Houston-area school districts warn of continued severe cuts if voucher fight keeps funds tied up in state legislature
โItโs not mismanagement by schools,โ Alief ISD Deputy Superintendent Charles Woods explained. โWeโre all in the same boat that the general public is; weโve got high inflation, high costs, we have hurricanes coming through, we have all the things weโve always had, and then we have had six years, three legislative sessions without additional funding just for the basic costs of education.โ
Texas Supreme Court upholds ban on youth gender transitions. Itโs the largest state with such a law
The Texas Supreme Court has upheld the stateโs ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths and rejected pleas from parents that it violates their right to decide on and seek care for their children.
How a Texas man is testing out-of-state abortions by asking a court to subpoena his ex-partner
A Texas man is petitioning a court for information over his former partner's alleged out-of-state abortion, setting up a first-of-its-kind legal test to the limits of statewide abortion bans.
Enforcing Texasโ new immigration law may be challenging, even for authorities that support it
A new law allowing local authorities to deport migrants remains tied up in court. Even if it goes back into effect, logistical challenges could complicate enforcement.
Texas Supreme Court refuses to hear ethics lawsuit brought by conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan
In 2014, and following a two-year investigation, the Texas Ethics Commission fined Sullivan $10,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist.
Appeals court rules lawsuit seeking Jan. 6 emails from Texas governor, attorney general can move forward
On Jan. 6, 2021, Ken Paxton spoke at a rally that preceded a mob of Donald Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol.
What are the most important issues for you in 2024? We want to answer your questions
Weโre committed to supporting Texans throughout the 2024 election. Share your thoughts by using the form below.
Texas teachers grapple with their raises caught up in voucher fight
As a special session starts with a focus on โschool choiceโ but no mention of public school funding, some teachers said they are even considering leaving the profession.
Ken Paxtonโs impeachment trial escalates Texas Republican civil war
Paxtonโs far-right supporters doubled down on their promises for swift retribution against fellow Republicans who supported his removal from office.
Captivated by the historic trial, Texans respond to Paxton acquittal with delight, disappointment
Those disappointed by the Senate vote, blame political polarization. Those pleased with the acquittal say the evidence fell short.
Ken Paxton was acquitted. See how each Senator voted.
After spending two weeks listening to both sides make their case, Texas Senators voted to acquit Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment. Because of this vote, Paxton will remain in office.
Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect
The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.
Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect
The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.
Texas heat wave has inmates' families worried about lack of air conditioning in state's prisons
As a summer heat wave continues to bake most of Texas, family members of inmates are calling for all of the stateโs prisons to be fully air conditioned.
Families and doctors sue Texas over its new ban on transgender care for minors
A group of Texas families and doctors have sued in state court seeking to block the stateโs new law that bans gender-affirming care for minors.
Gov. Greg Abbott sends more state police to patrol Austin after city leaders call for end to partnership
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson had said that troopers pulling a gun on a 10-year-old prompted the end of the agreement. A video of that encounter shows troopers with guns pointed at the ground, not the child.
New Texas laws favor parents in child abuse investigations as legislators try to limit number of kids in foster care
Legislators also passed bills that will provide foster kids entering the troubled system with duffel bags or backpacks and those aging out of the system with help setting up bank accounts.
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoes bill that would give people with disabilities new option to vote by mail
The bipartisan legislation was long sought by advocates for disabled voters, including some of the governorโs own allies.
Gov. Abbott signs parent empowerment bill at Texas Capitol
Gov. Greg Abbott will hold a bill signing for key parent empowerment legislation passed during the 88th regular legislative session Monday, according to a news release.
Republican priorities on school choice, border fail, but late-night compromises resurrect others
Rushed agreements and suspended rules rescue legislation on the electric grid and economic incentives for companies, and work is still being done on a property tax proposal.
How Houston-area representatives voted during Texas Attorney General Ken Paxtonโs impeachment hearing
How did Houston area representatives vote during the impeachment hearing? We broke down the representatives by their district, party, vote, and city.
