Gov. Greg Abbott signs legislation barring trans youth from accessing transition-related care
Texas joins over a dozen other states restricting transgender minors from accessing puberty blockers and hormone therapies. Opposing legal groups have vowed to sue to stop the new law from taking effect.
In first session after Dobbs ruling, Texas lawmakers provide more support for pregnant and parenting college students
Now that Texas has a near-total ban on abortion, lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are trying to make sure colleges are serving students who are pregnant or have children.
Texas lawmakers keep anti-abortion amendment in postpartum Medicaid extension proposal
A committee of House and Senate members agreed to a plan to extend Medicaid coverage for a year after childbirth โ with a controversial anti-abortion amendment attached. The bill now goes to both chambers for a final vote.
โNobody is hearing usโ: Educators frustrated as school funding bill has not passed with days left in legislative session
The 2023 legislative session is just days away from coming to an end and a school funding bill has not passed, leading to the Superintendent of Katy ISD saying enough is enough.
Texas House votes to repeal sales tax on menstrual products and diapers
The bill, which Democrats have been pushing for years, has become a top priority after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The Senate has already passed the bill, which would provide tax relief on the purchase of menstrual products, diapers and other child care necessities.
A year ago, these Uvalde kids left school early. Theyโre haunted by what happened next.
The three Treviรฑo children have suffered from panic attacks and nightmares since a mass shooting a year ago this week left 19 of their schoolmates and two teachers dead. Their parents are striving to help their kids feel normal again.
Texas may soon have a process to remove local prosecutors who wonโt pursue abortion, election cases
The bill would allow for the removal of prosecutors who adopt any policy to not pursue certain crimes, including some low-level theft and drug charges. The Senateโs version will need to be reconciled with the House, which had carved out some exemptions.
Texans would get one year of Medicaid coverage after giving birth under bill advanced by Senate committee
A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and advocates have thrown their support behind extending Medicaid coverage for a full year after childbirth. The full Senate will now have the opportunity to consider the bill, which has already passed the House.
Austin doctors who treated trans kids leaving Dell Childrenโs clinic after AG Paxton announces investigation
Attorney General Ken Paxton previously announced an investigation into โpotentially illegalโ activity. Parents are scrambling to find transition-related care for their kids as the Legislature appears poised to ban it altogether.
After Title 42โs end, Texas DPS pauses Austin patrols so officers can head to the border
Despite no major influx in border crossings, state troopers will be relocated to border cities. Austin and the Texas Department of Public Safety faced criticism for the racial disparities in state trooper arrests in the capital.
Santa Fe evidence bill headed to Gov. Abbottโs desk week before 5th anniversary of mass shooting
One week before the fifth anniversary of the Santa Fe High School mass shooting, relatives of those killed and wounded are celebrating a hard fought victory at the state capitol. A bill that will allow family members of crime victims to see certain pieces of evidence prior to trial is headed to Gov. Greg Abbottโs desk for his signature.
Daniel Perry is sentenced to 25 years for killing an Austin protester. Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to pardon him.
Perryโs case has become an explosive political stew of arguments over gun rights, self defense and racist social media posts. The governor dived in early, saying he would pardon Perry even before a judge handed down the sentence.
Progressive causes lose big in San Antonio and El Paso charter elections
San Antonio voters rejected by wide margins an effort to decriminalize abortion and require police to issue citations rather than make arrests for some nonviolent offenses. In El Paso, an effort to wean the city from fossil fuels fared similarly poorly.
Texas AG Ken Paxton probing Austin childrenโs hospital following video of social worker discussing transition-related care
On the same day the Texas Legislature is set to debate Senate Bill 14, a proposed ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for kids, the attorney general files a request to examine documents related to the use of puberty blockers and counseling for trans youth.
ERCOT says power grid is prepared for summer but encourages change as Texas population increases
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas and the Public Utility Commission of Texas are holding a press conference on Wednesday in Austin to update Texans on the status of the grid ahead of the upcoming summer.
Once again, tension builds after state police are deployed to a major Texas city
A month after the Texas Department of Public Safety began patrolling Austin streets, city officials have both praised a drop in violent crime and condemned the operationโs disparate impact on Latino and Black residents. In 2019, Dallas faced the same challenges.
More than 500K doses of fentanyl, other drugs, guns and stolen vehicles seized in Austin
DPS SWAT officers executed a search warrant and was able to seize 507,000 lethal doses of fentanylโenough to kill more than half of Austinโs current populationโalong with methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin.
Proposed bill calls for Ten Commandments to be displayed in all classrooms; Is that constitutional?
In Austin, State Senator Phil King is making his case for passage of a brand new bill that would make it mandatory for a copy of the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in every classroom, in every public school in Texas.
Texas House moves to expand Medicaid coverage to new moms for a year after childbirth
New moms would be able to maintain their health insurance for up to a year after childbirth under the proposal, which also passed the House last session. The Senate previously reduced it to just six months of coverage.
Member of Woodlands Elite Cheer Co. in ICU after shot while traveling near Austin; another grazed by bullet
Members of a Houston area cheer team traveling near Austin became victims when a suspect opened fire on their vehicle, shooting two of them, leaving one seriously injured, according to various reports.
Gov. Abbott seeks to pardon Army sergeant Daniel Perry, convicted of murdering Austin protester in 2020
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking to pardon a U.S. Army sergeant who was convicted of murder in the 2020 fatal shooting of an armed protester during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice.
The battle to legalize fentanyl testing strips continues in Austin
In Austin on Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott announced immediate emergency actions to combat the rising number of fentanyl deaths in Texas. The governor making the announcement at a fentanyl summit consisting of more than 250 people where the governor announced his One Pill Kills campaign.
Battle over sports betting intensifies in Austin with bipartisan push
A competitive match-up in Austin is heating up around mobile sports betting in Texas.The business of sports betting through a mobile device in the Lone Star State has been viewed as an underdog by many, but it is very much alive according to key players in Austin.
Identity of Nashville school shooting suspect sparks concern for Texas trans community
As Nashville police identified the private Christian school shooter as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who identifies as transgender, demonstrators were at the Texas State Capitol fighting against anti-trans bills being considered by state lawmakers.
For Asian Americans, Yeoh, Quan's Oscar wins are theirs too
Ke Huy Quanโs comeback story from childhood star of โ80s flicks to win a best supporting actor Oscar, coupled with Michelle Yeohโs historic win as the first Asian best actress winner ever had viewers of Asian descent shedding happy tears โ and grinning.
Street takeovers could cost more than jail time, says top law enforcement in Harris Co.
Four top law-enforcement officials in the Harris County region warned Thursday of severe consequences for those plotting illegal โstreet takeoversโ to promote street racing or reckless driving like recent events in Austin and Houston.
Pence urges Ukraine support as GOP hopefuls split on US aid
Former Vice President Mike Pence says the U.S. should step up support for Ukraine, marking the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion with calls for faster military aid that put him out of step with some of his likely 2024 presidential rivals.
Gov. Greg Abbott starts state task force on street takeovers
During a recent street racing incident, Austin residents faced long 911 wait times. City officials say they need to increase staffing for 911 call takers, but state license and background check requirements make it difficult to fill positions.