Texas sues EPA over federal smog control plan
The lawsuit claims the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority with its plan to reduce ozone emissions that cross state lines. Full Story
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![Smoke from a power plant in San Antonio on Aug. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas will spend billions to connect the state with broadband. But is it clear which neighborhoods need help?
On the eve of a historic investment in connecting the Lone Star State, advocates worry maps that will help establish which communities get funding have bad information. Full Story
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![An industrial irrigation system on a farm in Floydada, TX, on Mar. 8, 2012.]()
Credit: Jason Janik for The Texas Tribune -
Texas is set to improve in-person and mail-in voting for people with disabilities
Voters with disabilities have been pushing for more accessibility for years. This legislative session two bills gained bipartisan support. Full Story
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![Chase Bearden, 45, of Harlingen, the deputy executive director of The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, poses for a portrait in his office in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Disability doesn’t discriminate,” Bearden said. “We want everybody to be able to vote independently.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas to deploy buoys to deter Rio Grande crossings, Abbott announces
The governor revealed plans for a floating river barrier at a Capitol signing ceremony for six new laws related to border security. The first 1,000-foot section will be set up near Eagle Pass. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott displays SB 1113, one of six bills he signed during a border security bill signing session at the state capitol in Austin on June 8, 2023. “Washington D.C. has failed to do its job to secure the border,” Abbott said “As a result, Texas has had to take unprecedented steps in responding to the crisis caused by the Biden administration on the border, and in response the Texas legislature has stepped up to make sure that we will be able to more robustly respond.”]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers pull funding for child ID kits after investigation finds little evidence of their effectiveness
Lawmakers were slated to spend millions of taxpayer dollars for the kits but changed course after a series of revelations in a ProPublica and Texas Tribune investigation. Full Story
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Credit: Illustrations by Lauren Crow for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica -
This year, Texas lawmakers zeroed in on existing health care programs, leaving bolder measures by the wayside
Pregnant moms on Medicaid will get health care coverage for a year, patients will get more detailed billing and nurses will get help with school loans. But efforts failed to gain steam for legalizing fentanyl test strips, increasing the pool of mental health professionals who accept Medicaid and expanding Medicaid benefits to more Texans. Full Story
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![Learning Tree owner Christa Marek holds her granddaughter at the Learning Tree childcare center in Yoakum, on Sept. 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
With Texas House adjourned, Senate takes bigger swing at border enforcement and human smuggling
Rather than accept the House legislation as is, senators passed their own — more expansive — proposals for border security. But unless the House convenes again, the bills can’t go to the governor’s desk. Full Story
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![State Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, talks about a bill on the Senate floor at the state Capitol in Austin on March 14, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
New Texas law bans COVID mask, vaccine and shutdown mandates, but some Republicans want more
The bill, recently signed by Gov. Greg Abbott and set to take effect Sept. 1, does not restrict pandemic rules by private entities. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks to local media before receiving a dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at Ascension Seton Medical Center on Dec. 22, 2020, in Austin.]()
Credit: Ricardo B. Brazziell/POOL via American-Statesman -
Texas comptroller certifies new $321.3 billion state spending plan, sends to Abbott’s desk
Before Abbott can review the budget that will direct the state’s spending for the next two years, the comptroller has to certify that it doesn’t spend more money than the state expects to bring in. Full Story
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![Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses the biennial revenue estimate with audience members at Texas Tribune’s Studio 919 in Austin on Jan. 9, 2023.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
A billion-pound problem: How unchecked “excess emissions” ballooned in Texas
Over the last two decades, state regulators have allowed companies to release more than a billion pounds of excess pollution. Full Story
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![An overhead view of the ExxonMobil's Beaumont refinery on May 11, 2023.]()
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T-Squared: Charting our future: A vision for the Tribune and for better serving Texas
The Tribune’s next chapter will build on previous successes to reach and engage more Texans on the issues that matter most to them. Full Story
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“These allegations are completely untrue”: Paxton attorney Tony Buzbee promises vigorous defense in Senate trial
The boisterous and outspoken attorney will be matched against two legal icons who will prosecute the attorney general in his upcoming trial before the Texas Senate. Full Story
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![Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton, speaks during a press conference at the Travis County Republican Party suite in Austin on June 7, 2023.]()
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After a week’s delay, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick signs bill to increase transparency in public records law
Patrick said he had always intended to sign the measure but pulled it aside in response to the House playing “games” at the end of the regular session. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick discusses property tax cuts for homeowners during a media briefing at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, June 6, in Austin, Texas.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Dan Patrick says Senate won’t budge on property tax relief — but there’s no House to negotiate with
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Senate won’t accept a property tax relief bill the lower chamber left behind before adjourning for the special session. A bill targeting migrant smuggling also appears imperiled. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick recaps the 88th Legislative Session with Sherry Sylvester, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, at TPPF Headquarters in downtown Austin, on May 30, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers closed a background check loophole, but many gun measures failed to pass
Legislators passed a bill that requires courts to report certain involuntary mental health hospitalizations to the federal gun background check system. Many other measures that could restrict firearm access got little traction. Full Story
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![A Springfield Saint Victor AR-15 rifle is displayed during the National Rifle Association annual convention in Houston on May 27, 2022.]()
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Without access to water lines, Texas colonias residents are pulling water from the desert air
Thousands of low-income, Latino residents in Texas still do not have safe drinking water. In one El Paso colonia, some residents are using solar distillation to generate water from the air. Full Story
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![Olga Thomas and other residents of Hueco Tanks rely on a private company to haul water to their neighborhood. Now she can count on her hydro panels for drinking water. May 23, 2023.]()
Credit: Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times -
Fairfield Lake State Park closes again as land sale negotiations fail
The state is now considering seizing the land to save the park after its purchase offer was rejected by a Dallas developer. Full Story
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![Coots dot Fairfield Lake while people cast their fishing line from a boat during sunset at Fairfield Lake State Park on Feb. 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Fossil fuels got a boost from lawmakers aiming to fix Texas’ grid, while renewable energy escaped stricter regulations
The bills will give owners of natural gas power plants incentives to build more capacity, but they don’t go as far as originally proposed to change how electricity is created and sold in the Texas market. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan listens to state Representatives on the House floor during Sine Die, the last day of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, at the Capitol in Austin on May 29, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
For higher education in Texas, this year’s session was a mixed bag of interference and investment
Texas lawmakers made huge investments in community colleges and created new endowments for public universities. They also banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices and gave themselves more control over university faculty tenure. Full Story
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![Democratic lawmakers gather at the dias in the House chamber in support of an amendment that would have preserved DEI initiates in Texas’ public universities at the Capitol in Austin on April 06, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton’s impeachment hints at shaky support in Collin County, his longtime base of power
The suspended attorney general’s political origins and rise to power began in the suburban North Texas county. But every House member from the county voted to impeach him. Full Story
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![Attendees of Ken Paxton’s primary election results watch party chat after Paxton spoke to the crowd in McKinney on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune