Latest Contributions

• Watch: Live video of the Texas House and Texas Senate

  by Chris Essig Updated: Jan. 12, 2021

  During the 2021 legislative session, The Texas Tribune is streaming the Texas House and Senate chambers, which you can watch here. The session runs from Jan. 12 to May 31. Full Story 

• Federal loans helped more than 400,000 Texas companies retain workers during the pandemic, new data shows

  by Mitchell Ferman, Chris Essig, Abby Livingston and Carla Astudillo Dec. 4, 2020

  Despite details released from the Paycheck Protection Program this week, a full snapshot of the program remains unclear. Full Story 

• Texas again sets record for new coronavirus infections as testing also sees sustained highs

  by Edgar Walters, Carla Astudillo, Chris Essig and Mandi Cai Nov. 25, 2020

  The apparent record comes one day before the Thanksgiving holiday. Public health authorities have urged people to celebrate apart this year as many Texas hospitals report overwhelming volumes of COVID-19 patients. Full Story 

• Search the newly updated Government Salaries Explorer

  by Chris Essig and Mandi Cai July 22, 2020

  The Texas Tribune's database of compensation for Texas state employees has been updated to represent employee salaries as of July 1. It includes detailed data for the 113 agencies in state government and positions at each of those agencies. Full Story 

• Nearly 6,300 Texas companies received PPP loans of more than $1 million

  by Abby Livingston and Chris Essig Updated: July 6, 2020

  The federal government released the names Monday of 51,250 companies and organizations in Texas that received the loans, which were designed to keep the economy afloat during the coronavirus. Full Story 

• T-Squared: Introducing our new salaries explorer

  by Darla Cameron, Chris Essig and Mandi Cai May 20, 2020

  The Texas Tribune is excited to launch a new and revamped version of our Government Salaries Explorer. Full Story 

• Search the Government Salaries Explorer

  by Darla Cameron, Chris Essig and Mandi Cai May 20, 2020

  The Texas Tribune's database of compensation for Texas state employees has been revamped. It includes detailed data for all of the 113 agencies in state government and every position at each of those agencies. Full Story 

• Coronavirus in Texas cities: See how social distancing could reduce stress on hospitals

  by Mandi Cai, Chris Essig and Darla Cameron April 7, 2020

  New estimates from University of Texas at Austin researchers show what it would take to spread out hospitalizations in 22 Texas metro areas. Full Story 

• Texas counties with coronavirus: Case updates and what we know

  by Carla Astudillo, Mandi Cai, Darla Cameron, Chris Essig and Anna Novak Updated: March 14, 2020

  There are cases in each of the state’s five largest urban areas, though the virus has now also appeared in counties spanning from East Texas to the Gulf Coast. Officials expect statewide testing capacity to increase soon. Full Story 

• Our updated Texas 2020 Hotlist: The most competitive races in this year's primary

  by Ross Ramsey, Patrick Svitek and Chris Essig Updated: Feb. 26, 2020

  A couple of The Texas Tribune's political nerds highlight (their latest version of) the most interesting races up and down the 2020 primary ballot. Full Story 

• Three Texas school districts face state penalties after getting failing grades. Look up your campus' A-F grade here.

  by Aliyya Swaby, Mandi Cai and Chris Essig Updated: Aug. 15, 2019

  Houston ISD, the state's largest school district, is among those that could have its school board taken over by the state, due to consecutive low ratings of one of its schools. Full Story 

• How a Supreme Court decision on the census citizenship question could affect representation in Texas

  by Alexa Ura, Chris Essig and Darla Cameron June 21, 2019

  The U.S. Supreme Court could soon alter the political future of Texas when it decides whether the Trump administration can ask about citizenship on the upcoming census. Full Story 

• Texas police can seize money and property with little transparency. So we got the data ourselves.

  by Jolie McCullough, Acacia Coronado and Chris Essig June 7, 2019

  A Texas Tribune study analyzed 560 cases from four Texas counties to shine a light on how the controversial practice of civil asset forfeiture is used by law enforcement. Full Story 

• Here’s how different proposals at the Texas Capitol could change property tax bills

  by Aliyya Swaby, Chris Essig and Shannon Najmabadi April 8, 2019

  How would lawmakers' proposals to provide property tax relief affect tax bills? It depends on where you live and what kind of home you own. Full Story 

• Texas lawmakers eye a record-breaking rainy day fund withdrawal

  by Edgar Walters and Chris Essig March 21, 2019

  Proposals in the Texas House would spend $6.6 billion from the state’s savings account; the Senate would spend $4.4 billion. Full Story 

• In Texas, property tax levies can be as individual as homeowners themselves

  by Chris Essig and Brandon Formby Feb. 22, 2019

  State lawmakers are trying to reform a complicated taxing system where everything from suburban growth to gentrification and a homeowner’s age influence how much Texans pay their local governments. Full Story 

• Texas officials call it "property tax relief" — but legislation won't lower tax bills or decrease budgets

  by Chris Essig, Ben Hasson and Brandon Formby Feb. 21, 2019

  The fight over property tax rates is really about state leaders telling local officials how much their revenues can grow before voters get to step in. Full Story 

• How do Texas governments calculate your property taxes? Here’s a primer.

  by Brandon Formby, Chris Essig and Ben Hasson Feb. 20, 2019

  Several government entities — from appraisal districts to city councils — play independent roles that collectively determine how much money Texas landowners owe local governments each year. Full Story 

• Texas’ savings account is poised to hit $15 billion. How much will lawmakers spend?

  by Edgar Walters and Chris Essig Feb. 8, 2019

  As lawmakers debate costly investments in property tax reduction and public schools, they're eyeing the state savings account for a sizable withdrawal. Full Story 

• Most members of the Texas Legislature are white men — and so are the committee chairs

  by Alexa Ura and Chris Essig Jan. 24, 2019

  Four out of every five committee chairs this session are men, and 72 percent of chairs are white. Full Story