A bill that cleared the Legislature aims to prevent voter fraud at nursing homes and widen ballot access for elderly Texans. Somehow, politics didn’t get in the way.
Jim Malewitz
Jim Malewitz was a reporter at the Tribune from 2013 to 2017, covering energy and environment and then working on investigations. Previously, he covered those issues for Stateline, a nonprofit news service in Washington, D.C. The Michigan native majored in political science at Grinnell College in Iowa and holds a master’s from the University of Iowa. There, he helped launch the nonprofit Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, where he currently serves on the board of directors. Jim also coaches the Texas Tribune Runoffs, which, sources say, is the scrappiest coed newsroom softball team west of the Mississippi.
Amid opioid epidemic, Texas joins multistate investigation into drugmakers’ role
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is part of a bipartisan group of state attorneys general investigating opioid manufacturers’ role in the nation’s deadly epidemic of opioid abuse.
Scrap new Texas voter ID law, plaintiffs tell federal judge
Texas’ softer voter ID law doesn’t fix the discrimination in the old measure, the state’s legal opponents told a judge Wednesday.
House, Senate OK compromise on bill to soften voter ID law
The House and Senate have approved a compromise on voter ID legislation, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
Fearing 2018 losses, Texas Republicans in Congress want special session on redistricting
Several Texas Republicans in Congress told the Tribune they want Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to redraw the state’s congressional map. Yet all signs suggest Abbott isn’t interested.
Texas House backs voter ID overhaul, with changes
The 95-54 vote followed a six-hour debate that saw fierce pushback from Democrats, who argued the legislation wouldn’t go far enough to expand ballot access and might discourage some Texans from going to the polls.
Supreme Court’s ruling on North Carolina redistricting strikes down a Texas line of defense
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday in a North Carolina gerrymandering case could have major implications for the drawing of political maps in Texas and nationwide.
Effort to overhaul Texas voter ID rules survives — for now
A flurry of legislative activity Sunday night gave life to efforts to overhaul the Texas’ voter identification law, a change that’s crucial to the state’s arguments over whether lawmakers disenfranchised minority voters.
Texas Republicans fear federal oversight as voter ID overhaul stalls
Republicans fear a failure to overhaul strict Texas voter ID rules could torpedo the state’s position in litigation over whether lawmakers discriminated against minority voters.
Plan to overhaul Texas Rainy Day Fund and boost returns losing steam
A proposal to dramatically reshape the state’s savings account to set aside more funds for tough economic times has effectively died in the final days of the legislative session.


