INSIDER
Texas is a young state with older elected officials. Some young leaders are trying to change that.
Read full article: Texas is a young state with older elected officials. Some young leaders are trying to change that.The average age of Texans last year was 37, while the Legislature’s average age was 55. Hurdles to voting and the unique challenges young candidates encounter fuel the mismatch.
Republicans’ budding interest in Texas’ housing crisis could create strange political bedfellows
Read full article: Republicans’ budding interest in Texas’ housing crisis could create strange political bedfellowsRepublican lawmakers may try to force Texas cities to allow greater housing density as the state faces a housing crunch.
Vouchers return this special session — and school funding might be left out. Here’s what you need to know.
Read full article: Vouchers return this special session — and school funding might be left out. Here’s what you need to know.Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back to Austin to try again to pass education savings accounts, which would let families use state funds to pay for their children’s private schooling. Teacher pay was not part of his agenda.
‘They just tried to scare us’: Anti-abortion centers teach sex ed inside some Texas public schools
Read full article: ‘They just tried to scare us’: Anti-abortion centers teach sex ed inside some Texas public schoolsThe groups work in dozens of school districts across the state, but some public health experts say their curricula can be misleading and biased.
Compromise or pick a side? Texas House members offer preview of school vouchers debate ahead of special session
Read full article: Compromise or pick a side? Texas House members offer preview of school vouchers debate ahead of special sessionLawmakers at a Texas Tribune Fest panel found common ground on school funding and teacher pay but took starkly different stances on “school choice.”
Gov. Greg Abbott is turning up the pressure on passing school choice. Will it pay off?
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott is turning up the pressure on passing school choice. Will it pay off?Passage of a school choice measure is anything but a sure bet, as there is little evidence that the governor has been able to convince rural Republicans in the Texas House — who have for years been a reliable firewall — to drop their opposition.
Texas lawmakers’ attempts to ban school library books deemed inappropriate for kids spur confusion — and concerns
Read full article: Texas lawmakers’ attempts to ban school library books deemed inappropriate for kids spur confusion — and concernsThe authors of bills in both legislative chambers say their bills’ aim is simple: keeping sexually explicit content off school bookshelves. But opponents say the legislation is vague and broad enough to wreak havoc.
Lawmakers offer stark choices for ending the crisis in Texas’ youth prisons — shut them all down, or build more
Read full article: Lawmakers offer stark choices for ending the crisis in Texas’ youth prisons — shut them all down, or build morePlagued by decades of scandals over sexual and physical abuse of children, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department is at a crossroads.
With full state coffers and bipartisan support, Texas teachers are hopeful they’ll get a raise this year
Read full article: With full state coffers and bipartisan support, Texas teachers are hopeful they’ll get a raise this yearThe COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and burnout have pummeled teachers in the last few years. Lawmakers from both parties agree they should get a pay bump — but it won’t happen without some negotiation.
Why Texas is unlikely to let voters decide on abortion access
Read full article: Why Texas is unlikely to let voters decide on abortion accessA Texas Democrat is proposing a constitutional amendment stopping future abortion restrictions. Voters would have to approve it — but Republican lawmakers aren’t likely to put it in front of them.
Lawmakers decry collapsing Texas juvenile prison system, ask Abbott to call special session
Read full article: Lawmakers decry collapsing Texas juvenile prison system, ask Abbott to call special sessionWithout a jolt of funding, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department will struggle to hire workers and regain control over the safety and treatment of almost 600 incarcerated youth, its acting director told lawmakers at a hearing.
After his Round Rock district was redrawn to help Republicans, state Rep. James Talarico says he’ll move to Austin to run in 2022
Read full article: After his Round Rock district was redrawn to help Republicans, state Rep. James Talarico says he’ll move to Austin to run in 2022“Republicans have gerrymandered me out of my district,” Talarico tweeted. “If they think they can keep me off the House floor, they better think again.”
More pressure on Texas Democrats as GOP moves to end holdout
Read full article: More pressure on Texas Democrats as GOP moves to end holdoutTexas Republicans have again authorized using law enforcement to find Democrats who are still refusing to come back to the state Capitol in a bid to stop new voting restrictions.
Texas Democrats at odds with one another as some return to Legislature and others stay in Washington, D.C.
Read full article: Texas Democrats at odds with one another as some return to Legislature and others stay in Washington, D.C.While the quorum-busting Democrats were able to maintain a largely united front during the first special session, which ended Friday, it was clear they reached a fork in the road when the second special session began a day later.
Texas House, just shy of a quorum, issues order to lock members inside the chamber
Read full article: Texas House, just shy of a quorum, issues order to lock members inside the chamberThis is the second time in recent weeks the majority Republican House has voted to issue a “call of the House,” though members on Monday did not offer or debate a motion to enable law enforcement to track down members still missing from the chamber.
A tale of two capital cities: Texas Democrats continue fight for voting rights in Washington as Republicans push them to return
Read full article: A tale of two capital cities: Texas Democrats continue fight for voting rights in Washington as Republicans push them to returnBoth Republicans in Austin and Democrats in D.C. have engaged in the political drama over the past two weeks, with the two camps battling it out on cable news interviews and social media over the quorum bust and who is to blame for it.
Texas bill to ban the teaching of "critical race theory" spiked at the last minute on a technicality
Read full article: Texas bill to ban the teaching of "critical race theory" spiked at the last minute on a technicalityTexas educators worried the bill would have a chilling effect on tough conversations about race and racism. GOP lawmakers said they wanted to ensure teachers' personal biases stay out of their lessons
Texas Democrats urge Abbott to call special session as details emerge showing Javier Ambler’s death at the hands of sheriff’s deputies
Read full article: Texas Democrats urge Abbott to call special session as details emerge showing Javier Ambler’s death at the hands of sheriff’s deputiesLocal and state leaders are calling for the resignation of Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and for the deputies involved in Javier Ambler’s death to be fired. Last year, Williamson County deputies pursued Ambler in a car chase for 22 minutes, after trying to pull him over for not dimming his headlights. Williamson County sheriff’s department maintains that its deputies did nothing wrong, according to an internal affairs investigation obtained by the Statesman. Moore needs to focus on completing her 16-month-old Ambler investigation. Instead, she is trying to blame her own failures on the Williamson County Sheriff's Department,” Chody tweeted.