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Texas Legislature

Police ‘Secrecy Grab’ Dies After Senate Refuses Uvalde Compromise

"We’re hopeful that it means it doesn’t come back again, and that we can preserve some level of transparency for all Texans."

by Michelle Pitcher

Keep Reading

Texas Legislature Passes ‘Bounty Hunter’ Ban on Abortion Pills

by Mary Tuma

New Texas Map Starts Game of Political Musical Chairs

by Justin Miller

Texas GOP Says Flood Relief Is Priority. Here’s the Climate Policy They Won’t Pass.

by Candice Bernd

Greg Abbott, sitting in his wheelchair at a podium labeled "Securing the Border," watches as a crane puts up a segment of the border wall, part of the seemingly endless spending on border security. Mar 01, 2023

‘Border Security’ Is a Financial Black Hole that Will Consume Us All

Spending on cops and tech at the border has increased ninefold in a decade.

by Gus Bova

An illustration of a hand holding a padlock on a chain, but the keyhole is shaped like a house. In their other hand, they hold a golden key with the end shaped like a worker holding a suitcase. Feb 27, 2023

Fair Hiring, Unfair Housing

There are laws and programs to help formerly-incarcerated Texans get employed, but finding a home can be far more challenging.

by Claire Partain

Donna Howard speaks with a serious expression into a microphone as she testifies about abortion access after Roe v. Wade. Feb 23, 2023

Pregnant Texans Now Travel 10 Times Farther for an Abortion

Texas legislator Donna Howard plans to collaborate with allies in and out of state in the fight to improve access to reproductive healthcare.

by Sara Hutchinson

Governor Greg Abbott delivered his fifth State of the State speech on February 17. Feb 17, 2023

Greg Abbott’s ‘State of the State’ Was a Weird, Alarming Infomercial

“I’m speaking to you from the manufacturing floor of Noveon,” announced Texas’ fearless leader to a limited audience before laying out yet another right-wing agenda.

by Gus Bova

A classroom door with lock. The door is blue and wide open. Feb 14, 2023

Uvalde’s Locks Were Its First Line of Defense. They Failed.

Missing master keys. Faulty latches. Entryways propped open. An unmitigated security disaster that left a classroom vulnerable.

by Annelies Zijderveld

Southwest Key, a contractor with the federal government, signed a lease to house up to 240 immigrant children between the ages of 0 and 17 in Houston in June 2018. Feb 13, 2023

The Border Patrol’s Power Grab

The agency seeks more authority from the Legislature to nab trespassers and others in Texas.

by Jason Buch

Sunset over the Stillhouse Reservoir: March 2015 Feb 13, 2023

The Lost Reservoir Inside Our Water Infrastructure

Texas could meet much of its future water need simply by plugging leaks.

by Delger Erdenesanaa

The dome of the Texas State Capitol, in black and white, with a gradient filter creating a gloomy aura about it. Jan 09, 2023

Catastrophe #88: The Texas Legislature Returns for a Brutal Year

What lawmakers should do to mitigate the state's cascading crises, and what they are liable to do instead.

by Texas Observer Staff

Governors Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis Jan 04, 2023

Florida and Texas, the Far-Right Axis

Both helmed by conservative governors, the two states represent radically different futures for the country.

by Luisita Lopez Torregrosa

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