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.
Demographics
Explore population trends, diversity, and data shaping Texas communities, politics, and policy.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
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.
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University of Texas/Texas Tribune Polls
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.