Texas lawmakers spent a large part of 2017 debating a bathroom bill that ultimately never passed. For many transgender Texans, the law would have further complicated a decision that already comes with public scrutiny. Revisit our April multimedia project.
Alexa Ura
Alexa Ura reported for The Texas Tribune from 2013 to 2023. She covered the complex dynamics of race, ethnicity, wealth, poverty and power and how they are shaping the future of Texas and Texans, in the long and short term. Alexa started at the Tribune as a reporting intern before graduating from the University of Texas at Austin and joining the staff full time. Originally from Laredo on the Texas-Mexico border, she is a native Spanish speaker and is based in Austin.
Posted inState Government
Federal appeals judges question challenge to revised Texas voter ID law
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments over the state’s recent revisions to its 2011 voter ID law, which federal courts have said discriminated against voters of color.
Posted inState Government
U.S. Supreme Court declines to consider Houston fight over same-sex marriage benefits
The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will not review a June decision by the Texas Supreme Court that ruled that the legalization of same-sex marriage does not fully address the right to marriage benefits.
Posted inState Government
Texas House revises sexual harassment policy following reports of flaws
The revised Texas House sexual harassment policy includes language that strengthens protections against retaliation and provides specific steps to report inappropriate behavior. It comes about two weeks after The Texas Tribune detailed flaws in the former policy that often left victims to fend for themselves.
Posted in
Courts
Texas appears to concede voting rights case on language interpreter law
It appears that Texas will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case against the state’s restrictions on language interpreters at the ballot box, letting a lower court ruling stand.
Posted inState Government
How Texas curtailed traditional welfare without ending poverty
Though poverty rates have remained consistent, Texas has significantly reduced the traditional welfare it provides to poor Texans through cash assistance over the last two decades.
Posted in
Politics
Texas leaders call for training on sexual harassment — but can’t require it for lawmakers
Legislative leaders looking to create better training to prevent sexual harassment will likely face a roadblock if they want to get lawmakers in the room.
Posted inState Government
Texas leaders call for reviews of Capitol sexual harassment policies
Lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate called for a review of sexual harassment policies Tuesday following a Texas Tribune story detailing how current procedures offered little protection for victims.
Posted in
Politics
At the Texas Capitol, victims of sexual harassment must fend for themselves
Interviews with more than two dozen current and former lawmakers and legislative aides indicate sexual harassment regularly goes unchecked at the Texas Capitol. And sexual harassment policies rely on officials with little incentive or authority to enforce them, particularly in cases of harassment by lawmakers.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Straus earthquake could shake up Texas politics for years
The impact of House Speaker Joe Straus’ departure from the Capitol can’t be understated, according to one political scientist: “The political center of the state collapsed today.”