Austin doctors who treated trans kids leaving Dell Childrenโs clinic after AG Paxton announces investigation
Attorney General Ken Paxton previously announced an investigation into โpotentially illegalโ activity. Parents are scrambling to find transition-related care for their kids as the Legislature appears poised to ban it altogether.
Rare momentum on a Texas gun bill stalls in the state's Republican-controlled legislature
Rare momentum in the Texas Capitol for a tougher gun law has flickered out, days after a mass shooting near Dallas left eight people dead.
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.
Rep. Bryan Slaton declines to discuss attendance at closed investigative hearing
The Royse City Republican, accused of having an inappropriate relationship with an employee, emerged from a room where a House investigative panel was meeting.
Protesters evicted from Texas Capitol as clash between LGBTQ residents and GOP leaders escalates
Texas state police detained and handcuffed people protesting legislation that would prohibit transgender kids from getting puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The House separately delayed a vote on Senate Bill 14 until later this week.
Senate OKs bill to allow construction of anti-abortion monument on state Capitol grounds
The original sculpture was installed in the Church of San Marcello al Corso in Rome last year and is often interpreted as a depiction of Mary and Jesus.
As the legislative clock ticks, Houston language advocates angle for a committee hearing
The window is closing for Woori Juntos in its pursuit of legislation to improve language access to state health programs.
In overnight testimony, Uvalde victimsโ family members call on Texas lawmakers to raise age to buy semi-automatic guns
The families of Uvalde shooting victims waited hours to testify at a House committee hearing in support of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21.
No vote after Uvalde parents plead for tougher gun laws
Lawmakers in the Texas Capitol have set aside a slate of proposed new gun restrictions without a vote after hours of emotional appeals from Uvalde families whose children were killed last year at Robb Elementary School.
After years of little progress, Texas gun control and safety advocates see some small openings for dialogue at the Capitol
Many bills that would limit access to firearms or ammunition likely wonโt become law anytime soon. But people who advocate at the Texas Capitol see emerging signs that thereโs appetite for finding some middle ground.
Law enforcement says no explosives detected after bomb threat called in to state Capitol
The Texas Department of Public Safety did a sweep of Capitol grounds with K-9 dogs and found no explosive devices.
Terrified and angry, LGBTQ Texans and allies rally at Capitol to protest bills targeting queer community
With six weeks remaining in the legislative session, advocates implored Texans to join the โresistanceโ against fast-moving efforts to curb health care, drag queens, education, trans athletes and more.
The eyes of LGBTQ Texans are upon Dade Phelan and the House
Spurred by a groundswell of far-right support, the Texas Senate has passed all of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickโs priority LGBTQ bills โ and then some. What the House does next will impact queer Texansโ lives and could determine Speaker Phelanโs future.
Complaint alleges Rep. Bryan Slaton had โinappropriate relationshipโ with an intern
The complaint came after an incident in which Slaton and the staffer allegedly met up at his Austin apartment last weekend. A separate staffer told The Texas Tribune that Slaton drank alcohol with an intern under 21 years old.
Sen. Kelly Hancock opens up about rare kidney disease, as he advocates for Texas bill to increase living organ donors
Hancock, a North Richland Hills Republican, was diagnosed at age 27 with a rare genetic kidney disease that occurs when the immunoglobulin A antibody builds up in the kidneys.
Quran taken from Texas Capitol chapel recovered by state police. They arenโt saying who removed it.
Days after it went missing, DPS identified the person who removed a family Quran Rep. Salman Bhojani had placed in the chapel. The state has since provided its own copy.
Staff of Houston state Rep. Jolanda Jones resigns, citing hostile work environment
Jones said in a new statement that she was outraged at the allegations the former employees made about her son, who works in the office, which she said are false.
Houston language advocates race to keep their one small request from disappearing in Capitol bedlam
Woori Juntos began the legislative session hoping to win over a majority of legislators to their cause โ making it easier for Texans who speak no or limited English to communicate with state agencies and access crucial services. First, they needed a lawmaker to file their bill.
