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Texas Legislature

Texas Tells Students to Report Threats. It Should Give Us a Seat at the Safety Table.

State law requires parents, educators, police, and administrators to be a part of district safety committees, but not the kids who are expected to recognize and report danger.

by Arjun Sharda

Keep Reading

One of the Top Texas House Races Could Come Down to a Single Issue: Water

by Justin Doud

Come and Take Them, Dan Patrick

by Kalyn Gensic

University of Houston Is Gutting Its Gender and Sexuality Classes. That Won’t Stop Texas’ Crusade Against Higher Ed.

by Andrew Joseph Pegoda

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, center, throws up his hands as he talks with defense and prosecution counsel during the impeachment trial for suspended Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate Chamber at the Texas Capitol, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Nov 09, 2023

Dan Patrick: Judge, Jury, Executioner?

The long arm of the lieutenant governor reached far into the Paxton impeachment saga.

by Justin Miller

A room full of Ohioans with their arms raised in celebration Nov 08, 2023

The Reason Texans Can’t Vote on Abortion and Weed

Hint: The Legislature could give us the chance if it wanted.

by Gus Bova

An illustration of a menacing array of guns and firearms pointed upwards. Nov 06, 2023

Domestic Abusers Under Protective Orders Often Get to Keep Their Guns

Fewer than 10 of the 254 counties in Texas have standard protocols forcing subjects of an order to hand over their firearms as required by law.

by Michelle Pitcher

Governor Greg Abbott in an orange button-down with a longhorns logo Nov 03, 2023

Abbott Fails on Vouchers. Again.

The governor's promise to call a fourth legislative session is expected to yield a similar result.

by Josephine Lee

A border patrol officer in a green uniform interviews a Latina migrant holding a baby, while both are standing in front of a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol van. Oct 30, 2023

‘Civil and Human Rights Disaster’: Texas Wants to Seize Immigration Authority from Feds

House Bill 4 would turn local police into border enforcers—with new unchecked power.

by Gus Bova

The sign outside the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality headquarters in Austin, Texas. Oct 13, 2023

Texas Wants to Adopt Outdated Cancer Risk Standard Despite Concerns

The state is proposing to approve a 17-year-old standard that leading scientists and public health officials call inadequate.

by Dylan Baddour

Oct 06, 2023

Abbott Demands Vouchers—Or Else

From bullying legislators to co-opting church pulpits, the governor and the billionaires behind him are determined to defund public schools.

by Josephine Lee

An image of Texas A&M University with a building emblazoned with the phrase "Welcome to Aggieland" Sep 20, 2023

McCarthyism Rides Again at Texas Universities

A&M’s shameful treatment of Kathleen McElroy is the start of a backward-turning era for higher education.

by Gabriel Arana

Ray Ray Topaz, an older Black drag queen who looks like Tina Turner, performs in a black outfit with pink and black jacket, standing with her arms spread wide behind her proudly, the microphone in one hand. The sign language interpreter stands to one side. Sep 18, 2023

‘Drag is so Healing’: Austin’s Queens Won’t Back Down

Capitol-area performers remain committed to their art in the face of persecution.

by Kit O'Connell

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