Lawmaker relationships fray as Texas Democrats’ quorum bust to block voting bill drags on
“There’s been some significant — if not irreparable — damage to the relationships within the body,” said state Rep. Justin Holland, R-Rockwall. Full Story
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![The House Chamber on July 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott’s order banning mask mandates in Texas schools faces lawsuit, defiance by big-city districts
Dallas ISD and Austin ISD announced Monday they will require masking, while Houston ISD will vote on a mandate this week. A nonprofit group has also sued to block Abbott’s order. Full Story
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![Fifth graders at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley work from behind desktop barriers meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Austin judge signs order to block arrests of Democrats who refuse to return to Texas Capitol for special session
A state district judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking the arrest of House Democrats who have broken quorum, paving the way for those who remain outside the state to return home without threat of arrest. Full Story
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![At least 50 House Democrats that Texas left the state held a press conference in Washington D.C. The democrats broke quorum and stopped Republicans from taking up GOP priority bills on July 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Shuran Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The pandemic breaks into Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session agenda
The business of the new special legislative session is like that of the failed first one, with some big items added in apparent response to the rise of the delta variant of the coronavirus in Texas. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan talks with other legislators on the House floor on July 20, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Another special session to pass a GOP voting bill started without a quorum. This time it’s unclear if Democrats will stay away.
Both chambers convened at noon Saturday for a second overtime round ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott. The first 30-day stretch ended in an impasse after House Democrats left the state to block a controversial GOP elections bill. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan gavels the House into session on Saturday, August 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
“I expect the worst”: A Texas parent worries about sending her children back to school in person
Gov. Greg Abbott is standing firm on his ban against mask mandates in schools. Some parents are concerned for their children’s safety as in-person classes resume. Full Story
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![Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina surrendered to authorities on illegal voting charges on April 25, 2019.]()
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San Antonio Democrat Leo Pacheco reportedly planning to resign from Texas House before second term ends
Pacheco, who was first elected in 2018, announced that he will be resigning as a representative to teach public administration at San Antonio College, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Full Story
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![State Rep. Leo Pacheco, D-San Antonio, gives a surprising look to Speaker Phelan during the hour session on April 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Targeting surgeries rarely used on kids, Gov. Greg Abbott asks state agency to determine if gender affirming care is child abuse
Medical experts say gender affirming care for transgender children rarely, if ever, includes use of the surgeries Abbott cited in his letter to the head of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. Full Story
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![The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services offices in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
GOP leaders say they’ve secured an extra month of funding for Texas Legislature to plug money vetoed by Gov. Greg Abbott
Funds amounting to at least $12.6 million will be transferred from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to the Senate, the House, and legislative agencies such as the LBB, the Legislative Council and the Legislative Reference Library. Full Story
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![A staffer passes out papers during session on the House floor at the state capitol on May 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Special election to fill former state Rep. Jake Ellzey's North Texas seat set for Aug. 31
Ellzey, a Waxahachie Republican, is in Congress after winning the special election runoff last month for the 6th Congressional District. Full Story
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![The House floor on May 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
First special legislative session ends without any bills passed and Democrats still in D.C.
House Democrats are still camped out in the nation’s capital hinting that many may not return to Austin immediately as the next overtime round starts Saturday. Full Story
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![Legislators talk on the House floor on July 29, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
As coronavirus rages again in Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott resists statewide action, hamstrings local leaders
As cases and hospitalizations are reaching heights not seen since February, Abbott’s pandemic playbook in recent weeks has largely focused on blocking local mandates and committing to protecting the rights of the unvaccinated. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about the surge in immigration in 2021 at a border wall tour accompanied by former President Donald Trump.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott announces special legislative session starting Saturday, covering elections, federal COVID-19 funding, quorum rules
The governor said Thursday the second special session will get underway at noon Saturday, with a 17-item agenda. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott holds a border security briefing with sheriffs from border communities at the Texas Capitol on July 10, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
State Rep. Travis Clardy tests positive for COVID-19, is quarantining in district
Clardy, who has been fully vaccinated since earlier this year, tested positive last Friday. Full Story
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![State Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, on the House floor on May 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: Sewell Chan is The Texas Tribune’s next editor-in-chief
The visionary, venerated editorial page editor of the Los Angeles Times — a veteran of The New York Times and The Washington Post — will lead our nonprofit newsroom in a moment when more Texans than ever are clamoring for reliable, credible nonpartisan journalism. Full Story
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![Sewell Chan.]()
Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times -
Analysis: Schools open in Texas with unvaccinated K-6 students and months of learning loss to overcome
Public schools in Texas are reopening this month as parents, students and educators balance learning losses from virtual classes during the pandemic with an alarming rise in COVID-19 and a large number of unvaccinated students. Full Story
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![Johan Arzade, 12, looks at his COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card after receiving a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a clinic organized by the Travis County Mobile Vaccine Collaborative at Rodriguez Elementary School on July 28, 2021.
Source diversity info: Latino Male]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Local mask mandates pop up in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning COVID-19 restrictions
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is the most recent official to defy the governor’s order. He announced Monday that the city’s nearly 22,000 city employees will be required to mask up inside city buildings where social distancing is not doable. Full Story
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![Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announces Troy Finner as the new chief of the Houston Police Department on March 18, 2021, at City Hall in downtown Houston.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Two House Democrats who broke quorum missing from Washington, D.C., reportedly vacationing in Portugal
Their vacation does not affect the lack of quorum that the House has in Austin that prevents the chamber from passing an elections bill. But it is at odds with Democrats’ insistence that they would use their time away to advocate for federal voting rights legislation in the nation’s capital. Full Story
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![From left, Democratic state Reps. Julie Johnson and Jessica González.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
What is gender-affirming medical care for transgender children? Here’s what you need to know.
Gender-affirming care, which leading health care organizations in Texas say is the best way to provide care to transgender children, is emerging as a top target of state Republicans and lies at the heart of brewing political and legal battles. Full Story
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![A Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, treats a patient in Austin on Nov. 8th, 2012.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge for The Texas Tribune -
Energy industry showers Gov. Greg Abbott, other Texas politicians with campaign cash after they passed power grid bills
For some energy experts, the increase in donations for the officials at the close of the session looks like a reward for not passing more stringent regulations and raises questions about whether lawmakers let the oil, gas and the broader energy industry off easy for its massive failures. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference regarding Texas’ emergency response to an unprecedented winter storm gripping Texas on Feb. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for tThe Texas Tribune