Texas Politics
2021 Texas Lege in Review: Red Meat, Broken Promises, and More of the Same Old Shit
Texas Republicans proved too busy burnishing their far-right bona fides to attend to minor matters like lethal winter storms and mass incarceration.
On Tuesday at the state Capitol, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law two bills aimed at strengthening the electric grid and reforming the agencies that regulat...Read More
The Unlikely Demise of Texas’ Biggest Corporate Tax Break
After 20 years, the state’s most lucrative corporate welfare program comes to an end.
In 2001, state lawmakers and business leaders warned that the state’s high property tax rates were discouraging corporations from locating big projects in...Read More
Again, Texas Republicans Fail to Gut Local Labor Protections
The win for worker advocates came unexpectedly—and may not last long.
In the waning hours of Texas’ 87th legislative session, House Democrats staged a walk-out to kill a sweeping Republican effort at voter suppression. Little-no...Read More
With a Special Session on Voting Restrictions Looming, Texas Dems Push for Federal Protections
Voting rights advocates say Texas Republicans’ underhanded effort to ram through new voter suppression measures highlights the need to restore federal voting rights legislation.
Nearly every legislative session, Texas Republicans cite the myth of widespread, election-swinging voter fraud to try to make voting harder, scarier, and more c...Read More
The Lege This Week: Bitterness and Brinkmanship
Amid the theatrics that consumed the final full week of session, lawmakers still haven’t finalized much of their already-lackluster winter storm response.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More
Texas Educators Worry Bill Limiting the Teaching of Current Events and Historic Racism Would “Whitewash History”
Texas educators say they’re concerned they won’t be able to have open conversations about what’s happening in the world if the Texas Legislature approves a bill that restricts how teachers can discuss current events in the classroom.
This article was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them—about public...Read More
As Homeless Camping Drama Rages, Protestors Camp Outside Austin City Hall
“What they want is to push us back to where they don’t see us anymore.”
Samantha “Sunshine” Conley was homeless before Austin rolled back its citywide camping ban in 2019. She was homeless for the brief interim that the repeal l...Read More
The Lege This Week: Behind Closed Doors
With the end of session near, Texas lawmakers descend into the backrooms of the Capitol to hash out hugely consequential legislation.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More
The Lege This Week: For Whom the Bill Tolls
The Texas House reached a critical deadline in rather anticlimactic fashion as dozens of bills hit the killing floor. But Republicans have already got most of what they wanted this session.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More
The Lege This Week: Lurching Rightward
As the session enters its final stretch, Republicans are advancing a barrage of right-wing bills—from permitless carry and abortion bans to pro-fossil fuel theatrics and anti-“woke” mandates for schools.
Welcome to the 87th Legislative Session. Since the last session came to a close in June 2019, Texas has been hit by an unrestrained pandemic and a crippling eco...Read More