https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/stephen-simpson/The latest news by Stephen Simpson.enThu, 29 May 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/29/texas-air-conditioning-state-prison-jail-heat-summer/House Bill 3006 would have required the installation of climate control in state prison by 2032.By Stephen SimpsonThu, 29 May 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/29/texas-air-conditioning-state-prison-jail-heat-summer/Inmates shuffle past new fans in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Memorial Unit in Brazoria County on July 12, 2017. The prison was called the Darrington Unit until 2023.Inmates shuffle past new fans in the TDCJ Memorial Unit in Brazoria Co. on July 12, 2017. The prison was called the Darrington Unit until 2023.Jolie McCullough/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/28/texas-social-media-ban-legislature-abbott/House Bill 186, approved by the lower chamber in May, never received a vote in the Senate.By Stephen SimpsonWed, 28 May 2025 23:12:51 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/28/texas-social-media-ban-legislature-abbott/Students check their phones while waiting for the bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 29, 2023.Students check their phones while waiting for the bus following classes at Lufkin High School in Lufkin on Jan. 29, 2023.Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/27/texas-medical-marijuana-weed-hemp/House Bill 46, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval, would include more patients with chronic pain and allow for prescribed vaporized and aerosol products.By Stephen SimpsonTue, 27 May 2025 23:14:47 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/27/texas-medical-marijuana-weed-hemp/An engineer at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation in South Austin tests medical marijuana for impurities in 2021.An engineer at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation in South Austin tests for impurities on April 30, 2021.Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/25/texas-film-incentives-commercials/The Senate accepted amendments to a bill that initially sought $500 million over the next two years into projects filmed in Texas.By Stephen SimpsonSun, 25 May 2025 21:55:33 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/25/texas-film-incentives-commercials/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/22/texas-hemp-THC-retail-smoke-shop-ban/Some hemp retailers are looking at other states, while others say they are ready to take Texas to court over a THC ban.By Stephen SimpsonThu, 22 May 2025 18:15:17 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/22/texas-hemp-THC-retail-smoke-shop-ban/Products line the shelves of the newly restocked De Vega CBD Relief vending machine in Leander on Nov. 1, 2022.Products line the shelves of the newly restocked De Vega CBD Relief vending machine in Leander on Nov. 1, 2022.Azul Sordo/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/19/texas-ban-minors-tiktok-facebook-snapchat-social-media/The Texas Legislature has already passed a bill requiring age verification to download apps and is seriously considering another to ban children from social media.By Stephen SimpsonMon, 19 May 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/19/texas-ban-minors-tiktok-facebook-snapchat-social-media/Texas lawmakers could ban minors from social media.Cell phone illustration.Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/15/texas-AC-prison-heat-summer/House Bill 3006 would require the installation of climate control in state prison facilities by 2032.By Stephen SimpsonThu, 15 May 2025 21:24:41 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/15/texas-AC-prison-heat-summer/About two-thirds of Texas’ prison inmates reside in facilities that are not fully air conditioned in housing areas.Birds fly overhead at the Hilltop prison unit in Gatesville on Nov. 25, 2019.Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/12/texas-marijunia-medical-chronic-pain-crohns-cancer-glaucoma-ptsd/House Bill 46 would increase the number of health conditions eligible and would offer smokeable products under the state’s medical marijuana program.By Stephen SimpsonMon, 12 May 2025 17:30:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/12/texas-marijunia-medical-chronic-pain-crohns-cancer-glaucoma-ptsd/Workers sort strawberry-passionfruit CBD gummies at the Texas Original facility on Sept. 26, 2024. Texas Original is Texas’ first licensed medical cannabis distributor.Workers sort strawberry-passionfruit CBD gummies at the Texas Original facility on Sept. 26, 2024. Texas Original is Texas’ first licensed medical cannabis distributor.Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/08/texas-measles-spread-oklahoma-new-mexico/The outbreak that originated in Texas has spread into multiple states. And, the summer will be the real test of how much bigger this outbreak can grow.By Stephen SimpsonThu, 08 May 2025 15:47:48 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/08/texas-measles-spread-oklahoma-new-mexico/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/07/texas-gun-voting-poll-election/Supporters said the bill would protect poll workers who continue to face violent threats.By Stephen SimpsonWed, 07 May 2025 18:07:02 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/07/texas-gun-voting-poll-election/Voters wait in line to cast their ballots on Election Day at the Esperanza Acosta Memorial Library in El Paso on Nov. 5, 2024.Voters wait in line to cast their ballots on Election Day at the Esperanza Acosta Memorial Library in El Paso on Nov. 5, 2024.Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/07/texas-fentanyl-strips-legal-overdoses/Opponents fear that fentanyl test strips will increase the usage of the deadly drug.By Stephen SimpsonWed, 07 May 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/05/07/texas-fentanyl-strips-legal-overdoses/Fentanyl test strips are displayed at a Texas Harm Reduction Alliance drop-in center in Austin on May 5, 2025. Their organization can’t legally buy testing strips but accepts donations from other states.The Texas Harm Reduction center distributes fentanyl test strips, classified as drug paraphernalia in Texas, on May 5, 2025.Leila Saidane for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/30/texas-social-media-ban-warning-label/The Texas House passed onto the Senate a proposed ban Tuesday, alongside another bill that would require a social media warning label for minors.By Stephen SimpsonWed, 30 Apr 2025 15:14:06 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/30/texas-social-media-ban-warning-label/Bonham Middle School students walk between classes on Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.Bonham Middle School students walk between classes Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/25/texas-hospitals-undocumented-immigrants-cost/Policy experts say undocumented immigrants' cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans.By Stephen SimpsonFri, 25 Apr 2025 18:25:30 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/25/texas-hospitals-undocumented-immigrants-cost/Medical equipment lines the walls of a Central Texas hospital room on March 13, 2024.Medical equipment lines the walls of a Central Texas hospital room on Mar. 13, 2024.Maria Crane for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/22/texas-measles-outbreak-update/Texas added just 10 new cases this week, but there must be no new cases over a 42-day period before an outbreak is declared over.By Terri Langford, Yuriko Schumacher and Stephen SimpsonTue, 22 Apr 2025 11:36:43 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/22/texas-measles-outbreak-update/This tracker will update twice a week, as the Texas Department of State Health Services releases new data.An editorial art for the West Texas measles outbreak tracker.Yuriko Schumacher/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/18/Texas-hemp-farmers-oppose-THC-ban/As lawmakers work to close loopholes that allow minors access to cannabis consumables, hemp farmers warn a total THC ban would strangle a once-hailed crop.By Stephen SimpsonFri, 18 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/18/Texas-hemp-farmers-oppose-THC-ban/A bin of processed hemp at Bingham Family Vineyards outside Meadow on April 10, 2025.bin of proccessed hemp at Bingham Family Venards outside Meadow, TX.Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/04/texas-prison-air-conditioning-bills/Weeks after a federal judge declared hot conditions in Texas prisons unconstitutional, a bill requiring air conditioning in those facilities by 2032 has gained traction in the House.By Stephen Simpson and Pooja SalhotraFri, 04 Apr 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/04/texas-prison-air-conditioning-bills/About two thirds of Texas’ prison inmates reside in facilities that are not fully air conditioned in housing areas, and indoor temperatures routinely top 100 degrees Fahrenheit.Mountain View prison in Gatesville on September 19, 2019.Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/31/texas-maternal-health-care/Experts talk to The Texas Tribune about the challenges of providing maternal health care in rural parts of the state and how they can be addressed.By Stephen SimpsonTue, 01 Apr 2025 13:07:55 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/31/texas-maternal-health-care/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/27/texas-paxton-medicaid-superior-healthplan-spying-investigation/Superior HealthPlan’s CEO, whom lawmakers grilled about the company’s alleged hiring of private investigators, was reportedly fired after the inquiry was announced.By Stephen SimpsonThu, 27 Mar 2025 16:44:02 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/27/texas-paxton-medicaid-superior-healthplan-spying-investigation/Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth on Jan. 6, 2025.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addresses the crowd during a rally at the Tarrant County Republican Party Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025.Emil T. Lippe for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/21/texas-measles-vaccine-new-mexico-oklahoma-us/Public health experts say Texas needs better messaging on vaccinations and quarantining and more people conducting contact tracing to contain the spread.By Stephen SimpsonFri, 21 Mar 2025 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/21/texas-measles-vaccine-new-mexico-oklahoma-us/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/20/texas-greg-abbott-trump-education-department/Gov. Greg Abbott dismissed concerns that federal funding and civil rights could be jeopardized by the reduction of the department.By Matthew Choi and Stephen SimpsonThu, 20 Mar 2025 16:56:08 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/20/texas-greg-abbott-trump-education-department/