The latest politics news from The Texas Tribune.
Nearly three weeks after the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, the state has been fiercely criticized for not providing Spanish-language information in an overwhelmingly Hispanic community. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked House leaders to support his push for arming school police officers with bulletproof shields after the Uvalde shooting. House Speaker Dade Phelan is also asking for more money for mental health and school safety programs. Full Story
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The Biden administration’s latest plan to address opioid overdose deaths includes $30 million for harm-reduction measures, but many conservative states don’t allow them. During the 2021 legislative session, Texas lawmakers scuttled a bill that would have rescinded criminal penalties for possessing drug paraphernalia, such as clean syringes and fentanyl test strips. Full Story
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Outside the Capitol in Austin, relatives of Jackie Cazares, 9, and Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, two of the 19 students killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, tearfully addressed a crowd. Full Story
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A federal lawsuit claims Llano County leaders perpetrated a coordinated censorship campaign in how they limited the books that taxpayers could access. Full Story
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In nearly a decade at The Texas Tribune, Alana has been a multimedia innovator and a leader of our fellowships and partnerships. She will be missed. Full Story
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Miah Cerrillo, 11, was among the small group of Uvalde survivors and community members who testified at a House hearing Wednesday, offering details about the incident and the devastation to those left behind. Full Story
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Her nonpartisan reporting will focus on voting access and the nuts and bolts of how elections are run, including early and mail-in voting, voter registration and election security. Full Story
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The state Democratic Party confirmed Monday that Ramirez’s opponent, Michelle Vallejo, won by a slim margin. Full Story
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Our most experienced editor, David will edit narratives centered around a person or place and coach our journalists on the storytelling craft. Full Story
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Rittenhouse corrected himself on Monday saying he was attending the Brenham-based community college. Over the weekend, he made a splash when Texas A&M refuted his claim he was an incoming Aggie. Full Story
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The GOP is spending big to capture an open congressional seat in South Texas — if only for a few months — as they try to create momentum toward a November election where they are newly targeting the region. Full Story
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In arguing over causes of the latest mass shooting, political debate often overlooks the range of incremental steps that could lessen the chances of mass killing and help address the nation’s persistent gun violence. Full Story
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Patrick said he wants police in as many Texas schools as possible to have bulletproof shields before the fall. He’s asked other state leaders to move around money in the state budget to make it happen. Full Story
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On this week’s episode, James speaks with Kate and Josh about the effectiveness of increasing school security to prevent mass shootings and where the investigation into the law enforcement response to the Uvalde shooting stands. Full Story
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As chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department, it was Arredondo’s call to wait more than an hour for backup instead of ordering officers on scene to immediately charge the shooter. Full Story
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Phelan said it is an “outrage” that officials still do not have a clear picture of what happened during the shooting. The committee’s findings will inform the House’s legislative response. Full Story
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House Democrats are combining several gun policy bills into one large package known as the Protecting our Kids Act. Among the measures in the bill: raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21; outlawing the sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of a large-capacity magazine; and creating tax breaks for purchasing proper gun storage equipment. Full Story
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Gutierrez, a Democrat who has been critical of the state’s response to past shootings, said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also snubbed state senators whose districts were affected by shootings in El Paso and Santa Fe. Full Story
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Abbott has tasked the Texas School Safety Center with conducting in-person, unannounced audits of public schools to see how quickly staff can enter a building without being stopped and detect weak points. Full Story
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