POLITICS

Texas Legislature 101: How bills become laws — and how you can participate in the process
| January 13, 2025
Here’s a rundown of how legislation moves through the Capitol, the ways lawmakers operate and who the power players are. Editor’s note: This is an updated version of Texas Tribune’s 2023 guide to the Texas Legislature. Texas’ 2025 legislative session runs from Jan. 14 to June 2. Lawmakers will debate a bevy of issues and […]

VIDEO: Texas lawmaker wants to overturn gun ban at State Fair
| January 10, 2025
Firearms were banned at the State Fair of Texas in 2024, but now a Republican lawmaker wants to overturn that decision by preventing gun bans on government property. Rep. Briscoe Cain’s House Bill 1715 requires private entities to agree not to ban firearms when they lease land from the government. The State Fair of Texas, […]

VIDEO: This Texas Republican is coming for your sex toys
by Matt Hennie
| January 9, 2025
State Rep. Hillary Hickland is coming for your dildos. The right-wing Republican won a seat in the Texas House in November. Now she wants to expand the GOP’s culture wars. Why? She’s apparently triggered by sex toys. Not all of them. Just ones, including dildos, sold in big box stores like Target, Walmart, CVS and […]

Gov. Greg Abbott: Texas is ready for Winter Storm Cora
by Matt Hennie
| January 9, 2025
From brine on roadways to a power grid with more capacity, Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas is ready for Winter Storm Cora.

Medical debt will no longer appear on credit reports for all Americans
| January 8, 2025
This new rule will erase an estimated $49 billion in unpaid medical bills from the credit reports of roughly 15 million Americans, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency estimates that the new federal rule could help boost consumer credit scores by an average of 20 points.