Texas high court allows law banning gender-affirming care for transgender minors to take effect
The Texas Supreme Court will allow the new state law banning gender-affirming care for minors to take effect on Friday, setting up Texas to be the most populous state with such restrictions on transgender children.
Gov. Greg Abbott sends more state police to patrol Austin after city leaders call for end to partnership
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson had said that troopers pulling a gun on a 10-year-old prompted the end of the agreement. A video of that encounter shows troopers with guns pointed at the ground, not the child.
New Texas laws favor parents in child abuse investigations as legislators try to limit number of kids in foster care
Legislators also passed bills that will provide foster kids entering the troubled system with duffel bags or backpacks and those aging out of the system with help setting up bank accounts.
Austin doctors who treated trans kids leaving Dell Childrenโs clinic after AG Paxton announces investigation
Attorney General Ken Paxton previously announced an investigation into โpotentially illegalโ activity. Parents are scrambling to find transition-related care for their kids as the Legislature appears poised to ban it altogether.
Protesters evicted from Texas Capitol as clash between LGBTQ residents and GOP leaders escalates
Texas state police detained and handcuffed people protesting legislation that would prohibit transgender kids from getting puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The House separately delayed a vote on Senate Bill 14 until later this week.
In overnight testimony, Uvalde victimsโ family members call on Texas lawmakers to raise age to buy semi-automatic guns
The families of Uvalde shooting victims waited hours to testify at a House committee hearing in support of House Bill 2744, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21.
After years of little progress, Texas gun control and safety advocates see some small openings for dialogue at the Capitol
Many bills that would limit access to firearms or ammunition likely wonโt become law anytime soon. But people who advocate at the Texas Capitol see emerging signs that thereโs appetite for finding some middle ground.
Terrified and angry, LGBTQ Texans and allies rally at Capitol to protest bills targeting queer community
With six weeks remaining in the legislative session, advocates implored Texans to join the โresistanceโ against fast-moving efforts to curb health care, drag queens, education, trans athletes and more.
The eyes of LGBTQ Texans are upon Dade Phelan and the House
Spurred by a groundswell of far-right support, the Texas Senate has passed all of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickโs priority LGBTQ bills โ and then some. What the House does next will impact queer Texansโ lives and could determine Speaker Phelanโs future.
Complaint alleges Rep. Bryan Slaton had โinappropriate relationshipโ with an intern
The complaint came after an incident in which Slaton and the staffer allegedly met up at his Austin apartment last weekend. A separate staffer told The Texas Tribune that Slaton drank alcohol with an intern under 21 years old.
Houston language activists race to keep their one small request from disappearing in Capitol bedlam
Woori Juntos began the legislative session hoping to win over a majority of legislators to their cause โ making it easier for Texans who speak no or limited English to communicate with state agencies and access crucial services. First, they needed a lawmaker to file their bill.
A Texas lawmaker wants voters to decide whether legislators deserve a raise
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, has proposed an amendment to the state constitution to raise legislator pay and tie it to teachersโ pay, saying it would give lawmakers a living wage and allow a broader range of Texans to serve.
Uvaldeโs state lawmakers face an uphill battle raising the age limit for semi-automatic guns. Theyโre trying anyway.
Many relatives of Uvalde victims back bills that state Rep. Tracy King and Sen. Roland Gutierrez are pushing in the Legislature. But limits on gun access donโt fare well at the Capitol.
Two years after Texasโ voting rights showdown gripped the nation, lawmakers again push dozens of elections bills
State policymakers have mapped out familiar territory early in the legislative session, with Democrats seeking to expand voting access and Republicans pledging to make elections more secure.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick prioritizes property tax relief, electric grid fixes and border security for 2023 legislative session
Patrick, who presides over the Senate and wields tremendous power over legislation, said lawmakers have an โextraordinary opportunityโ to shape the future of Texas at the start of the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 10.
Appeals court allows Texas to withhold list of people it thinks are noncitizens and canโt vote
The appellate court reversed a previous ruling that found that Texas violated federal law by refusing to release the list. The suit was brought by five civil rights groups that sought to hold Texas accountable if it disenfranchised naturalized citizens.
A conservative school district and Texas lawmaker try to outmaneuver efforts to subvert โIn God We Trustโ law
After protesters solicited donations to distribute posters to schools across the state in Arabic, state Sen. Bryan Hughes sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency clarifying his legislation requiring schools to display signs with the national motto.
Families of the Uvalde shooting victims denounce Gov. Greg Abbottโs inaction on gun reform
The governor has made a vocal enemy in the families of Robb Elementary shooting victims. They are demanding a special legislative session to reach a compromise on the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles.
Texas Republicans say if Roe falls, theyโll focus on adoptions and preventing women from seeking abortions elsewhere
State leaders say expanding a social safety net for children and prosecuting abortion funders are among their priorities. โWeโll continue to do our best to make abortion not just outlawed, but unthinkable,โ said state Rep. Briscoe Cain.
Judge loses trust in Texasโ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.
Apple, Google among dozens of corporations condemning Texasโ order to investigate families of trans kids
The letter, published as a full-page ad in The Dallas Morning News, was also signed by Salesforce, Johnson & Johnson, Dow and Capital One. The companies said they do business, create jobs and serve customers in Texas and are committed to creating safe communities for LGBTQ people.
A growing number of Texas Republicans want a fourth special session to pass COVID-19 vaccine mandate ban
It remains unclear whether Gov. Greg Abbott โ the only official with the power to convene special sessions โ will order state lawmakers back to Austin, or what issues he would include on the agenda.
Analysis: A swelling Texas treasury gives 2022 hopefuls room for big ideas
As the political season starts, the contestants got an unexpected bit of good news: The state comptroller says the next Legislature will start with almost $25 billion in the state treasury. Expensive campaign promises just got a lot easier to make.
Texas has a constitutional amendments election this year. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 4.
A statewide election on Nov. 2 will feature eight constitutional amendments that address topics ranging from religious freedom to taxes to judicial eligibility. Hereโs what you need to know to vote.
Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for redistricting, other conservative priorities starting Sept. 20
On top of redistricting, Abbott wants lawmakers to take up bills on restrictions for transgender student athletes and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID-19
The governor spoke Monday night at a GOP event in Collin County, later tweeting photos of him addressing a maskless crowd. Less than three hours before his diagnosis was announced Tuesday afternoon, he tweeted pictures of a meeting with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.
With special sessionโs end looming, Texas Democrats and Republicans mull their next moves
Abbott has promised to call a second special session to pass the GOPโs priority voting bill, but the exact timing is uncertain. And House Democrats have not yet revealed what they have planned after the session ends this week.
WATCH: Bexar County Legislative Delegation gives update on House Democrats quorum break
The Bexar County Legislative Delegations will give an update on the ongoing quorum break by Texas House Democrats as well as efforts being made to pass the federal โFor the People Actโ and the โJohn Lewis Voting Rights Actโ Saturday afternoon.
What it means to break quorum and what you need to know about the Texas House Democratsโ dramatic departure
Democrats are preventing the Texas House from having enough members to pass legislation. We explain what that means, what options Republicans have and whatโs in the voting bills Democrats oppose.