At the start of the legislative session, bills that would strengthen the state’s charter school system, overhaul teaching requirements and address accountability for underperforming school districts were a top priority for many advocacy groups and some lawmakers. Use our interactive to track their progress.
Ryan Murphy
Ryan Murphy worked at the Tribune from 2010 to 2019. As deputy data visuals editor, he created graphics, interactive stories and data-driven features, wrangled difficult datasets and worked on tools to make development for the team more efficient. He also oversaw the design and maintenance of our large-scale explorers.
Posted inEconomy, State Government
Interactive: Tracking Franchise Tax Bills
Tax relief has become a key issue in the final weeks of the legislative session, and nearly all of the relief efforts are focused on the franchise tax paid by businesses. Use our interactive to track the status of those bills.
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Interactive: Mapping Texas Facilities With Ammonium Nitrate
More than 110 facilities across Texas store ammonium nitrate in some form, according to state records. Use our interactive to see where in the facilities are located and how far they are from schools and hospitals.
Posted inHealth care, State Government
Interactive: Tracking Abortion Legislation
Abortion is usually a contentious issue in the Texas Legislature, but this session, lawmakers have had relatively few public debates on it. Use this Tribune interactive to track the progress of bills related to abortion.
Posted in
Bidness As Usual
Interactive: Tracking Texas’ Ethics Legislation
State lawmakers have talked a big game this year on transparency and ethics, but with less than a month to go in the 83rd legislative session, the bills they’ve filed haven’t made much progress. Use our interactive to see where they stand.
Posted inCourts, Criminal Justice
Interactive: Tracking Texas’ Gun Legislation
State lawmakers have filed roughly 100 gun bills this session — many drafted in the wake of the deadly December shooting in Newtown, Conn. Use our interactive to review the measures by subject and see which are getting the most traction in the Capitol.
Posted inState Government
Interactive: 1st-Quarter Congressional Filings
Federal lawmakers this week filed their first campaign finance reports of 2013. Texas’ congressional delegation received more than $5 million in contributions in the first quarter of the year. Use this interactive to explore the rest of the numbers.
Posted inState Government
Updated Map: Not All Voting-Age Populations Are Equal Across State
In drawing their political districts, states make sure each district has the same population. But having each district match the others in population masks big differences. We’ve updated our voting-age population map to include Texas’ congressional and State Board of Education districts.
Posted in
Water for Fracking
Interactive Map: Texas Wastewater Disposal
Use our interactive map to see more than 7,000 sites across Texas where wastewater from oil and gas operations is being disposed of. Enter your ZIP code to find disposal wells near you.
Posted in
Economy
Texas Unemployment Up Slightly in February
Texas added 80,600 new jobs in February, but the state’s unemployment rate still increased slightly to 6.8 percent.
