JEFF LEACH

For the past two years, Shawna Graves has wanted anonymity. Now she’s sharing her story publicly.

With Melissa Lucio’s execution put on indefinite hold by a Texas appeals court, her attorneys will now be focused on trying to convince a judge to recommend she get a new trial.

Texas Rep. Jeff Leach (R) told Lucio that a court had issued a stay of execution two days before she was to be put to death.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals blocked Lucio's Wednesday execution so her case can be further investigated.

Lucio learned of her reprieve in a phone call from state Rep. Jeff Leach.

Acknowledging substantive questions about Lucio’s guilt and the fairness of her conviction, the appeals court blocked her Wednesday execution so the case can be further investigated.

Nearly half of the jurors who sentenced a Texas woman to die for the 2007 death of one of her 14 children have called for her upcoming execution to be halted and for her to get a new trial.

Melissa Lucio, 53, would be the first Latina executed by Texas and the first woman since 2014.

Despite substantive doubts surrounding the cause of her child’s death and a suspect “confession” obtained after hours of interrogation, Lucio is set to be executed next month for killing her 2-year-old daughter.

Leach, a Plano Republican, and Moody, an El Paso Democrat, co-chair the House Criminal Justice Caucus.

As the Texas war over mask mandates rages in the courts and in school board meetings, state legislators decided to stay out of the fight...

As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter.

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott twice has issued orders barring school districts from mandating masks, and in early September, as the school year was about to start, he urged the Legislature to pass a bill enshrining his orders into law.

As the college athletics world roils over the possibility of the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma leaving the Big 12 conference, a group of Texas legislators with ties to other unive[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] Sports San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

Lawmakers faced blackouts, a pandemic, and their own worst impulses. Amid the chaos, we plucked out the leaders—and the losers.

A new District Court will soon be created in Hays County following the passing of House Bill 3774, Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) announced Thursday. [San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

People affected by crashes causing bodily injury or death involving commercial motor vehicles would find it harder to win damages from companies under a bill that is advancing through the state Legislature.

House lawmakers expressed frustration on Thursday that some of their priority legislation had not moved in the upper chamber, including a package of health care and criminal justice reform bills pushed by House Speaker Dade Phelan.

People affected by crashes causing bodily injury or death involving commercial motor vehicles would find it harder to win damages from companies under a bill...

HB 19’s sponsors say the bill will prevent excessive lawsuits against companies, but road safety advocates say the bill would make Texas roads more dangerous and prevent victims of crashes from receiving justice.

The bill was criticized by Democrats, progressive groups, and voting rights advocates as "voter suppression." Republicans view it as "sensible election integrity legislation."

A Republican state lawmaker says it's time for Texas to have a "broader and deeper conversation on the very existence of the death penalty."

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. A Texas lawmaker has filed a bill that would abolish and criminalize abortions, leaving women and physicians who perform the procedure to face criminal charges that could carry the death penalty. All my bill does, is say that an unborn child is the same as a born child and should be treated the same by the laws.”Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has identified two abortion bills that will be priority items during the legislative session that started in January. One would ban nearly all abortions if the Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision or otherwise altered abortion laws.

Six years ago, Collin County was so solidly Republican that many of its representatives in Austin and Washington didn’t even draw Democratic opponents. Collin County was among the first Texas counties this week to exceed its 2016 turnout, and 62% of its voters had already voted as of Wednesday. “Collin County voters are smart,” Taylor said. At the same time, Democrats also see opportunity in injecting the president into the Texas House races in Collin County. “What’s happening in Collin County is what’s happening all across the country,” Leach said.

Taken together, the reports point to a wildly competitive battle for control of the lower chamber, where Democrats are nine seats away from the majority. Republicans held $9.9 million cash on hand across the 34 districts, while Democrats had $6.2 million. Furthermore, in the four open seats that Democrats are trying to flip, all the GOP nominees were outraised. The money race was most stark in House District 138 in Houston, one of Democrats' best pickup opportunities. The Republican State Leadership Committee, the main national GOP group focused on state legislative races, is also playing big in Texas.

Two Republican Texas House incumbents were considerably behind their primary runoff opponents as early election results came in Tuesday. State Rep. Dan Flynn of Canton trailed Bryan Slaton 37% to 62%. State Rep. J.D. The winner will face off against Republican Lacey Hull in November after state Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, opted against seeking reelection. No matter what happens in the general election, House members will have a new speaker for the 2021 legislative session.

AUSTIN - Amendments to the state constitution that would make it harder to enact a state income tax, stabilize funding for state parks and allow retired law enforcement animals to be adopted by their handlers received wide support from voters Tuesday. The proposition authored by state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and state Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, eliminates the possibility of Texas imposing an income tax unless the state changes its constitution again. The proposition allows money accumulated from existing sales tax on sporting goods to be used for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Historical Commission. The ballot initiative allows the Legislature to provide temporary tax breaks for people with property damaged in governor-declared disaster areas. Any changes to the Texas Constitution must be approved by a majority of Texas voters.

Amendments to the state constitution that would make it harder to enact a state income tax, stabilize funding for state parks and allow retired law enforcement animals to be adopted by their handlers received wide support from voters Tuesday. The proposition authored by State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) and State Sen. Pat Fallon (R-Prosper) eliminates the possibility of Texas imposing an income tax unless the state changes its constitution again. Proposition 5 would stabilize funding for state parks and received overwhelming support. The ballot initiative allows the Legislature to provide temporary tax breaks for people with property damaged in governor-declared disaster areas. Any changes to the Texas Constitution must be approved by a majority of Texas voters.