The latest demographics news from The Texas Tribune.
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1f8706ec7e574a8c7fcadd924b0b54ec/SB7%20Dems%20Broke%20Quorum%20Presser%20MG%2001.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4777ce1db12210406153060ec1ea360b/Biden%20Hampton%20VA%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/34abccb9de1d563bc7337470555482b2/Floyd%20Memorial%20HTX%20AM%20TT%2001.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/06/27/Anti_Abortion_SCOTUSTT.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ac31cac631c8dd567edea69302283e8b/House%20Floor%20May%2023%20JV%20TT%2002.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c0d0e5addab5c3a65e9d61784475bdf6/Super%20Tuesday%20Houston%20MS%20TT%2012.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/30f11e7585ae7ae573a7d4c343f03ea8/Abortion%20Rally%2005-19%20EL%20TT%2004)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4e7781b50beb1f32b73a2d59df707faa/Lessons_Students_PYH_TT.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, has signaled that he is looking forward to signing the bill. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e141c09ca44a9cf3e64b450d5f291ae0/House%20Floor%20Abortion%20Bill%20MG%20TT%2008.jpg)
The bill would prevent transgender Texas children from joining school sports teams that match their gender identity. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/17d65e01202b57fb75133219df92aa7e/Protect%20Trans%20Kids%20Rally%20SF%20TT%2059.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/83e0671ef088233c44f659119f483e64/UT-TT%20Legislature.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0d7cfd13baf674e809b0988c9a2165ad/Lubbock%20May%20Election%20Day%20JR%20TT%2007.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dfa53e2a2e6d2e64abc3d94b725a44d7/US%20Capitol%20Nov%206%20REUTERS.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9c4298085968adec58ecd6098140c23a/Lubbock%20Abortion%20Vote%20JR%20TT%2007.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3437717ff61d02b729265da13b7494be/Protect%20Trans%20Kids%20Rally%20SF%20TT%2099.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/380592600268fa7955ad03e1b520334b/Edingburg%20Telephone%20Pole%20TT.jpg)
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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/706854caadc13fa71d22671eed527ee6/US%20Capitol%20DC%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
A new look at Texas attitudes and preferences aims to find a way out of our politically polarized public square. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f977be726f07933cd798cf58ab00da8f/MLK%20Day%20JV%20TT%2026.jpg)
Local health officials reported shorter lines and less demand at vaccination sites, and warned that there's still much work to be done to make Texans safe from the virus. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/811063aa6b8c9f8b0a9839824616c0b6/Lubbock%20Vaccine%20JR%20TT%207110.jpg)
If the calamity and catastrophe of the last year taught us anything, it’s that we must do more to ensure our newsroom resembles Texas — and our journalism better reflects the communities we cover. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fbf797e583ca35759d5f3d151e987bd9/TT-diversity001.png)