President Trump set off even more confusion than usual at the U.S. Capitol this week by announcing he would ban transgender people from the military. Take a look at where Texans in Congress stand on the issue.
Chris Essig
Chris Essig is the data visuals editor at The Texas Tribune. Based in Austin, he leads a team of developers who build charts, maintain public databases and analyze data to help reporters hold elected officials accountable. Chris has been a newsroom developer for 10 years and has worked in several local newsrooms. As a native of the Midwest, Chris received his journalism degree from Eastern Illinois University and spent six years in Iowa working at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids and at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier in Waterloo.
Posted in
State Government
Beermakers’ efforts to get Abbott’s veto go flat
House Bill 3287, which Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t veto, will force larger breweries to pay a distributor to deliver their beer — even if they’re delivering it to on-site taprooms just yards away from where it’s produced.
Posted inState Government
Check what happened to this regular session’s most high-profile bills
After 140 days, what did Texas lawmakers actually accomplish? Here’s our guide to what happened with the regular session’s most high-profile measures.
Posted in
Blocked Out
Despite “Texas miracle,” affordable housing difficult for many urban dwellers
A new Harvard study found that Americans — especially poorer ones — are having a harder time find a suitable place to call home. Texas lawmakers, experts and development industry leaders say there are plenty of reasons why that’s true here, too.
Posted in
State Government
Small beer makers say bill creates “extortion fee” as they seek Abbott’s veto
Craft brewers want Gov. Greg Abbott to veto a bill that would put limits on some regulatory relief that benefits them. But supporters, including some major distributors, say the bill is needed to stop big beer companies that gobble up independent craft brewers from taking advantage of relaxed regulations.
Posted inEconomy, Health care, Public Education, State Government
Take a closer look at the budget Texas lawmakers just passed
Did the Texas Legislature boost funding for border security? What about public education? Did they dip into the Rainy Day Fund? Here’s a wide-angle look at what’s in the $217 billion budget the two chambers ultimately settled on.
Posted in
Congress
Survey of Texas delegation finds few Republicans weighing in on Russia
The Tribune asked all 38 members of the Texas congressional delegation whether Congress is appropriately overseeing investigations into relationships between Russia and members of the Trump team.
Posted in
Higher Education
Here’s what’s at stake for Texas universities in Legislature’s budget fight
Check out how each public university in Texas would fare under the House and Senate budgets.
Posted inState Government
How do the Texas House and Senate budgets compare?
Both chambers have passed state budgets that spend around $218 billion but significant differences remain. With just a few weeks to go before the end of the session, here’s a look at the key sticking points.
Posted in
State Government
Data shows Dukes has missed most votes in Texas House
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has missed more than 100 record votes during the current legislative session, the most of the 150 members of the House, according to a Tribune analysis of data from a legislative analytics website.