A Caucus, if You Can Keep It
How small must their influence grow before House Democrats break with their collaborationist tradition?
Texas Legislature
Will Dan Patrick’s Senate Stymie Fentanyl Test Strip Legalization (Again)?
Legislation to allow some forms of drug checking has reached the same Senate committee where a similar bill died last session—two years and at least 3,200 Texas overdose deaths ago.
The High Cost of Texas’ Property Tax Cut-and-Run Politics
Biennial promises of “relief” are just window dressing on a broken taxation system.
Abbott’s Bail Agenda Could Swell Texas Jails, Test U.S. Constitution
Republicans want to double down on a system that can keep Texans in jail for years without a trial, while attacking bail funds that try to help.
Texas Shouldn’t Legislate Censorship
Public libraries are for the public—and that means access for all.
The Lege’s ‘Big Government Intrusion’ into University Academics
Expanding on last session's anti-DEI campus crackdown, Republicans are now going after gender and ethnic studies programs and faculty independence.
It’s a Long Way to the Top (if You Wanna Oust the Pols)
The Texas GOP’s dominance of the 21st Century has been marked by entrenchment in the highest offices. Is that changing?
Ending 30 Years of Resistance, Trump and Abbott Break the ‘People’s House’
The Legislature’s lower chamber has finally blessed school vouchers—and denied ordinary Texans the chance to weigh in.
Opposition to Abbott’s Vouchers Plan Includes Conservatives
The governor crushed anti-voucher Republicans in the Texas House, but there are still plenty of party activists who are opposed.
Who’s Paying for Public School Vouchers? (1998)
"Somebody had to eat the first oyster." With that salty metaphor, Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock makes the argument that elected officials shouldn't be afraid to try new ideas—in this case, vouchers that would shift taxpayers' moneys from public to private schools.