Texas Legislature averts $100 million consequences of 2021 law requiring nonexistent election technology
Lawmakers voted unanimously to reverse the 2021 provision that would have decertified equipment that counties use to count votes. Full Story
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![A bipartisan testing crew uses voting machines and tabulators during a state-mandated logic and accuracy test at the Hays County Government building in San Marcos on Sept. 21, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Effort to impeach Ken Paxton, led by fellow Republicans, sets off political earthquake in Texas
Republicans have chosen to remain largely silent during years of alleged misconduct and lawbreaking by the attorney general. Now they will have to take a public stand. Full Story
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![Opening Day action of the 88th Texas Legislature at the Texas Capitol showing Attorney General Ken Paxton conferring with Gov. Greg Abbott outside the Senate chamber before his swearing in ceremony in Jan. 10, 2023.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Effort to fix payroll error for state National Guard troops falls short in Texas Senate
The mistake meant about 7,400 soldiers sent to the Texas-Mexico border under Operation Lone Star were hit with higher-than-expected federal income taxes. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas National Guard work 12 to 13 hour shifts guarding the “Texas border wall,” construction crews and materials near Del Rio on Dec. 8, 2021. Thousands of National Guard troops were deployed to Del Rio after an increase in migration at the southern border.]()
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“Doctors have lost their voice”: Top trans care doctor leaves Texas as lawmakers pass ban
Pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Ximena Lopez started a clinic for trans youth in 2014. But she’s leaving Texas ahead of an expected law that would ban transition-related care for minors. Full Story
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![Demonstrators protest SB14, a bill to eradicate gender transition healthcare for trans kids in Texas, while the bill is heard in the House at the state Capitol on May 2, 2023.]()
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“Somber day” in Uvalde as community commemorates one year since Robb Elementary shooting
Numerous vigils and memorials in Uvalde marked one year since the massacre at Robb Elementary School. In what became the deadliest school shooting in Texas, a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers and injured 17 others. Full Story
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![Destiny Esquivel, a cousin of Maite Rodriguez, embraces another family member beside the memorial cross for Lexi Rubio in the city plaza on the one year mark of the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde on May 24, 2023.]()
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Listen: Through art, keepsakes and advocacy, families are making sure 21 Uvalde victims are not forgotten
Wednesday marks exactly a year since a mass shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. The community continues to grapple with the trauma and pain, and for those who lost someone that day, they’re determined to keep the memories of their loved ones alive. Full Story
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![Javier Cazares assembles his notes for his testimony as a poster of his daughter, Jackie, and other victims of the Robb Elementary school shooting stand against the wall beside him. Cazares and other family members wait for the Community Safety Committee to reconvene about bills relating to gun reform, at the state Capitol in Austin on April 18, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas set to exit multistate program that cleans voter rolls
The multistate program, ERIC, is considered by election administration experts across the country to be the best tool for preventing double voting across state lines. It has been the target of conspiracy theories. Full Story
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![Election workers move ballots and equipment gathered at one of the nine rally sites to the Tarrant County Election Administration building in Fort Worth on November 8, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
After Taylor Swift Eras Tour glitch, Texas bans bots that buy concert tickets
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn hopes to take the issue on in Congress. Full Story
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![Taylor Swift accepts the "iHeartRadio Innovator" award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in Los Angeles, California on March 27, 2023.]()
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Gun safety advocates see signs of progress in first session after Uvalde shooting even though raise-the-age bill stalled
Emotions often ran high over a proposal to limit young adults’ access to some firearms. Lawmakers have largely prioritized school safety measures, but there was still progress for some gun-related legislation. Full Story
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![Siblings of Xavier Lopez play quietly while the families of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting gather to attend a press conference held by state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, where he introduced four new bills that will address qualified immunity for police officers, allow victims to sue the State of Texas, repeal the protection of the Lawful Commerce in Arms act, and create a permanent compensation fund for victims of school gun violence, at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 24, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L’Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate again advances proposed restrictions on lessons about gender identity and sexual orientation
