Ted Cruz introduces bill incentivizing K-12 scholarships
The bill, titled the Universal School Choice Act, would provide a tax credit to match an amount donated to organizations that provide K-12 scholarships. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, arrives for the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee nominations in the Russell Senate Office Building on Tuesday, May 13,2025.]()
Credit: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Texas inmate executed for killing woman he set on fire inside Garland store
Matthew Johnson, who testified he did not intend to kill the elderly clerk, received the death penalty in 2013. The execution is Texas’ fourth and may be the last for 2025. Full Story
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![The Huntsville Unit Texas State Penitentiary on Jan. 31, 2024. The prison houses the state's execution chamber.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Legislature moves to build Texas Life Memorial on Capitol grounds
Approval of the monument comes as the lower chamber prepares to debate the “Life of the Mother Act” bill later this week. Full Story
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![A rendering of the National Life Monument, which will be installed facing the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. Replicas are planned for all 50 states.]()
Credit: National Life Monument website -
TribCast: Higher education and the battle for Texas universities
The gang talks about the Texas Legislature’s efforts to rein in universities, and all the changes at the top. Full Story
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![A student walks across the campus at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville on Aug. 20, 2020.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House committee advances legislation that targets state’s universities
Senate bills that reduce the influence of faculties and restrict protests on college campuses were voted out of committee in a last-minute meeting Monday. Full Story
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![The University of Texas at Austin campus.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Democratic Rep. Vikki Goodwin announces run for lieutenant governor
As the field takes shape for the 2026 campaign, the Republican incumbent, Dan Patrick, starts with a large financial advantage. Full Story
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![State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, speaks at a press conference outside the Texas Capitol on April 22, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Why a Central Texas farmer is on a one-man mission to stop renewable energy
The Texas Legislature is considering a proposal that would add restrictions on renewable energy expansion. Full Story
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![Robert Fleming watches over his cattle as they feed in a pasture that borders the Blevins solar project on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Blevins. Fleming is concerned that the solar development could damage the environment, his cattle and human health.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes bill that would require public schools to use Christian B.C./A.D. system to track years
The legislation would prevent schools from using materials that do not use the terms “Before Christ” and “Anno Domini.” Many historians have moved away from them to be more inclusive. Full Story
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![The historic Old City of Jerusalem on May 14, 2025.]()
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Trump administration’s first “self-deportation” flight takes off from Houston
The Department of Homeland Security said the 64 people who volunteered received $1,000 and a chance to return to the U.S. legally. Advocates question whether the government will honor its promises. Full Story
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![Honduran migrants who voluntarily returned from the United States using the CBP Home app, part of a U.S. President Donald Trump administration initiative encouraging self-deportation of undocumented immigrants, are assisted by staff at the Center for Attention to Returned Migrants in San Pedro Sula, Honduras on May 19, 2025.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Yoseph Amaya -
Texas Senate panel approves $8 billion school funding plan as it seeks middle ground with House
The proposal would heavily invest in teacher pay and special education. It includes a modest $55 increase to schools' base per-student funding, significantly lower than what the House had sought. Full Story
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![Third grade teacher Eran McGowan helps students work through math problems at the Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy in Dallas, Texas on Feb. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas teen was the victim of fake AI nudes. Now a new law requires platforms to remove such content.
A high school victim was one of the victims, but she and her mother fought back, with the help of Senator Ted Cruz. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump signs the the Take it Down Act into law during a ceremony at the White House in Washington on May 19, 2025.]()
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Improved response to mass shooting is goal of “Uvalde Strong” bill approved by Texas Legislature
Uvalde’s former mayor, now in the Legislature, wrote the bill so that law-enforcement agencies would have better coordination and leadership as they respond to a mass shooting. Full Story
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![Police block off the road leading to the scene of a school shooting at Robb Elementary on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 in Uvalde, TX. A school shooting was reported this afternoon after a high school student opened fire inside Robb Elementary School where two teachers and 14 students were killed.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers are poised to ban minors from social media
The Texas Legislature has already passed a bill requiring age verification to download apps and is seriously considering another to ban children from social media. Full Story
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![Cell phone illustration.]()
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Oil companies want protection as Texas considers allowing treated fracking water released into rivers
As the state grapples with a threatened water supply, industry and lawmakers have invested millions in research to clean the toxic backwash for use in for agriculture. Full Story
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![Tanks of produced water sit outside the Texas Pacific Water Resources research and development project site as they undergo oxidation using hydrogen peroxide Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, outside of Midland. The hydrogen peroxide helps separate out hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and oil in addition to managing bacteria found in the water.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
It’s not just about vouchers and school funding. Here are other Texas public education bills you should track.
Student discipline, uncertified teachers and school bans on DEI and cellphones are some of the topics being debated at the Texas Legislature this session. Full Story
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![A classroom at Kennedy-Powell Elementary in Temple on April 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas businesses feel the pinch from Trump’s tariffs, Fed survey finds
The higher taxes on imports will shrink Texas businesses’ profits and raise costs for consumers, business owners say. Full Story
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![A ReadyOne Industries worker sews the fabric to make Army camouflage pants at the sewing factory in East El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.]()
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Long-running lawsuit against Texas’ foster care system appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court
Lawyers representing foster children asked the high court to reinstate a contempt order against the state, and the judge who issued it. Full Story
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![Heart Galleries, portraits of adoptable children, on display at the Child Protective Services office at Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
SpaceX wins federal approval to launch more rockets in South Texas
The federal approval comes after vote from residents — mostly SpaceX employees — to form a new city at the Rio Grande Valley beach. Full Story
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![SpaceX's Starship lifts off from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight before exploding, near Brownsville on April 20, 2023.]()
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Bill requiring air conditioning in all Texas prisons wins House approval
House Bill 3006 would require the installation of climate control in state prison facilities by 2032. Full Story
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![Birds fly overhead at the Hilltop prison unit in Gatesville on Nov. 25, 2019.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate panel advances bill that gives schools more latitude to discipline students
House Bill 6 is a response to reports of more violent classroom disruptions after the pandemic. It lowers the bar for when schools can discipline for the state’s homeless and youngest students. Full Story
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![Students fill the hallway between classes at United South High School in Laredo on Oct. 23, 2018.]()
Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune