A Texas Tribune study analyzed 560 cases from four Texas counties to shine a light on how the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture is used by law enforcement.
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.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Here’s how different proposals at the Texas Capitol could change property tax bills
How would lawmakers’ proposals to provide property tax relief affect tax bills? It depends on where you live and what kind of home you own.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2019
Texas lawmakers eye a record-breaking rainy day fund withdrawal
Proposals in the Texas House would spend $6.6 billion from the state’s savings account; the Senate would spend $4.4 billion.
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Graphics and data reporting
In Texas, property tax levies can be as individual as homeowners themselves
State lawmakers are trying to reform a complicated taxing system where everything from suburban growth to gentrification and a homeowner’s age influence how much Texans pay their local governments.
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Graphics and data reporting
Texas officials call it “property tax relief” — but legislation won’t lower tax bills or decrease budgets
The fight over property tax rates is really about state leaders telling local officials how much their revenues can grow before voters get to step in.
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Graphics and data reporting
How do Texas governments calculate your property taxes? Here’s a primer.
Several government entities — from appraisal districts to city councils — play independent roles that collectively determine how much money Texas landowners owe local governments each year.
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Graphics and data reporting
Texas’ savings account is poised to hit $15 billion. How much will lawmakers spend?
As lawmakers debate costly investments in property tax reduction and public schools, they’re eyeing the state savings account for a sizable withdrawal.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Most members of the Texas Legislature are white men — and so are the committee chairs
Four out of every five committee chairs this session are men, and 72 percent of chairs are white.
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Graphics and data reporting
Texas State students were likely a key factor in flipping this conservative county to Democrats
Beto O’Rourke surged to a 15-point edge over Ted Cruz in Hays County during last week’s election, even though the Central Texas county hadn’t voted for a Democrat at the top of the ticket since 1992.
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Graphics and data reporting
Are Texas suburbs slipping away from Republicans?
In Williamson, Hays, Collin and Fort Bend counties, Republicans saw their dominance falter on Tuesday.
