Texas lawmakers are entering the last two weeks of this legislative session, with some of their biggest promises unfilled. Don’t fret: They do a lot of their work only when deadlines loom.
Ross Ramsey
Ross Ramsey co-founded The Texas Tribune in 2009 and served as its executive editor until his retirement in 2022. He wrote regular columns on politics, government and public policy. Before joining the Tribune, he was editor and co-owner of Texas Weekly. He did a 28-month stint in government with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Before that, he reported for the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Times Herald, as a Dallas-based freelancer for regional and national magazines and newspapers, and for radio stations in Denton and Dallas.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Analysis: Judge legislators by what gets their attention — and their neglect
As the Texas Legislature rolls into its final two weeks, it’s fair to credit members with what they’ve done. But pay attention to what they ignored.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Analysis: Republican Texas legislators, like the governor, take a right turn
The Legislature still has plenty of big issues to address in its last month: electric outages, the budget and policing. At the same time, the Republican majority has its eye on issues that are dear to the conservative base: abortion, guns and elections.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
Analysis: Texas voters signal a turn to normal, in more ways than one
Texas voters are returning to normal pre-pandemic activities, and to their customary civic and political concerns, too. The changes are evident in the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
TribCast, special edition: Our pollsters on how Texans feel about guns, police, and the pandemic
In this edition of the TribCast, Ross talks to pollsters Joshua Blank, James Henson and Daron Shaw about the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll and what voters are thinking about guns, policing, voting law and the pandemic.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
Joe Biden as popular as top Republican officeholders in Texas, UT/TT Poll finds
Texas voters have a strong preference for politicians from their own parties, but overall, the president is as popular here as the governor or either of the state’s U.S. senators.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
Texas voters are as concerned about border security as about the pandemic, UT/TT Poll finds
Reflecting both the crisis on the border and continued improvement in key pandemic measurements and increasing numbers of vaccinations, Texas voters’ top concerns have shifted to the state’s border with Mexico.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
UT/TT poll: Majority of Texans oppose permitless carry, would ban police chokeholds and taxpayer-funded lobbying
On some of the major issues facing the Texas Legislature — police behavior, expanding Medicaid or allowing unlicensed carry of handguns — voters and lawmakers aren’t always in sync.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
Texans remain concerned about pandemic, but they’re returning to normal, UT/TT Poll finds
Texas voters haven’t thrown caution to the wind. However, they’re staying away from large groups, “avoiding other people as much as possible,” and are wearing masks when in close contact with people outside their households.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
Texas voters sharply divided on the fairness of elections and what to do about it, UT/TT Poll finds
The findings are echoed in the halls of the Texas Legislature, where lawmakers are wrestling with proposed restrictions to the state’s voting laws amid unsubstantiated questions about voter fraud and the integrity of the process.