For the third time, the Senate is pushing a proposal critics say will ignore the existence of LGBTQ people in every grade level. Two other bills that contained similar language missed key legislative deadlines. Full Story
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![Students sit in art class at Lufkin High School in Lufkin, Texas, U.S., on Friday, January 27, 2023. Public school officials in rural areas like Lufkin face budget challenges because of proposed school choice legislation, which provides taxpayer-funded alternatives to sending a child to a local public school.]()
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Abbott, Patrick, Phelan race to negotiate priority issues as deadlines loom
Seeking to avoid a special session, the state leaders discuss school choice, property taxes and grid reform. Full Story
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![Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in the governor's office on Monday, May 22, 2023.]()
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As Texas Republican senators march in lockstep, Robert Nichols is willing to break away
Whether it’s supporting a rape exception for abortion or opposing school choice, Nichols has gone his own way on certain GOP priorities. Full Story
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![State Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, on the Senate floor on April 9, 2019.]()
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Texas Senate passes school safety bill that would require districts to bolster their active-shooter plans
Both chambers have said school safety is a priority this session after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school last year. Full Story
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![A police officer monitors Maplewood Elementary School in Austin a week following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune. -
Economic incentives clear Senate committee as negotiations continue
Lawmakers are trying hard to come up with an agreement on how to replace an embattled 20-year tax abatement program for big companies that expired in December. Full Story
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![A working pump jack sits near wind turbines on the Cline Shale near Maryneal, south of Sweetwater, on April 16, 2013.]()
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Texas House’s weekend off means key Senate bills die after missing a legislative deadline
Priority bills that died include a 10-year minimum sentencing for gun-related crimes, a ban on “critical race theory” at public universities and LGBTQ-related legislation. While the bills may be dead, lawmakers have a limited time to attach their ideas to legislation that is still alive. Full Story
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![State Representatives and their families gather on the House floor on the opening day of the 88th Legislative Session at the state Capitol in Austin on Jan. 10, 2023.]()
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Time runs out for taxpayer-funded private school tuition bill as special session looms
Gov. Greg Abbott has already signaled he would call a special session if lawmakers failed to pass a voucher-like program open to all students. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during an event held by the Parent Empowerment Coalition at Annapolis Christian Academy on Jan. 31, 2023, in Corpus Christi.]()
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Bill providing death benefits for National Guard serving along southern border sent to governor
The legislation was named for Bishop Evans, who drowned last year trying to rescue migrants in the Rio Grande. Full Story
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![Texas National Guard and Texas DPS officers position themselves on the banks of the Rio Grande, Tuesday, December 20, 2022, in El Paso, Texas. Over 400 personnel have been sent to this border sector by Governor Abbott after El Paso city officials declared a state of emergency. Photo by Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Is a special session of the Texas Legislature inevitable?
In this week’s episode, we discuss the long odds facing the school choice bill and the possibility of Gov. Greg Abbott calling lawmakers back for a special session. Full Story
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![People walk into the House gallery at the Capitol in Austin on April 06, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas has begun busing migrants to Denver, Gov. Greg Abbott announces
Colorado’s capital becomes the fifth Democratic-run destination for immigrants transported from the Texas-Mexico border region. Full Story
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![Migrants arriving from Texas by bus disembark at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City, on May 10, 2023.]()
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8-year-old girl dies while in federal custody on the border
The child and her family were in custody at a border station in Harlingen before she was transported to a local hospital. The death comes less than a week after the expiration of Title 42, which had allowed authorities to quickly expel migrants from the U.S. during the pandemic. Full Story
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![What was left of the makeshift migrant camp less than 19 hours after Title 42 ended at 9:59 p.m. local time the night before, Friday, May 12, 2023, in El Paso. A group is living under the blankets that are being used to cover themselves from the sun. The camp had up to 1000 people in recent days.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune