Texas Legislature
Dallas Isn’t Ready to Remove its Confederate Monuments
Who Are the People Still Marching for Trump in Texas?
At a march in Austin, an odd coalition of out-of-staters, white supremacists and the ordinary supporters who maintain his GOP approval ratings.
More than a year into Donald Trump’s scandal-plagued tenure, what sort of person would show up to march in the streets in support of the president? On a Satur...Read More
State’s SB 4 Complaint System Filled with Rants of ‘Illegals’ and ‘Thugs’
Lawmakers and attorneys challenging the “sanctuary cities” ban say the complaints show the law has inflamed anti-immigrant prejudice and wasted taxpayer dollars.
Ever since Texas’s “sanctuary cities” ban was first proposed in late 2016, the measure’s Republican backers have painted it as a public safety measure t...Read More
Texas Lawmakers Are Singlehandedly Derailing Affordable Housing for Seniors
Unlike most states, Texas essentially gives state legislators veto power over affordable housing in their districts. Now that law is being used to derail low-income senior housing.
Long before Joan Hawn moved to Oak Bluff Village in Columbus, a Colorado River town about halfway between Houston and Austin, she knew it was the place for her ...Read More
Access Denied
How lawmakers, the Texas Supreme Court and Ken Paxton closed the door on open government.
How lawmakers, the Texas Supreme Court and Ken Paxton closed the door on open government. – by Christopher Collins @collins_reports April 2, 2018 By most ...Read More
Is the Texas Open Meetings Act the Next Target for Transparency-Killing Legislation?
A Fort Bend County commissioner wants state lawmakers to consider exemptions to the open government law during emergencies, part of a larger trend of officials slackening important regulations in the name of public safety.
As Hurricane Harvey’s torrential rains battered Fort Bend County in late August, flooding 4,000 homes in a largely unincorporated area near Katy, County Commi...Read More
Loon Star: Sudden Moves
Ben Sargent's take on the push by conservatives to arm teachers in response to school shootings.
To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section, or find Observer political reporting here....Read More
Texas AG Ken Paxton is Very Angry About Women’s Health Programs He Doesn’t Seem to Understand
Paxton is trying to frame a looming battle over federal family planning dollars as one over abortion and Planned Parenthood.
In an error-laden letter sent to the Trump administration Thursday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton managed to conflate two different women’s health program...Read More
How Ken Paxton, Twitter Celebs and National Media Botched Coverage of the Austin Bombings
As details about the bomber continue to emerge, it’s worth examining who kept us grounded in facts during the explosive saga, and who led us astray.
Mark Conditt, suspect in the series of bombings that rocked Texas’ Capital city over the last few weeks, is dead. The 23-year-old’s alleged campaign include...Read More
Medicare for Y’all: Meet the Socialist Metalhead Stumping for Single-Payer
Timothy Faust is touring the country promoting health care reform with a mix of impassioned f-bombs and unrepentant eggheadedness.
Timothy Faust, a 29-year-old socialist metalhead, isn’t your typical health care policy wonk. Sporting shoulder-length hair, a bandana and a Lone Star flag ta...Read More