The latest Donna Howard news from The Texas Tribune.
The bill, which Democrats have been pushing for years, has become a top priority after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Senate has already passed the bill, which would provide tax relief on the purchase of menstrual products, diapers and other child care necessities. Full Story
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The leader of the state House also threw his support behind bills to crack down on how companies handle private data and to protect children from “addictive algorithms” by digital companies. Full Story
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The COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and burnout have pummeled teachers in the last few years. Lawmakers from both parties agree they should get a pay bump — but it won’t happen without some negotiation. Full Story
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In interviews, the two women expressed a sense of sorrow over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to ban abortions, adding even more enormous obstacles to what was already an uphill battle to protect reproductive rights in Texas. Full Story
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A group of young women have teamed up with a prestigious Houston law firm to get the state to stop charging sales tax on menstrual products, arguing they qualify as “wound care dressings.” Full Story
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In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Donna Howard and state Sen. Kel Seliger about sniping and snark on the road to sine die. Full Story
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Now praised as heroes of the pandemic, nurses and other front-line medical workers have been routinely scratched, bitten or verbally abused by patients. Well over half of Texas' nurses reported being subject to workplace violence in their career, according to a 2016 state study. Full Story
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The changes to the budget proposal come after lawmakers and advocates protested the previous plan would hurt vulnerable Texans. Full Story
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“Bloomberg was promising a long-term commitment to Texas regardless of who won the primary,” said one state representative. “It’s disappointing that with his defeat in the primary, the campaign has decided to reverse course." Full Story
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Starting in September, government agencies will no longer be able to provide anything of value to abortion providers or their affiliates. Opponents of the law fear it could mean the end of some public health and education programs across the state. Full Story
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In hopes of saving money on data storage, legislators are considering downsizing the state's data centers and relying more on private tech companies. Full Story
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The chamber voted on a resolution that moves misconduct complaints to a committee with subpoena power. Full Story
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Watch the full video of our conversation in Austin with state Reps. Gina Hinojosa, Donna Howard and Eddie Rodriguez. Or check out our full recap. Full Story
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The revised Texas House sexual harassment policy includes language that strengthens protections against retaliation and provides specific steps to report inappropriate behavior. It comes about two weeks after The Texas Tribune detailed flaws in the former policy that often left victims to fend for themselves. Full Story
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Full video of Evan Smith's 4/10 conversation at Austin Community College with three state legislators from Austin: Reps. Gina Hinojosa and Donna Howard and Sen. Kirk Watson. Full Story
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Had the state kept its share of school funding constant for the past 10 years, voters might not be griping about rising property taxes. The state is spending more than it used to, but it's spending less per student. Full Story
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We're livestreaming our live post-election TribCast recording in Austin. Full Story
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At our 4/29 symposium on the Texas economy, Ross Ramsey talked about the state budget and spending with state Sens. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, and state Reps. John Otto, R-Dayton, and Donna Howard, D-Austin. Full Story
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Full video of our 3/31 conversation about the Top 10 Percent Rule with Austin ISD Superintendent Paul Cruz, former UT-Austin President Larry Faulkner, and state Reps. Donna Howard, D-Austin, and John Zerwas, R-Richmond. Full Story
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At our 11/16 symposium on higher education, Matthew Watkins talked to state Sens. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, and Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo; state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin; and Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes about how higher ed issues played in the 84th Legislature. Full Story
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