Texas Legislature
How 50 Years of Feminism in the Texas Legislature Shaped the Fights We See Today
Environmentalists Fear Conservative Group’s Push to End Corporate Subsidies is Really Just a Hit on Renewables
“TPPF only talks about tax breaks for renewables without touching the vastly greater subsidies that support coal and other fossil fuels.”
In the last few months, the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) has ramped up its war on wind. To kick off the 86th Texas Legislature, the Austin-based conser...Read More
Abbott, Patrick, Bonnen Quietly Vote to Remove Slavery-Denying Plaque from Texas Capitol
“The reality is that plaque never should have gone up in the state Capitol in the first place, and it shouldn’t have taken 60 years to take it down,” state Representative Eric Johnson said.
Since the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville a year and a half ago, Texas officials have faced increasing demands to purge the statehouse of a plaque...Read More
The Texas GOP May Actually Get Serious about Real Problems During this Legislature
On the heels of a miniature suburban revolt in the midterms, it seems unlikely that Dan Patrick and friends will be able to hijack the session again.
So: The world’s finest deliberative body convened in Austin on Tuesday, and by early summer, if God’s grace once more falls upon this benighted state, the T...Read More
As One of the Eleven New Women in the Texas House, We Must Take Sexual Misconduct Seriously
The House has an opportunity to lead the way in creating an environment of accountability and respect in the Capitol and all workplaces across Texas.
On Tuesday, the Texas House will reconvene for our first session since the “Me Too” movement brought the pervasive and persistent sexual misconduct that so ...Read More
Texas Has Plenty of Money, But Will Lawmakers Use it to Fix Their Years of Negligence?
State Comptroller Glenn Hegar released his revenue estimate for the 2020-2021 biennium. The upshot is: There’s money to spend, if the Legislature is willing.
Things appear to be going swimmingly for those hoping that Texas legislators will finally address two of the state’s most intractable, intertwined problems: a...Read More
The Texas Observer’s Best Features of 2018
Our favorite longreads of the year.
The Texas Observer’s Best Features of 2018 Our favorite longreads of the year. – by Rose Cahalan and Forrest Wilder December 26, 2018 Like children, it...Read More
Texas Senator Bob Hall Defends ‘White Nationalist’ Ally as Victim of Political Correctness
Ray Myers drew national attention for statements made on Facebook. His fellow tea partier in the state Senate said he’s a victim of “perverted extreme political correctness.”
Kaufman County tea party insurgent Ray Myers long had a reputation for extremist views, off-the-cuff bigotry and an in-your-face style of activism. But recent F...Read More
Year in Review: Loon Star State in 2018
The year in political cartoons from the strangest state in the union.
Trump’s sophomore year in the White House made for plenty of ammunition for political cartoonist Ben Sargent. In the pages of the Observer in 2018, the fo...Read More
Six Texas Political Players Who Lost Power in 2018
A diverse and bipartisan ensemble of politicians and groups were rudely awakened as they were wrested from or kept out of power in 2018.
Power is a funny thing. One minute you have it; the next it’s gone. Sometimes it’s taken forcefully; other times it’s given away. In Texas, the ruling Rep...Read More