Easter Seals East Texas officials have put the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on notice they are ending services for 230 children in the Brazos Valley area on Aug. 31.
Texas Legislature
Posted in
State Government
Analysis: A law that lets political majorities cheat — and win
Another federal judge has ruled that Texas legislators intentionally discriminated on the basis of race when changing voting and election laws. But even if the laws change back, the state still got away with it.
Posted in
State Government
Data shows Dukes has missed most votes in Texas House
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has missed more than 100 record votes during the current legislative session, the most of the 150 members of the House, according to a Tribune analysis of data from a legislative analytics website.
Posted in
Health care
Texas parents fear being outed for seeking vaccine exemptions
Under House Bill 2249, the state would require reports on the number of vaccine exemptions at each public school. But parents say it could make it easier for people to publicly shame them for not vaccinating their children.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Sandra Bland’s mother urges House committee to pass bill named after her daughter
The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials.
Posted in
Public Education
Senate panel weighs alternate graduation route for students who fail exams
The Texas Senate Education Committee heard Tuesday from supporters, and a few critics, of a bill that would make permanent a 2015 law that allows students to graduate even if they haven’t passed their required exams by going before a graduation committee.
Posted in
State Government
Bill declaring fantasy sports legal passes House committee
In a hearing Tuesday, the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures approved a bill that would affirm the legality of online fantasy sports.
Posted in
State Government
Senate approves recusals for county clerks, judges objecting to same-sex marriage
Under a Senate-backed proposal, county clerks with religious objections to same-sex marriages can recuse themselves from signing marriage licenses.
Posted in
Economy
Senate panel considers requiring rest breaks for Texas construction workers
A Texas Senate panel considered legislation Tuesday that would require construction companies to give workers mandatory rest breaks — an effort to prevent illnesses and deaths from the sweltering Texas heat.
Posted in
Health care
Texas lawmakers seek to ensure no state funds reach abortion providers
An amendment to ban abortion providers from receiving any funds from the state budget passed in the House, but it’s unclear how effective it would be in fully defunding groups like Planned Parenthood.
