Since President Obama took office in 2009, the state of Texas has sued his administration at least 48 times. Here’s a look at each of those cases.
Ryan McCrimmon
Ryan McCrimmon was a reporting intern for The Texas Tribune in 2015. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ryan previously covered national politics and foreign affairs for the Medill News Service in Washington, D.C. He has also worked as an anchor and producer for the Northwestern News Network and a local news reporter for the C-ville Weekly in his hometown, Charlottesville, Virginia. Ryan studies journalism and Middle East studies at Northwestern.
Posted in
Economy
In Senate, Smooth Sailing for Shark Fin Ban
A measure to ban the trade of shark fins in Texas is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after clearing the Texas Senate on Wednesday. The fins are collected by a brutal fishing process: cutting off a live shark’s fin and leaving the shark to die.
Posted in
Economy
Funding Cut as Film, Gaming Lobbies Squabble
The incentive fund for attracting film and video game companies to Texas is about to take a major budget hit. Advocates for both industries are licking their wounds, and blaming each other for failing to present a united front.
Posted in
Politics
House Republicans Fail to Move Up Bills
House Democrats narrowly avoided a Republican-led effort on Tuesday to rearrange the chamber’s calendar to make sure controversial measures got a vote before a midnight deadline.
Posted in
Health care
House Delays Closing of Austin Assisted Living Center
An Austin assisted living facility for people with disabilities — originally targeted for closure in 2017 — won’t be shuttered until 2019 under a major agency overhaul initially approved by the Texas House on Saturday.
Posted in
State Government
State Cemetery Could Soon Be Under New Management
Lawmakers are aiming to restructure the chain of command at the Texas State Cemetery. But longtime caretakers of the famous graveyard think a measure moving through the Capitol goes too far in shifting power.
Posted in
State Government
Senate Approves State Employee Pension Funding Plan
The Texas Senate on Friday voted to beef up the state’s underfunded retirement system for state employees by adding about $440 million to the program, a plan that has received mixed reviews from state employee advocacy groups.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Abbott Signs Online Solicitation Measure Into Law
Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed into law a measure that makes online solicitation of a minor a punishable offense and changes the definition of a minor, calling it “regrettable that this bill is necessary.”
Posted in
Economy
Lawmakers a Hair’s Breadth Away From Cutting Braiding Laws
After a Dallas hair braider’s decades-long battle with the state to practice and teach African hair braiding in Texas, lawmakers passed a measure Wednesday to drop industry restrictions and sent the bill to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott.
Posted in
State Government
Stars From Texas, Hollywood Align at Alamo Event
A Lone Star-studded audience including Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Cecilia Abbott, the first lady of Texas, got a sneak preview of the new miniseries Texas Rising at a red-carpet fundraising event Monday night at the Alamo.