Despite Bland family's complaints, House unlikely to beef up Sandra Bland Act
The House sponsor of the Senate's Sandra Bland Act won't try to change the bill's language, after key provisions were taken out in the upper chamber. Full Story
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![State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, announces the Sandra Bland Act at a press conference at the Capitol on March 2, 2017. Those looking on behind him include state Reps. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, and Eric Johnson, D-Dallas.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti indicted on fraud, bribery charges
A federal grand jury handed state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, two indictments Tuesday: one for his involvement in a now-bankrupt company accused of misleading investors and another for alleged bribery surrounding a government contract. Full Story
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![State Senator Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, at a Texas Tribune legislative preview on Dec. 2, 2016. Uresti's San Antonio office was raided by the FBI on Feb. 16, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott: "Sanctuary" law won't open the door for racial profiling
Following the signing of a controversial “sanctuary cities” ban last week, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday the law would not open the door for people to get “pulled over and detained.” Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks on the first day of the 85th Legislature on Jan. 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes bill to outfit officers with bulletproof vests
Senate Bill 12, by state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, would create and fund a bulletproof vest grant program to outfit approximately 50,000 officers with vests that can withstand rounds from high-caliber firearms. Full Story
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Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Bill to reduce handgun license fee in Texas reaches Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk
The proposal, Senate Bill 16 by state Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, would reduce the first-time fee for a license to carry from $140 to $40 and the annual renewal fee from $70 to $40. Full Story
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Report: Texas falling short on police safety during mental health crises
Since January 2000, 79 peace officers in Texas have been shot and killed in the line of duty. For its mini-doc series, “Fallen,” KXAN-TV researched the background of each killer to find common themes — commonly, mental illness. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by KXAN -
Appeals court puts Paxton case on hold as lawyers push for new judge
A state appeals court has intervened in the securities fraud case against Attorney General Ken Paxton, putting it on hold as his lawyers try to get a new judge. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Bill criminalizing celebratory gunfire on life support in House
House Bill 2583 would charge anyone who shoots a gun without an intended target with a Class A misdemeanor — or a first-degree felony if a serious bodily injury or death occurs as a result. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
"Sandra Bland Act" doesn't address cause of her arrest, family says
The legislation now mostly focuses on mental health issues and county jail operations. Full Story
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Reaching across the aisle, legislators target voter fraud at nursing homes
In a rare twist, Republicans and Democrats are jointly pushing an effort to crack down on voter fraud. The measure targets ballots cast at nursing homes, and it could make it easier for older Texans to vote. Full Story
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Credit: Hamid Najafi -
Execution halted amid claims of false evidence at trial
A Fort Worth man who claims he did not intentionally kill an 89-year-old man had his looming execution halted Friday afternoon. Full Story
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![Tilon Lashon Carter, sentenced to death for the 2004 murder of James Eldon Tomlin.]()
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Texas Senate passes Sandra Bland Act
The bill would mandate that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, make it easier for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability to receive a personal bond and require that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths. Full Story
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![State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, talks about the Sandra Bland Act, which would reform interactions between jailers and inmates with mental health issues on May 11, 2017. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Rep. Dutton: If "raise the age" bill dies in Senate, I'll kill Senate bills
As a House bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18 languishes in the Senate in the final weeks of the legislative session, the bill's author promises "a funeral" for Senate bills if his bill dies. Full Story
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![State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, in the Speaker's Committee Room at the Capitol on May 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Bill to enforce reporting of police shootings stumbles, then passes
After failing by one vote on the House floor Wednesday night, a bill to penalize law enforcement agencies that don't report police shootings to the state was reconsidered and passed. Full Story
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![State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, on the House floor on May 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton lawyers say judge didn't have authority for 2017 rulings
Lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are seeking to void a number of major rulings in the securities fraud case against him, arguing the judge who made them did not have the authority to do so. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference to recognize January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month on January 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texan on death row will face parole review instead of execution
For the second time in a week, a Texas death row inmate had his sentenced tossed out. Robert Campbell, 44, has been on death row for nearly 25 years in a Houston kidnapping and murder. Full Story
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Houston Police Chief ready to reluctantly enforce "sanctuary" law
Once Senate Bill 4 goes into effect on Sept. 1, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he's prepared to lead a police force that allows officers to inquire about the immigration status of people they detain. Full Story
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![Art Acevedo, chief of the Houston Police Department, speaking on the Race and Policing in Texas panel at A Symposium on Race and Public Policy on Jan 14, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott: I urged pastors to pressure Texas House over "bathroom bills"
Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Tuesday in a radio interview that he has urged pastors to pressure the Texas House to advance the so-called bathroom bills that have languished there for weeks. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott prays with event organizer Evelyn Davison at the 66th annual Texas State Prayer Breakfast in Austin on May 1, 2017. Davison has organized the event for the last 43 years.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
House passes bill on inappropriate teacher-student relationships
The House passed Senate Bill 7, which would penalize principals and superintendents who purposely hide incidents of teachers having sexual or romantic relationships with students. Full Story
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![State Reps. (l-r) Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, Ken King, R-Canadian and Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont at a Public Education meeting on March 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Bill stripping pensions from felon politicians advances
The Texas House voted Monday to strip government pensions from elected officials who commit serious acts of public corruption, moving the first major piece of ethics reform toward the governor's office. Full Story
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![State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth; Gov. Greg Abbott; and state Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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