Republicans think they can take South Texas — especially after a win in McAllen
Statewide officials are campaigning in the Democratic stronghold and GOP groups are now targeting statehouse districts. Full Story
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![Newly-elected McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos at City Hall on June 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
An anti-abortion program will receive $100 million in the next Texas budget, but there’s little data on what’s being done with the money
Critics say the fast-growing Alternatives to Abortion program is secretive and a “waste” of money. But the program has strong supporters in the Republican-controlled Legislature who say it helps those who decide to “choose life in difficult circumstances.” Full Story
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![Pregnancy and abortion related brochures from The John Paul II Life Center in Austin. June 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
For Democrats of color, walkout on Texas voting bill was rooted in the long fight for equal voting rights
All they could get was a temporary win. But the lawmakers said taking the extraordinary measure of breaking quorum in the Texas House was justified by the harm they felt their mostly Black and Hispanic constituents would face under the GOP’s voting bill. Full Story
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![State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer addresses the media during a press conference at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The group of Demo…]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
President Joe Biden says Texas voting bill is “part of an assault on democracy”
Senate Bill 7, a Republican priority voting bill, would limit early voting hours, curtail local voting options and further clamp down on mail-in voting, among several other provisions. Full Story
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![President Joe Biden speaks at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia on May 28, 2021.]()
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A year after George Floyd’s murder, only a few of Texas lawmakers’ police reform measures appear likely to become law
Narrowly targeted pieces of Texas’ George Floyd Act — like restricting chokeholds and requiring officers to provide first aid — are expected to pass. But the Act itself and many other related reforms have failed to progress during the legislative session that ends Monday. Full Story
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![Candles are held up in the air during a vigil for George Floyd at Yates High School in Houston on June 8, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Legislature passes bill that would outlaw abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned
Called a “trigger” law, House Bill 1280 would take effect 30 days after the Supreme Court overturned the Roe decision or after a court ruling or constitutional amendment gave states the authority to prohibit abortions. Full Story
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![A protester holds up a sign in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on the morning the court takes up a major abortion case focus…]()
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Texas GOP’s bills targeting transgender children have exacted a mental health toll, even if they don’t become law
GOP bills that sought to restrict or punish transition-related health care, like puberty blockers, missed key deadlines. But LGBTQ advocates say the mere specter that such measures could become law does mental health damage to transgender people. Full Story
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![Transgender rights activists gather outside the entrance to the House floor on May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate's version of voting bill being negotiated with House
Voters in some urban, Democratic areas of Harris and Tarrant counties would see a drastic drop in polling places under the Senate version of Senate Bill 7, a Texas Tribune analysis shows. Full Story
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![Super Tuesday voting at the Metropolitan Multi-Services Center near downtown Houston on March 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott signs into law one of nation’s strictest abortion measures, banning procedure as early as six weeks into a pregnancy
The signing of the bill opens a new frontier in the battle over abortion restrictions as first-of-its-kind legal provisions intended to make the law harder to challenge are poised to be tested in the courts. Full Story
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Texas public schools couldn’t require critical race theory lessons under bill given House approval
House Bill 3979 is part of a national effort by red-state legislatures to ban or limit the teaching of critical race theory. That academic discipline examines how racism has shaped legal and social systems within the United States. Full Story
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![High school students walk to their next class after the bell rings at Elsik Ninth Grade Center in Houston on March 28, 2018.]()
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Fetal “heartbeat” bill, which could ban abortions at six weeks, nears passage in the Legislature
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has signaled that he is looking forward to signing the bill. Full Story
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![A visitor of the House gallery listens to legislators speak during a debate on an abortion bill being considered on the Hous…]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate bill restricting transgender students’ sports participation stalls in House committee, casting doubts on its fate
The bill would prevent transgender Texas children from joining school sports teams that match their gender identity. Full Story
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![People hold up signs at an event held by Equality Texas at the Capitol on April 14, 2021. The group had several speakers inc…]()
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UT/TT poll: Majority of Texans oppose permitless carry, would ban police chokeholds and taxpayer-funded lobbying
On some of the major issues facing the Texas Legislature — police behavior, expanding Medicaid or allowing unlicensed carry of handguns — voters and lawmakers aren't always in sync. Full Story
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![The Senate Floor on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Lubbock votes to become the state’s largest “sanctuary city for the unborn”
The outcome could prompt a lawsuit over what opponents say is an unconstitutional ban on abortion. The vote comes less than a year after Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in the West Texas city. Full Story
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![Sara Mistrot campaigns for Proposition A with her kids at the corner of Indiana and 82nd Street on May 1, 2021, in Lubbock.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Redistricting is boring, and that’s why it’s hazardous to voters
Most voters don’t pay a lot of attention to the redrawing of political maps every 10 years. That’s just the way legislators like it. Full Story
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![The sun sets behind the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, D.C., on midterm election day, Nov. 6, 2018.]()
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Lubbock voters will decide Saturday if the West Texas city will become the largest “sanctuary city for the unborn”
While proponents of the proposed ordinance view abortion as an “inconceivably wicked action,” detractors say it would be immediately challenged in court and that battles over abortion access are best fought at the state and federal levels. Full Story
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![A banner supporting a proposed city ordinance that would ban abortions inside Lubbock city limits hangs from Southcrest Bapt…]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Gender-affirming medical treatment for transgender kids would be considered child abuse under Texas Senate bill
The upper chamber Wednesday passed Senate Bill 1646, which is among several other bills that advocacy groups say erode the rights of transgender Texans. But it’s unclear what the legislation’s chances are in the House. Full Story
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![People hold up a transgender flag at an event held by Equality Texas at the Capitol on April 14, 2021 in Austin.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Internet is “not a privilege; it’s a right”: Rural Texas students struggle without broadband access
As the Texas Legislature tries to address a lack of broadband internet access for millions of people, students in rural areas are struggling to keep up academically during remote school. Full Story
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![A colonia, unincorporated neighborhoods that lack basic services such as street lights, proper drainage, paved roads or wast…]()
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Texas will gain two seats in Congress as residents of color drive population gains
Texas will have 38 congressional seats as a result of the latest U.S. census. It's one of six states to gain seats, and it's the only state that will get more than one. Full Story
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![A woman walks past the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.]()
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Analysis: A different way to look at Texans’ differences — by looking at similarities
A new look at Texas attitudes and preferences aims to find a way out of our politically polarized public square. Full Story
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![Crowds march through Austin in celebration of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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