A Texas lawmaker wants voters to decide whether legislators deserve a raise
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, has proposed an amendment to the state constitution to raise legislator pay and tie it to teachersโ pay, saying it would give lawmakers a living wage and allow a broader range of Texans to serve.
Uvaldeโs state lawmakers face an uphill battle raising the age limit for semi-automatic guns. Theyโre trying anyway.
Many relatives of Uvalde victims back bills that state Rep. Tracy King and Sen. Roland Gutierrez are pushing in the Legislature. But limits on gun access donโt fare well at the Capitol.
Two years after Texasโ voting rights showdown gripped the nation, lawmakers again push dozens of elections bills
State policymakers have mapped out familiar territory early in the legislative session, with Democrats seeking to expand voting access and Republicans pledging to make elections more secure.
Help us identify what matters most to Texans during the 2023 legislative session
We would like to know more about what youโre seeing in your community to help guide our reporting during the 88th legislative session.
Oaths, M&Ms and a historic Quran: Texasโ freshman lawmakers begin their inaugural legislative session
New Texas House members were sworn into office Tuesday, including some who have already made history.
Birth control ruling to see fresh scrutiny at Texas Capitol
Texas lawmakers are returning to the Capitol for the first legislative session since a statewide abortion ban took effect, and access to birth control for minors is likely to command fresh attention.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick prioritizes property tax relief, electric grid fixes and border security for 2023 legislative session
Patrick, who presides over the Senate and wields tremendous power over legislation, said lawmakers have an โextraordinary opportunityโ to shape the future of Texas at the start of the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 10.
Same-sex marriage bill heads for Senate passage over opposition from Cornyn and Cruz
The bill would provide federal recognition and interstate portability of same-sex marriages, but it stops short of guaranteeing a right to such marriages.
Appeals court allows Texas to withhold list of people it thinks are noncitizens and canโt vote
The appellate court reversed a previous ruling that found that Texas violated federal law by refusing to release the list. The suit was brought by five civil rights groups that sought to hold Texas accountable if it disenfranchised naturalized citizens.
Texasโ child welfare agency blocked from investigating many more parents of trans teens
Fridayโs injunction applies to all members of PFLAG, an LGBTQ advocacy group with more than 600 members in Texas.
A conservative school district and Texas lawmaker try to outmaneuver efforts to subvert โIn God We Trustโ law
After protesters solicited donations to distribute posters to schools across the state in Arabic, state Sen. Bryan Hughes sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency clarifying his legislation requiring schools to display signs with the national motto.
Families of the Uvalde shooting victims denounce Gov. Greg Abbottโs inaction on gun reform
The governor has made a vocal enemy in the families of Robb Elementary shooting victims. They are demanding a special legislative session to reach a compromise on the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles.
Federal judge strikes down Texas handgun age restriction
A federal judge has struck down one of Texasโ few remaining firearm restrictions, finding a law that barred adults under the age of 21 from carrying a handgun was unconstitutional.
Not 1925: Texasโ law banning abortion dates to before the Civil War
The restriction, which was revived after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, was put in place amid concerns about declining white birth rates and as the medical profession formalized.
TribCast: A bill that would boost Texasโ semiconductor industry creates an unusual divide
On this weekโs episode, Matthew speaks with Eric about the CHIPS Act and Eleanor about how abortion might be prosecuted in Texas.
Abortion rights demonstrators take to the streets in Texas: โItโs just unbelievableโ
Through speeches, signs and chants, protesters across the state expressed their concerns Friday about the effects of the U.S. Supreme Courtโs overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Uvalde victim's sister pleads for tougher gun laws in Texas
The sister of a 9-year-old girl killed in the Uvalde school shooting rampage has tearfully pleaded with Texas lawmakers to pass tougher gun laws and questioned why so many security measures failed.
Uvalde victimโs sister pleads for gun safety measures
The sister of a 9-year-old girl killed in the Uvalde school shooting rampage has tearfully pleaded with Texas lawmakers to pass tougher gun laws and questioned why so many security measures failed.
