Texas lawmakers are advancing several bills that could impact student experience in schools across the state, ranging from enhanced safety measures to religious expression and technology use policies.

In the wake of the tragic loss of 15-year-old Sergio Rodriguez, the Rodriguez family is expressing their heartfelt gratitude to the Texas Legislature and those working to enhance railroad crossing safety.

Supporters say diversity initiatives close educational and income gaps born from a history of prejudice. Republican officials say they prioritize identity over merit.

Residents of Houston’s East End have become accustomed to the frequent presence of stalled trains blocking railroad tracks.

Following CenterPoint Energy CEO Jason Wells exclusive interview with KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding, KPRC 2′s Amy Davis brought in five Houston community members to gauge how they feel about Wells responses.

“CenterPoint intends to increase their rates to recoup the cost of recovering from Hurricane Beryl, passing the cost on to the customer,” Senator Carol Alvarado said in a social media post. “That dog won’t hunt.”

Abbott’s critics say he could have postponed the trip until the storm had passed, or at least cut it short once he saw the scale of the disaster.

Democrats, however, said their GOP colleagues “caved” to outside pressure in voting to acquit and return Ken Paxton to his job as attorney general.

The story is reflective of the new law passed in Texas of a peace officer on every campus.

A bill that would create penalties for catalytic converter theft now awaits Governor Greg Abbott’s signature.

On Tuesday, the Texas State House unanimously passed Senate Bill 224 known as the “Deputy Darren Almendarez Act,” authored by State Senator Carol Alvarado. The bill garnered strong bipartisan support in noth chambers of the legislature.

The Allen Police Department released new information on the condition of the victims who were injured Sunday in a mass shooting at a Dallas area mall outlet that left nine people dead.

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.

Given the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.

The Cabo San Lucas Apartments in southeast Houston got a visit Thursday from State Senator Carol Alvarado of District Six.

Members of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus renewed their pleas Monday for Governor Greg Abbott to call an emergency special session on gun violence in the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting.

Ever since the first Fifth Ward cancer cluster was confirmed by the state department of health in 2019, numerous city and state elected officials have shown up to meetings declaring support for residents and promising to hold Union Pacific accountable for the decades-long contamination at its nearby rail yard.

When gas station pumps dispense contaminated fuel into your tank it can cause thousands of dollars in damage. The station that sold the gas is ultimately responsible but lawmakers made a change recently that seems to be giving gas stations selling bad fuel a pass. Our KPRC 2 Investigates team met with one Galveston man who has been dealing with one bad gas problem and we’ve also uncovered new information about why it may be so hard for him to get answers.

A Texas Democratic senator who spoke for more than 15 hours against GOP voting restrictions knew she was just delaying the inevitable.

This is what the end of Texas' Sen. Carol Alvarado's filibuster looked like

Republican officials in Texas say law enforcement has now been enlisted to help bring Democrats back to the state Capitol and end a standoff over a GOP voting bill.

The GOP voting restrictions push that left the Texas House scrambling to round up absent Democrats also shut down work in the Texas Senate Wednesday evening as state Sen. Carol Alvarado launched into a filibuster against the GOP’s priority voting bill.

The Houston Democrat was on her feet speaking, not allowed to sit or lean against her desk, and unable to take bathroom breaks or drink water, since Wednesday evening. But ultimately the bill she opposed passed Thursday on an 18-11 vote.

Senate Democrats are pledging to move ahead with a vote on their sprawling elections and voting bill next week, even as it faces universal opposition from Republicans as well as from a key senator from their own party.

Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, spent years negotiating with industry groups to get new regulations placed on the chemical industry after the ITC fire in 2019. The bill has passed both chambers, but small changes need to be ironed out before it is sent to Gov. Greg Abbott.

Greg Abbott's office, after a rocky confirmation hearing Monday at the Texas Capitol. AdToward the end of the questioning, state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, asked Yancy if he had "any regrets with regard to your public discourse." He is not unknown in Texas politics — he ran for Texas Senate in 2010. AdNext up was Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, who asked Yancy about the anti-Reid tweet. Gutierrez asked Yancy if it was fair to say he "misspoke [or] overreached" with the tweet.

Lawmakers filed legislation Tuesday seeking to bring casino gambling to Texas. Credit: REUTERS/Steve MarcusTwo Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas. The proposals would create special casino licenses for four "destination resorts" in the state's four largest metropolitan areas: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. At the same time, it would establish a Texas Gaming Commission to regulate the casinos, and it would separately legalize sports betting. The legislation would then create three "Class II" licenses for "limited casino gaming" at horse-race tracks in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

HOUSTON – Many local businesses and organizations have opened food and water distribution sites in the Houston area in the wake of the recent winter storms. Various distribution sites pop up daily, so please keep checking this list if you’re in need. Houston Community College-North Forest CampusTexas State Representative Senfronia Thompson, NACC Disaster Services, Teamsters Union, Houston Community College (HCC)- North Forest campus, HCC Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Peoples United Summit, and other volunteer groups host water and food distribution in northeast Houston. The organizers will provide food and water for about 1,000 vehicles. Pet owners will receive free pet food, supplies, and information on additional resources such as the Houston Humane Society’s free spay/neuter program.

HOUSTON – Mayor Turner announced a new Houston COVID-19 testing site Monday that he said will be close to neighborhoods with vulnerable populations considered at high risk for severe illness from the virus. The United Memorial Medical Center testing site will be located at Barnett Sports Complex, which is at 6800 Fairway. Mayor Turner said the testing site is for people with and without symptoms. UMMC is working with the Houston Health Department to target resources where they are most needed. “They’re working every day, hard every day, but they may not be able to afford healthcare,” Turner said.