Texas leaders: Hemp law did not decriminalize marijuana
A law legalizing hemp changed the definition of marijuana, causing district attorneys across the state to drop low-level possession cases and stop accepting new ones. Full Story
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After defeats in 2019, a group of Texas lawmakers is teaming up to push criminal justice reform
The new Criminal Justice Reform Caucus in the Texas House will set its sights on changes in 2021. Full Story
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![State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, testifies on his bill that would let those serving a life sentence for crimes committed under the age of 18 become eligible for parole after 20 years rather than 40. Advocates have called this the "second look" bill, but numerous families of victims of the Santa Fe shooting testified against the bill. March 13, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Hemp law has most big-city prosecutors in Texas stepping back from marijuana charges. But not in El Paso.
Many prosecutors say the way Gov. Greg Abbott and lawmakers redefined marijuana requires new lab testing to prove it’s different from recently legalized hemp. The situation has created a patchwork of consequences for people caught with pot. Full Story
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Judge dismisses part of Texas' "sanctuary city" lawsuit against San Antonio
In its first enforcement action under a controversial new law, Texas sued San Antonio last year, alleging that the city had broken the law in December 2017. Full Story
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This year, Texas passed a law legalizing hemp. It also has prosecutors dropping hundreds of marijuana cases.
The new law changed the definition of marijuana, and prosecutors and crime labs say they don't have the resources to test if a substance is legal hemp or marijuana. Full Story
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![Plants of marijuana names after Sen. Kevin Eltife who authored a bil in 2015l which would legalize oils containing cannabidiol found in marijuana known to treat epilepsy and other chronic medical conditions at Compassionate Cultivation, a home-grown medical cannabis company in Austin, Texas that serves patients throughout Texas on January 19, 2017]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Children can still be charged with prostitution in Texas after Greg Abbott veto
Lawmakers praised a bill for protecting victims of human trafficking, but the governor said it it would have "unintended consequences" and could provide an incentive for human traffickers to use underage prostitutes. Full Story
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![A detainee prays before eating lunch in the cafeteria at the Travis County Juvenile Detention Center in Austin, Texas, Monday, June 24, 2013]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
New Texas law protects rent-to-own customers against criminal prosecution
Texas made it easy for rent-to-own companies to press criminal charges against people who fell behind on their payments for household goods. A new law, passed after a Texas Tribune and NerdWallet investigation, gives broad new protections to their customers. Full Story
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![SEPTEMBER 22, 2017: A Rent-A-Center in Newport News, Virginia. (Julia Rendleman for NerdWallet)]()
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Stealing packages could result in jail time in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott signs bill
Starting Sept. 1, Texans who take items from mailboxes and porches face tougher penalties for their crimes. But some say punishments are too extreme since they're not based on the value of what's taken. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was indicted 5 years ago. He still hasn't gone to trial.
Read our timeline covering delays and side battles in the long-running securities fraud case against Paxton. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton at the inauguration ceremony of Judge Michelle Slaughter at the state capitol. Jan. 11, 2019.]()
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On Juneteenth, Sheila Jackson Lee spearheads congressional hearing on reparations, calling them “long overdue”
The Houston Democrat's bill calls for a commission to “study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans,” and consider a national apology by the government. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks as the House Judiciary Committee meets on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2019.]()
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Criminal case against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains threatened after court upholds prosecutor pay decision
Texas' highest criminal court reiterated that a six-figure payment to the prosecutors fell outside legal limits. The prosecutors have indicated they may withdraw if they cannot be paid. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference on Jan. 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Dallas transgender community on edge in the midst of violent attacks
Muhlaysia Booker's death is just one of a string of killings and violent attacks on black transgender women in Dallas. Full Story
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Texas police can seize money and property with little transparency. So we got the data ourselves.
A Texas Tribune study analyzed 560 cases from four Texas counties to shine a light on how the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture is used by law enforcement. Full Story
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Abbott vetoes popular domestic violence bill because of an unrelated provision about radioactive waste fees
The bill would have required domestic violence survivors to be notified when offenders are released on bond. But the Republican governor nixed the legislation over a provision by Democratic state Rep. Poncho Nevárez that would have delayed a West Texas waste facility's increase in state fees. Full Story
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![State Rep. Poncho Nevárez, D-Eagle Pass, on the House floor on May 1, 2019.]()
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Julián Castro unveils police reform plan
It's the third policy announcement from the Democratic presidential candidate. Full Story
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![Presidential candidate Julián Castro greets supporters at a rally at James Garfield High School in East Los Angeles on April 6, 2019.]()
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Despite bipartisan support, Texas bill tackling intellectual disability in death penalty cases fails
Negotiators in the House and Senate couldn't come to an agreement on a bill addressing how Texas handles capital murder defendants who may be intellectually disabled. In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing people with intellectual disabilities amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Full Story
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A measure to limit arrests for non-jailable offenses passed the House after a great struggle. It still died.
Behind closed doors, a joint Senate and House committee killed a measure that would require police officers to explain why they arrest someone for fine-only offenses, otherwise the case would be dismissed. Criminal justice reform advocates considered the issue a priority following the arrest of Sandra Bland. Full Story
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![State Troopers stop civilian on Congress Ave. in Austin, TX on Feb. 12, 2016.]()
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Lawmaker grills Department of Public Safety over disclosure of Sandra Bland cellphone video
State Rep. Garnet Coleman suggested that the newly released video showing some of Bland's confrontation with a state trooper before her death may have been buried in a “data dump” of information given to lawyers and lawmakers. Full Story
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![Memorial for Sandra Bland in Prairie View, the town where she was arrested. Bland was later found dead in her jail cell. The street has been re-named in her honor.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Republican Party platform supports some marijuana expansions. So why doesn’t Dan Patrick?
Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said a bill that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of marijuana was "dead on arrival" in the Senate. But his party's platform supports marijuana decriminalization. So what gives? Full Story
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![The Texas Republican Convention at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio. Bob Parks salutes the flag from the front row on June 14, 2018.]()
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The Driver Responsibility Program may soon be dead. But reform is unlikely for a similar program.
A bill to kill one program that critics say traps low-income drivers in a cycle of debt, is nearing the governor's desk, but bills to reform the similar Omni program look all but dead as the legislative session winds down. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officials, at a traffic stop, filmed during a Peaceful Streets Project cop watch on West 6th Street in Austin, TX on Apr. 24, 2015.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for The Texas Tribune