The Texas Education Agency announced on March 15 that it would replace the current superintendent and its democratically elected school board with a new board of managers as soon as June 1.
Sheila Jackson Lee
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Immigration
Afghan soldier says he will live the “American dream” after being released from immigration detention center
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s office mounted pressure on several federal agencies earlier this month leading up to Abdul Wasi Safi’s release on Tuesday.
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Immigration
Afghan soldier jailed in Texas for crossing border should receive presidential pardon, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee says
The Houston Democrat said she has sent a letter to the White House asking the Biden administration to ensure Abdul Wasi Safi starts his life in America without a criminal record.
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Uvalde school shooting
Texas state senator blasts Uvalde police response in congressional hearing: “It was cowardice”
Roland Gutierrez made the remarks during a hearing of the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security that was focused on bipartisan legislative solutions to gun violence.
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Congress
Only one Texas Republican in Congress voted to protect marriage equality
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales was the only Texas Republican to vote for a bill seeking to codify the right to same-sex marriage. The measure passed the House, but its fate in the Senate is uncertain.
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Uvalde school shooting
Partisan tensions flare among Texans in congressional gun hearing
House Democrats are combining several gun policy bills into one large package known as the Protecting our Kids Act. Among the measures in the bill: raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21; outlawing the sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of a large-capacity magazine; and creating tax breaks for purchasing proper gun storage equipment.
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Redistricting Texas
Texas Senate approves congressional map that draws no new Black or Hispanic districts even as people of color fueled population growth
Texas gained two new seats in Congress based on population growth fueled by people of color. But the Senate’s proposal provides no new majority-Black or majority-Hispanic districts to reflect that growth.
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Criminal Justice
Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee arrested for civil disobedience over voting rights bill
It was unclear what the Houston Democrat did to spur the arrest, though she said, “I engaged in civil disobedience.”
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Congress
Bipartisan effort led by Texans to make Juneteenth a federal holiday passes Congress
The bill was passed in both chambers with wide support.
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Politics
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn will file bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday
Cornyn is not the first Texas lawmaker to take similar steps toward celebrating Juneteenth. On Monday, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, introduced a resolution aiming to recognize the historical significance of the holiday. Her measure has more than 200 cosponsors.