shooter plans
Senate Bill 11, which aims to get hundreds of districts without adequate safety protocols to adopt one, would also beef up truancy laws. Full Story
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![Educators take part in active shooter training in Pflugerville on August 10, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Amid Slaton scandal, Texas Legislature moves to crack down on lawmakers who give alcohol to minors
The House passed a bill with a late amendment to make it a state jail felony for a “public officer” to give alcohol to a minor under any circumstances. Slaton voted for the amendment. Full Story
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![State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, sits at his desk on the House floor in Austin on April 18, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Supreme Court extends access to abortion drug until Friday
The U.S. Supreme Court originally planned to weigh in on the abortion pill case by Wednesday night, but extended the hold on the Amarillo ruling until Friday at midnight. Full Story
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![Supreme Court police officers walk alongside protective barriers in Washington D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
In overnight testimony, Uvalde victims’ family members call on Texas lawmakers to raise age to buy semi-automatic guns
The families of Uvalde shooting victims waited hours to testify at a House committee hearing in support of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21. Full Story
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![Friends and families of the victims of the Uvalde shooting wait in a members lounge as they wait for the Community Safety Committee to reconvene, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023. The committee will hear numerous bills relating to gun reform, most notably HB2744 which seeks to raise the age required to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez “very likely” to challenge Ted Cruz in 2024
Gutierrez has served in the Texas Senate since 2021 after previously serving over a decade in the House. Full Story
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![From left: State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves sweeping limits on local regulations in GOP’s latest jab at blue cities
City officials say the full scope of the legislation advanced Tuesday is still unclear, but it would limit their ability to issue worker protections, water restrictions and more. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 14, 2019.]()
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U.S. Supreme Court lets Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed pursue DNA testing in bid to prove innocence
Reed has long said he was wrongfully convicted for the 1996 murder of Stacey Stites. His lawyers will now be able to renew their legal fight for testing of crucial crime scene evidence. Full Story
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![Rodney Reed is scheduled to be executed next Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2019.]()
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Solar and wind companies are coming to rural Texas. These residents are trying to keep them out.
In Franklin County, a group of locals are concerned about potential environmental harm from renewable energy facilities and support a bill that would impose more regulations on solar and wind. The industry says it’s being unfairly singled out. Full Story
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![Solar panels near Cunningham on April 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Bills to create new Texas courts would likely reverse Democratic gains, restore GOP dominance
Supporters say the proposals would increase efficiency and expertise, but opponents argue the attempts are political and probably unconstitutional. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House committee debates firearms bills filed in response to Uvalde shooting
The House Select Committee on Community Safety is scheduled to hear testimony on bills that would change how people buy firearms and how authorities report those purchases. One of these bills would raise the minimum age to 21 years old to purchase certain semi-automatic rifles. Full Story
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![Patrons of the SAXET Gun Show look at handguns at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown on Feb. 26, 2023.]()
Credit: Blaine Young for The Texas Tribune