Amid housing affordability crisis, Texas House votes to take some power from NIMBYs
Texas lawmakers have sought to make it easier to build more homes — and harder for neighbors to block projects. Full Story
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![Newly developed apartments sit next to older homes in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood on July 11, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Texas homeowners could see lower property tax bills if deal from Republican lawmakers passes
Legislators in the House and Senate have reached an agreement on more property tax relief. But some critics worry the cuts aren’t sustainable forever. Full Story
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![Homes along Lake Austin on March 06, 2023,]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republican lawmakers may “financially handcuff” cities that don’t play by their rules
One proposal would allow the attorney general to sue cities and freeze sales tax revenues for up to 90 days. Full Story
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![A view of the Austin skyline from the dome of the Texas Capitol on Aug. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
SpaceX workers in South Texas vote yes to create City of Starbase
Critics of Elon Musk and SpaceX say that a new city will give more power to a company they believe is harming the environment. Full Story
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![SpaceX Starbase, situated off of State Highway 4, is framed in a windshield on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas.]()
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Texas teachers, parents lose protection over “obscene” material
A fiery debate on the House floor Friday gave way to the Senate Bill 412’s final vote. Supporters say it’s needed to protect children. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
UT System chancellor leaves to lead University of California
Former state Rep. John Zerwas will temporarily replace Chancellor JB Milliken in leading the 256,000-student university system. Full Story
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![Then-UT System Chancellor James Milliken at a regents meeting in Austin on April 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Will Saturday’s elections be the last one in May for Texas?
The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections, which have the lowest turnout of any election. Full Story
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![Love Vial, center, votes at the West Gray Multiservice Center in Houston on Election Day, Nov. 7, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Bill that would make vaccine exemptions easier advances in the Texas House
As the state faces a multimillion dollar measles outbreak in West Texas, the House Public Health Committee passes HB 1586 along party lines. Full Story
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![A nurse administers a dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine at a clinic organized by the Travis County Mobile Vaccine Collaborative at Rodriguez Elementary School on July 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
University of Texas at Austin sued over arrests during 2024 pro-Palestinian protests
The two graduates and two current students who are also suing UT trustees and other officials say they were unlawfully targeted because they expressed pro-Palestinian views. Full Story
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![A crowd of protesting students march down Speedway at The University of Texas at Austin on April 24, 2024. State police officers march behind them.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House panel advances THC bill with stricter regulations — but no ban — for hemp industry
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called banning THC products a top priority. The latest draft of the lower chamber’s THC regulation bill would allow retailers to continue selling edibles and drinks. Full Story
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![Restart CBD displays beverages in a fridge on Thursday, May 9, 2024 in Austin. Beverages are a really interesting opportunity for this industry as they are accessible like edibles, but also allow for people to consume drinks that aren’t alcohol but still have some sort of benefit.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Weary from COVID deaths, Hispanic Texans embraced vaccines. It saved their lives.
In the deadly summer of 2020, Hispanics in Texas were half of all COVID-19 deaths, spurring many to vaccinate. Today, in a startling flip, Hispanics make up less than a quarter of deaths from the disease. Full Story
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![Delia Ramos, center, holds a photo of her and her husband Ricardo with her daughter, right, and son tk. Ricardo died in July 2020. Brownsville on March 7, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will share equipment database with local fire departments to help beat wildfires
The legislation, which won unanimous approval in both chambers, was written following the state’s historic Panhandle wildfires last year. Full Story
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![A firefighter with Forest Bend Fire Department extinguishes flames at the site of the Borrega wildfire on March 31, 2022. The wildfire burned through a large part of the King Ranch and surrounding areas in Brooks, Jim Wells and Kleberg counties.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
John Bash, first candidate to enter Texas attorney general’s race, exits
The former federal prosecutor cited shifting priorities after a family health scare for his withdrawal, which comes less than a month after his entry into the race. Full Story
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![U.S. Attorney John Bash and the prosecution team leave the courthouse following Carlos Uresti's sentencing, on June 26, 2018.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Fired state employees breached the personal data of 33,529 more Texans
So far, nine Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees have been fired for improperly accessing Texans’ data. Full Story
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![A Texas Health and Human Services client application on April 24, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
With AI on the rise, Texas House passes bill requiring more transparency in political ads
The bill faced fierce opposition from hardline conservatives who say it is policing speech and could allow the state to jail people over silly political memes. Full Story
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![State Rep. and former House Speaker Dade Phelan talks with supporters on May 28, 2024 outside of a runoff polling location in Beaumont.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers advancing bill to ban kids from social media
The Texas House passed onto the Senate a proposed ban Tuesday, alongside another bill that would require a social media warning label for minors. Full Story
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![Bonham Middle School students walk between classes Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Advocates fear Texas lawmakers are about to worsen the state’s homelessness crisis
Republican lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen the state’s ban on homeless encampments and speed up the eviction process. Full Story
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![Tents are pitched in front of Austin City Hall protesting camping bans on May 10, 2021.]()
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Wide-ranging crackdown on abortion pills passes Texas Senate
The bill gives the state new tools to try to stop the flow of abortion pills, but critics say it’s legally dubious on several fronts. Full Story
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![A nurse drops Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, into a patient's hand at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, on April 9, 2024.]()
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The Texas House wants voters to approve billions to save the state’s water supply
The Senate has a similar proposal, but is more prescriptive in how the money should be spent. The two chambers must agree on the final proposal to send to voters. Full Story
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![Jairo Benavides, center, removes soil as the crew works on upgrading pipes and valves at a North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water plant in Donna on Thursday, July 18, 2024. In order to increase the amount of water the plant is able to distribute, pipes were upgraded and replaced, connect to the plant’s existing facility with the newly expanded infrastructure.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Bill clarifying when doctors can perform medically necessary abortions clears Senate
The bill, which must still go through the House, received unanimous approval from the upper chamber. Full Story
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![Dr. Franz Theard, looks at a patient's sonogram at his abortion clinic, Women's Reproductive Clinic of New Mexico in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on Jan. 13, 2023. Dr. Theard's abortion clinic, less than a mile from Texas, where abortion is illegal since the landmark legal case Roe v. Wade which protected a woman's constitutional right to an abortion was overturned, provides medical abortions for women who are flying and driving hundreds of miles across Texas.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein