The latest state government news from The Texas Tribune.
Lt. Mariano Pargas was the acting city police chief the day of the shooting. Mayor Don McLaughlin said the city is investigating Pargas’ role in the delayed confrontation of the shooter. Full Story
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In total, 376 law enforcement officers descended upon the school, according to the most extensive account of the shooting to date. It says that better-equipped departments should have stepped up to fill a leadership void after the Uvalde schools police chief failed to take charge. Full Story
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Hinojosa, who became party chair in 2012, was among those who were the target of Democratic frustration over the party’s lack of gains in Texas in the 2020 election. Full Story
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Residents and victims’ families say the way local and state leaders are handling details about the state’s deadliest shooting is compounding their trauma and grief. Full Story
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Incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott entered this year with a much larger war chest and still has the financial upper hand in the race. He raised $24.9 million over the same time period. Full Story
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The state will have an extra $27 billion in its coffers in 2023 — money that could help pay for property tax cuts and other legislative priorities. Full Story
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Emissions are reacting with the summer heat to create high levels of smog, hazardous air pollution that damages the lungs. But state officials are pushing back on ozone pollution controls proposed by the EPA, arguing such rules would compromise the electric grid. Full Story
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Lawmakers tried in 2009 to require that the state report all court-ordered mental health hospitalizations to a federal gun background check system. Juveniles have been left out. Full Story
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Elected officials and law enforcement leaders criticized the leak of the video that was supposed to first be shown to victims’ families. Full Story
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Coffee was just 30 when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with her argument that the constitutional right to privacy extended to abortion: “I thought, OK, well this is done now. I was thinking the [abortion] question was settled for as long as the country lasted.” Full Story
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Mayor Don McLaughlin denied a recent report that said a Uvalde officer passed up a chance to shoot the gunman at Robb Elementary. The officer never saw the gunman, he said. Full Story
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Immigration law enforcement is a federal responsibility. Abbott appears to be testing the limits of state authority by empowering state law enforcement to bring migrants to the ports of entry — stopping short of using state resources to expel migrants from the country. Full Story
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Abbott announced that his already $4 billion border mission would provide grant funding for cities and counties, following a press conference by some local officials calling on the governor to take more drastic action to secure the border. Full Story
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Because the state is a party in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s cases against the companies, Volkswagen lawyers have argued that allowing the Texas governor to appoint justices to a case for which the state stands to win a substantial amount of money would give “the impression that the State has had undue influence.” Full Story
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The report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center says authorities missed other opportunities to stop the gunman before he killed 19 students and two teachers in Robb Elementary. Full Story
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The Republican incumbent’s lead over his Democratic challenger shrank last month, according to a Texas Politics Project poll. The 6-point gap is smaller than when Republican George W. Bush ousted Democrat Ann Richards in 1994. Full Story
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The Republican U.S. senator shepherded landmark gun legislation through the Senate last month. Between April and June, his disapproval rating went from 39% to 50%, according to a Texas Politics Project poll. Full Story
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Immigration law enforcement falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government. In recent months, a fringe legal theory has found more mainstream supporters who are calling on state leaders in Arizona and Texas to deport migrants with state resources. Full Story
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State Sen. Roland Gutierrez and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to remove the Uvalde County district attorney from overseeing the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center. Full Story
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A history-making spring in Texas is laying the groundwork for a contentious final four months in the race to lead the state, where Republican incumbent Greg Abbott remains the favorite but is confronting his toughest Democratic opponent yet in Beto O’Rourke. Full Story
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