Texans tell environmental agency: Stop being reluctant to regulate industry
A report from the state Sunset Advisory Commission found that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality commissioners have become โreluctantโ regulators and often encourage industry to โself police.โ
ACLU of Texas files new lawsuit against stateโs investigations into parents of transgender children
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas has teamed up with Lambda Legal to file a new lawsuit, urging a court to block the stateโs investigation into parents of transgender children.
Texas Republicans say if Roe falls, theyโll focus on adoptions and preventing women from seeking abortions elsewhere
State leaders say expanding a social safety net for children and prosecuting abortion funders are among their priorities. โWeโll continue to do our best to make abortion not just outlawed, but unthinkable,โ said state Rep. Briscoe Cain.
Judge loses trust in Texasโ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.
Apple, Google among dozens of corporations condemning Texasโ order to investigate families of trans kids
The letter, published as a full-page ad in The Dallas Morning News, was also signed by Salesforce, Johnson & Johnson, Dow and Capital One. The companies said they do business, create jobs and serve customers in Texas and are committed to creating safe communities for LGBTQ people.
Houston hospital pauses hormone therapy for transgender children as threats of child abuse investigations loom
Citing potential criminal penalties, Texas Childrenโs Hospital will no longer provide hormone therapy to transgender patients.
Texas investigates parents of transgender teen, prompting the ACLU to sue
The ACLU suit looks to block Gov. Greg Abbottโs directive that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services investigate parents seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children.
Gov. Greg Abbott sues Biden administration over vaccine mandate for National Guard
The state has already challenged the federal governmentโs vaccine orders for big businesses, health care workers and federal contractors.
A growing number of Texas Republicans want a fourth special session to pass COVID-19 vaccine mandate ban
It remains unclear whether Gov. Greg Abbott โ the only official with the power to convene special sessions โ will order state lawmakers back to Austin, or what issues he would include on the agenda.
Analysis: A swelling Texas treasury gives 2022 hopefuls room for big ideas
As the political season starts, the contestants got an unexpected bit of good news: The state comptroller says the next Legislature will start with almost $25 billion in the state treasury. Expensive campaign promises just got a lot easier to make.
TribCast: A federal judge temporarily blocks Texasโ near-total abortion ban
In this weekโs TribCast, Matthew speaks with Alexa and Reese about the ongoing court fights over Texasโ new abortion law and the redistricting process in Texas.
Texas demonstrations take aim at stateโs near-total ban on abortion
Thousands turned out at demonstrations across the state and protested Texasโ new abortion restrictions. Texas Tribune photographers were there.
Texas has a constitutional amendments election this year. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 4.
A statewide election on Nov. 2 will feature eight constitutional amendments that address topics ranging from religious freedom to taxes to judicial eligibility. Hereโs what you need to know to vote.
Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for redistricting, other conservative priorities starting Sept. 20
On top of redistricting, Abbott wants lawmakers to take up bills on restrictions for transgender student athletes and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests negative for COVID-19 four days after positive test
The governor credited his vaccination for keeping his infection "brief and mild" and encouraged others to consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19
The governor spoke Monday night at a GOP event in Collin County, later tweeting photos of him addressing a maskless crowd. Less than three hours before his diagnosis was announced Tuesday afternoon, he tweeted pictures of a meeting with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.
NAACP: Justice must probe arrest threats against Texas Dems
The NAACP is urging the Justice Department to investigate whether a federal crime was being committed when Texas Republicans threatened to have their Democratic colleagues arrested.
With special sessionโs end looming, Texas Democrats and Republicans mull their next moves
Abbott has promised to call a second special session to pass the GOPโs priority voting bill, but the exact timing is uncertain. And House Democrats have not yet revealed what they have planned after the session ends this week.
Beto OโRourke group gives $600,000 to Texas House Democratsโ stay in Washington, D.C.
Members left Texas about 10 days ago and have said they plan to stay out of state until after the special session ends Aug. 6.
Gov. Greg Abbott says he wonโt impose new mask mandate despite increasing COVID-19 cases
Abbott reiterated Tuesday that Texas schoolchildren will not face mask requirements as they return to school later this summer.