Lawmakers send to Gov. Greg Abbott new political maps that would further solidify the GOP’s grip on the Texas Legislature
The redistricting plans for the House, Senate and State Board of Education were approved Friday. Full Story
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![The Senate floor on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate approves $3 billion college campus construction bill
Lawmakers haven’t passed a tuition revenue bond bill since 2015. 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 House wants to use federal COVID relief funds to send out $525 checks — but only to homeowners
Republican lawmakers have faced pressure to provide some form of property tax relief this year. Critics of a new proposal say it’s politically timed. Full Story
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![An East Austin neighborhood.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans pave way for new battleground state House district in Rio Grande Valley over local lawmakers’ objections
The likely new district comes as Texas Republicans continue to try to make new inroads in South Texas after the 2020 election. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on Aug. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Biden administration to ask Supreme Court to stop enforcement of Texas’ near-total abortion ban
Court decisions have gone back and forth on the law’s enforceability over several weeks. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court in Washington on Sept. 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Biden administration says it’s ready to restore “remain in Mexico” policy along border next month
A court ordered the administration to resume the Trump-era policy that sends asylum-seekers to Mexico to await U.S. court hearings. But Mexico has to agree to accept them. Full Story
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![Living quarters inside Senda de Vida. Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. May, 29 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
With surgical precision, Republicans draw two congressional districts that dilute power of Hispanic and Asian voters
The GOP is losing its hold on suburbs of Dallas and Fort Worth as they grow more diverse. Two new districts show how far the party is reaching to entrench rural, white electoral power. Full Story
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![Census data from 2020 and redistricting maps at The Texas Tribune office in Austin on Oct. 7, 2021. The state population grew by nearly 4 million and was driven mainly by people of color.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves bill targeting transgender student athletes after lawmakers' three previous attempts faltered
Under House Bill 25, K-12 student athletes would be prohibited from competing on school sports teams aligned with their gender identity. The bill will now head to the Senate, where it is expected to pass. Full Story
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![A teenage softball player in black uniform slides into home plate.]()
Credit: Getty Images/iStock -
Texas’ near-total abortion ban will remain in effect as federal appeals court agrees to hear legal challenge
Senate Bill 8 barred abortions as early as six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant. It is the strictest abortion ban in the nation. Full Story
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![An ultrasound machine sits next to an empty patient bed at Whole Women’s Health of Austin on Sept. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
As Texas GOP wages war on COVID-19 mandates, lawmakers OK bill that would make companies requiring the shot vulnerable to lawsuits
Senate Bill 51 would make any entity, including hospitals, vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits if they mandate vaccinations for all employees. Full Story
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![A COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card sits on a table at a vaccine clinic held in partnership between the Central Texas Food Bank and University of Texas in Austin on July 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court puts San Antonio school district’s vaccine mandate on hold
The halt comes after Gov. Greg Abbott expanded his ban on COVID-19 vaccine mandates — which previously applied to cities, counties and school districts — to private employers. Full Story
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![School supplies are individually bagged in each cubbie in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
This Plano family got evicted after the Texas Rent Relief program paid the wrong landlord
The state’s $1.9 billion rental assistance program, which launched during the pandemic, has helped more than 165,000 Texans. But people have “slipped through the cracks,” advocates say. Full Story
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![Jared Brown looks over his family’s belongings on the morning of their eviction from their Plano apartment.]()
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“Extremely influential” or “delusional ideas of grandeur”? GOP primary foe Don Huffines sees impact as Gov. Greg Abbott pushes rightward
Huffines has been the most vocal fellow Republican taking on Abbott, pressuring him over his COVID-19 response, the border and other hot-button issues. Full Story
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![Former state Sen. Don Huffines speaks at a Texas Republican Party rally on the east side of the Capitol Grounds on Jan. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
At Stephen F. Austin State University, a quiet pay bump for the president sparks outrage and questions over the budget and furloughs
A pandemic-weary faculty and staff want President Scott Gordon to step down, but the board of regents stands behind him for now. Full Story
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![The Stephen F. Austin State University campus.]()
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GOP state Rep. Lyle Larson, who has increasingly broken with his party, won’t seek reelection
The San Antonio Republican announced Wednesday he will not run for another term in 2022. Full Story
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![State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, speaks with colleagues on the House floor on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. to reopen land borders with Mexico to vaccinated travelers starting in November
The borders were closed to nonessential travel in March 2020, which hurt businesses in Texas border cities that rely on Mexican shoppers. Full Story
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![Scenes from downtown near the international bridge on day one of the shelter-in-place order that was put in place by the county judge Oct. 30, 2020, in El Paso. The El Paso mayor and Gov. Abbott are fighting the order in court.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
After his Round Rock district was redrawn to help Republicans, state Rep. James Talarico says he’ll move to Austin to run in 2022
“Republicans have gerrymandered me out of my district,” Talarico tweeted. “If they think they can keep me off the House floor, they better think again.” Full Story
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![State Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock, speaks with his colleagues on the House floor on Aug. 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Department of Justice investigating abuse, mistreatment at Texas’ juvenile lockups
The department says it’s looking into whether the Texas Juvenile Justice Department provides “reasonable protection from physical and sexual abuse by staff and other residents, excessive use of chemical restraints and excessive use of isolation.” Full Story
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![Detainees line up to leave the outdoor recreation area at the Travis County Juvenile Detention Center in Austin on June 24, 2013.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks Gov. Greg Abbott to add higher ed construction projects to third special session
The Texas Legislature has not approved bonds to fund capital projects on public university campuses since 2015, and many school leaders say they need help to build new buildings and maintain current structures. Full Story
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![Graduates at a Texas A&M University commencement ceremony at Reed Arena in College Station on Dec 17, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes proposed new map for chamber’s 150 districts, aiming to protect Republicans’ majority for the next decade
Members considered more than 50 amendments to the proposed map during debate that began Tuesday and ended early Wednesday. Some of the biggest changes focused on Dallas and Harris counties. Full Story
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![The House floor at the Capitol on Sept. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune