State Politics
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The guerrilla campaign to save a Texas prairie from ‘silent extinction’
Students and naturalists have been sneaking onto private land to extricate threatened native plants: “This is a war between us and the developers, and nobody’s calling uncle.”
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Greg Abbott targets redistricting, abortion pills, trans people in special session
Texas Democrats criticized Gov. Greg Abbott’s special legislative session as “cruel” for including redistricting, seeking to ban abortion pills, and targeting trans people.
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(Op-ed) Kids don’t vote: How the media, public talks about Texas, Camp Mystic flood matters
While natural disasters can often be tied to politics, is it appropriate to have that conversation immediately after tragedy strikes?
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Two schools, one law: Texas A&M, Texas Southern University navigate NCAA shakeup
Texas A&M and Texas Southern are navigating a landmark shift in college athletics compensation following the passage of Texas House Bill 126.
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Here’s a running list of upcoming protests across Texas
A list of upcoming events and protests happening across Texas.
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Texas on verge of banning THC products, expanding medical marijuana program
Texas lawmakers banned THC and expanded the state’s troubled medical marijuana program, leaving Gov. Greg Abbott with the decision to sign or veto the two laws.
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Greg Abbott boosts Texas public school funding after years of holding it hostage
Gov. Greg Abbott signed an $8.5 billion boost to Texas public school funding into law on Wednesday after blocking increased school spending for years.
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Op-Ed: Congressional cuts feed corporate greed at expense of young people
Through a budget reconciliation process, Congress is working on extending major tax cuts originally passed in 2017 that would primarily benefit corporations and billionaires over young people.
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Texas Republicans help pass Trump budget bill cutting healthcare, food stamps
Texas lawmakers played key roles in passing President Trump’s budget bill, which funds tax cuts for the wealthy by cutting Medicaid and food stamps.
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‘Neither work nor home’: Dairy Queens as community hubs in rural Texas
To be sure, the view of Dairy Queen as a community’s social hub doesn’t ring true as much as it did decades ago, even in rural Texas.
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New bill would trap women who want or need abortions in Texas
A bill passed in the Texas Senate allows women and their loved ones who help them get abortions — here or in another state — to be jailed and sued.
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Op-Ed: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ — SB 16 hurts young, other marginalized voters
Senate Bill 16’s proposed voter ID requirements don’t strengthen election security, they just further exclude young, rural, and low-income Texans.
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Op-Ed: A third of parents putting career plans on hold due to cost of childcare — even in Texas
We treat childcare as a personal problem that deserves private suffering, instead of political action. I spent years thinking that it was my fault. As another mom said to me: “It feels like I’m the one doing something wrong.”
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Texas House signals expanding state’s medical marijuana program
House Bill 46 would increase the number of health conditions eligible and would offer smokeable products under the state’s medical marijuana program.
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Texas House votes to strictly define man and woman, excluding trans people from state records
If it becomes law, the bill would define sex based on reproductive organs and require state documents and policies to comply with that framework.
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VIDEO: LGBTQ+ Texans condemn anti-trans bills as ‘insidious attack’
Ahead of an expected vote in the Texas House, LGBTQ+ advocates denounced two bills targeting transgender Texans — part of an onslaught of more than 200 anti-LGBTQ+ bills filed this session.
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Texas women face prosecution for abortions if new bill becomes law
The Texas Senate has passed a new anti-abortion bill which would open the door to women being criminally prosecuted for obtaining an abortion — even in a different state.
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VIDEO: ‘Dark day for Texas’ as Greg Abbott signs $1 billion school voucher law
Gov. Greg Abbott signed his school voucher bill into law on May 3, celebrating with hundreds of supporters on the lawn of the Texas Governor’s Mansion.
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At UT, a Day of Drag and Defiance
Students gathered for a joyful protest of the university system’s drag show ban.
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VIDEO: May Day rally in Austin denounces Trump, celebrates workers
With a raucous march from the Texas Capitol to Austin City Hall, hundreds of people rallied against the Trump administration on May Day.
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The number of 18-year-olds is about to drop sharply, packing a wallop for colleges—and the economy
This so-called demographic cliff has been predicted ever since Americans started having fewer babies at the advent of the Great Recession around the end of 2007—a falling birth rate that has not recovered since, except for a slight blip after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
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VIDEO: Greg Abbott’s bromance with Elon Musk just became law in Texas
Rallying against an “administrative state” in a state he’s led for 10 years, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a bill that seeks to recalibrate state government and slash regulations by, ironically, creating a new Texas agency.
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The financial cost of autism management: Navigating expenses and resources
While all 50 U.S. states have laws requiring private insurers to cover some level of autism-related care, coverage details vary, and out-of-pocket costs can still be significant, Rula explains.
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6 candidates compete to represent east Fort Worth, Stop Six neighborhoods in May 2025 election
For the first time since 2013, a new face at City Hall will represent the majority of Fort Worth’s easternmost neighborhoods, including the historic Stop Six area.
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Fort Worth prioritizes literacy effort as 2 in 3 students cannot read proficiently
Mayor Mattie Parker issued a resolution April 15 declaring literacy as one of the city’s priorities. The document emphasized Fort Worth’s promise to help the 12 school districts serving the city achieve universal grade-level reading among students.
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Trump officials cut planning grant for Texas high-speed rail between Dallas and Houston
President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday terminated a federal grant to help fund a long-sought high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston — saying that if the embattled project moves forward, it will have to do so without federal help at this stage.
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Meet the tent company making a fortune off Trump’s deportation plans
Deployed Resources, a privately held tent company, is set to operate a new ICE tent camp to hold people awaiting deportation in El Paso, Texas.
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Ken Paxton jumps into US Senate race, sparking bitter GOP primary
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton entered the US Senate race, turning the GOP primary into an acrimonious battle with incumbent US Sen. John Cornyn.
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Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. That could hurt students with disabilities in Texas.
In a state with a checkered history with federal special education law, advocates say Texas students will see an erosion of their disability rights protections. As the Trump administration pushes to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, advocates for students with disabilities worry that, without federal oversight, Texas will fail to provide adequate special education…
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Texas Republicans take aim at public transit in two major cities
The Texas Legislature is considering bills that transit officials warn could hamper public transportation in the Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth regions.
