Thwarting Democratic efforts, House Republicans revive border policing unit in early-morning vote
The proposed unit would let those who are not law officers arrest or detain suspected undocumented immigrants in border-region counties. Full Story
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![A member of the Texas Army National Guard holds a flashlight as migrants crawl over rocks after wading across the Rio Grande into the United States from Mexico, in Roma, on March 4, 2022.]()
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Texas House’s version of the Senate’s voucher bill would change eligibility to the program and replace the STAAR test
The Texas House’s education committee is soon expected to discuss the new version of Senate Bill 8, which was heavily modified to sway votes in the lower chamber. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, gavels the House into session on the House floor during session at the state Capitol in Austin on April 11, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Raise-the-age gun bill misses crucial deadline, as Uvalde parents protest outside the Texas House
Days after another mass shooting in Texas, the measure to raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase semi-automatic rifles appears to have failed. Full Story
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![A vendor table at the SAXET Gun Show at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown on Feb. 26, 2023.]()
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Allen mall shooting alarms Asian Texans as authorities search for gunman’s motive
Four of the eight people killed in the North Texas attack were of Asian descent. Law enforcement officials said the gunman held neo-Nazi beliefs. Full Story
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![Department of Public Safety officers block the entrance to the Allen Premium Outlets mall nearby a makeshift memorial for the shooting victims, on May 7, 2023.]()
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Texas House expels Bryan Slaton, first member ousted since 1927
The unanimous vote followed an investigation that determined the Royse City Republican had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with an aide. Full Story
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![State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, sits at his desk during session on the House floor at the state Capitol on April 18, 2023.]()
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Get your tickets now for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival
Our first slate of this year’s big-name speakers is out, and we’ll have plenty to talk about with them at this year’s event. Full Story
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“Right wing death squad”: What to know about the Allen shooter’s neo-Nazi views
The shooter’s “RWDS” patch offers troubling clues about his ideology — and how it connects to views that are common among white supremacists. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, urges people to pray for the victims of the Allen Premium Outlets mall shooting and commends the efforts of the first responders during a press conference at the Allen City Hall, on May 6, 2023. Earlier that afternoon, a man attacked the mall center, where he shot and killed eight people and injured at least seven others.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
In surprise move days after Allen mall shooting, Texas House panel OKs bill raising age to buy semi-automatic rifles
The legislation would raise the minimum age for purchasing certain firearms but likely wouldn’t have been a hindrance to the Allen gunman obtaining a weapon. The bill still faces an uphill climb in the Legislature. Full Story
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![Family members of the victims of the Uvalde shooting cry and hug each other after the House Safety Committee voted in favor of HB 2744, to raise the age requirement to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21, at the state Capitol in Austin on May 8, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns ahead of expulsion vote over inappropriate relationship with aide
The Royse City Republican had come under growing pressure to step down after an investigation determined he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 19-year-old woman on his staff. Full Story
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![State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, at his desk on the House floor during session at the state Capitol in Austin on April 25, 2023.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott focuses on border security in first address since Allen and Brownsville tragedies
Abbott announced the deployment of new “Texas Tactical Border Force” units to El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley on Monday and Tuesday. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott greets Texas Army National Guard troops deploying from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Monday May 8, 2023, to secure the Texas-Mexico border in anticipation of the end of Title 42 later this week.]()
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For a Texan who wants to build bridges in Congress, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales has burned quite a few
The two-term Republican, criticized by his own party for breaking with the GOP on key votes, is not inclined to change his ways. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican representing the Texas’ 23rd district, talks during an interview in his office at Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. on April 28, 2023. Gonzales is a member of the House Appropriations Committees.]()
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Gunman in Allen mall shooting may have had right-wing extremist beliefs
The shooter wore a patch that said, “RWDS,” an acronym for Right Wing Death Squad, according to people familiar with the investigation. The phrase is popular among right-wing extremists, neo-Nazis and white supremacists, they said. Full Story
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![People gather on the street across from of the Allen Premium Outlets after the shooting that killed eight people Saturday afternoon and wounded at least seven more on May 6, 2023.]()
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Amended bill would keep tenure at Texas public universities
A new version of Senate Bill 18 scheduled for a hearing in the House Higher Education Committee on Monday would keep faculty tenure and direct university governing boards to establish policies to grant and revoke tenure. Full Story
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![Students walk through campus at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.]()
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Texas House committee recommends expelling Rep. Bryan Slaton
The House General Investigating Committee found that Slaton, a Republican from Royse City, engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a subordinate. The Texas Tribune previously reported on an allegation that he had sex with one of his staff, a woman under 21, and gave her alcohol. Full Story
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![State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royce City, sits at his desk in the House Chamber on May 5, 2023. Slaton is under House investigation for alleged liaisons with a Capitol staffer.]()
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Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio mayors easily win reelection
The three big-city mayors faced little opposition in their reelection bids. Full Story
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![From left: Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg.]()
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Progressive causes lose big in San Antonio and El Paso charter elections
San Antonio voters rejected by wide margins an effort to decriminalize abortion and require police to issue citations rather than make arrests for some nonviolent offenses. In El Paso, an effort to wean the city from fossil fuels fared similarly poorly. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line outside Cody Public Library in San Antonio during the evening hours of Election Day on Oct. 23, 2020.]()
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Texas House may revise anti-diversity legislation to allow some programs to maintain grants, federal funding
A new version of Senate Bill 17 expected to be considered by the House’s Higher Education Committee on Monday would still ban DEI offices and prohibit required diversity training, but it would open the door for university boards of regents to approve such programs in certain circumstances. Full Story
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![Illustrated posters reading “We Belong Here” litter the Capitol’s rotunda floor during Texas Students for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’s protest of HB1 Rider No. 186, which would defund DEI initiatives at public universities, on Mar. 23, 2023.]()
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TribCast: Can Texas’ political leaders stop their bickering for the legislative homestretch?
In this week’s episode, we discuss the final three weeks of the Legislature and Colin Allred’s bid for U.S. Senate. Full Story
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![Representatives recite the Pledge of Allegiance on the House floor in Austin on April 18, 2023.]()
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Democrats again delay Texas House debate on banning puberty blockers and hormone therapy for trans kids
Senate Bill 14 spurred protests that led to altercations with state police earlier this week. Bill supporters and opponents again showed up at the Capitol for an expected vote Friday. Full Story
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![House lawmakers discuss a point of order called on SB 14 on the House floor on May 5, 2023. Left to right.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
A trio of Texas churches donated to political candidate despite clear IRS prohibition
A candidate for the Abilene City Council said that three churches made an honest mistake by donating to his campaign and that he is returning the money. The race has been beset by allegations of electioneering by churches. Full Story
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![An American flag waves in the wind next to a sign for Scott Beard in Abilene, Texas on Thursday, April 27, 2023. (Photo by Emil T. Lippe for Pro Publica)]()
Credit: Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica