Texas governor signs bill clarifying that women are allowed to pump breast milk in public
Previous state law explicitly permitted breastfeeding in public, but the bill adds a protection for women who choose to pump breast milk in public. Full Story
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![Arika Rodriguez feeds her son, Parker, after giving birth at the Holy Family Birthing Center in Weslaco, Texas, on Sept. 28, 2017.]()
Credit: Reynaldo Leal for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas governor accused people of lying about Texas' maternal mortality rate. The critics relied on the state's own bad data.
Problems with the state’s data led to initial reports that Texas' maternal mortality rate was far higher than it is. Full Story
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![Vanna Waldron, left, evaluates Erika Piñon at the Holy Family Birthing Center in Weslaco, Texas. Waldron is a Certified Nurse Midwife from Seattle, Washington, who is volunteering at the birthing center for a year.]()
Credit: Reynaldo Leal for The Texas Tribune -
The Texas Legislature passed bills reining in freestanding emergency rooms
One bill awaiting action by the governor will require freestanding emergency rooms to clearly disclose the in-network health plans they accept and the fees patients may be charged. Full Story
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![Paramedics bring an extra stretcher into the emergency room at Eastland Memorial Hospital. The facility has seven emergency treatment rooms and is the only hospital along the roughly 120 mile stretch of I-20 between Weatherford and Abilene.]()
Credit: Gary Rhodes for The Texas Tribune -
No one knows exactly why rural East Texas faces high suicide rates. And resources to help are scarce.
The region has some of the highest suicide rates in the state. But the safety net for people who need help is being stretched thin, and some Texans are falling through. Full Story
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Credit: Christopher Collins/Texas Observer -
Texas law will outlaw minors from buying popular cough medicine
Texas joins 18 other states that have passed similar laws restricting access to over-the-counter cough medicines like Nyquil and Robitussin that include the ingredient dextromethorphan. Full Story
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![Bottles of cough syrup on sale at CVS on May 20, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Texas passes bill banning cities from partnering with Planned Parenthood on any services
The bill would prohibit such partnerships, even for services not related to abortions. Abortion rights advocates worry that the bill's broad language could even halt privately funded programs held on government property. Full Story
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![Planned Parenthood advocates rally outside of the Capitol on April 11, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Paid sick-leave ordinances likely survived the Texas Legislature. But businesses still want to kill them.
Angry that the Legislature failed to overrule local ordinances requiring private employers to offer paid sick leave, many business groups are hoping the courts will finish the job for them. Full Story
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![The Justices of the Texas Supreme Court hear the Texas Department of Criminal Justice v. Maurie Levin, et al. case on Jan. 23, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver for The Texas Tribune -
Texas expansion of medical cannabis nears finish line after Senate approval
If the House approves changes made by the upper chamber, the bill will head to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Full Story
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Credit: Getty Images/Patrick Morrissey -
This session's biggest mental health bill got killed on a technicality — then resurrected
Senate Bill 10, focused on connecting children to mental health services, was knocked out of contention with a parliamentary maneuver Tuesday night but was revived as an amendment to another bill hours later. It's one of several measures the state's GOP leaders championed in the wake of the deadly shooting last year at Santa Fe High School. Full Story
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![Former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, on the House floor on May 21, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House advances bill banning cities from partnering with Planned Parenthood on any services
Senate Bill 22 bars Texas governments from contracting with abortion providers or their affiliates — even for services like sexual health education and pregnancy prevention initiatives. Full Story
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![A bipartisan group of state legislators, medical professionals and abortion advocates gathered at the Capitol in opposition to SB22. The group claims the bill would reduce funding for abortion providers. May 17, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas medical marijuana expansion gains steam in Senate, even after previous stonewalling
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has expressed wariness to expanding the Compassionate Use Program, but the bill's Senate sponsor said Patrick helped craft the version that cleared a key hurdle Friday. Full Story
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![State Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braufels, speaks with State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, shortly after he received the gavel as Senate President Pro Tempore on Jan. 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers close to sending “born alive” abortion bill to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk
Republicans in the Texas Senate passed the bill Thursday with the support of two Democrats. If the Texas House concurs with minor changes the Senate made to the measure, it will go to the governor. Full Story
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![Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano speaks at a press conference to announce the filing of the Texas Born-Alive Infant Protection Act on March 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes bill classifying fertility fraud as sexual assault
The legislation comes after Dallas resident Eve Wiley discovered that her mother's fertility doctor used his own sperm during an insemination procedure instead of the donor her mother selected. Full Story
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![State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, speaks to state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, on his resolution to declare an emergency on the Texas-Mexico border on April 2, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House votes to raise legal smoking age to 21
The bill already passed the Senate but will require another vote in the upper chamber due to minor changes made in the House. Full Story
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![Sophomore Alberto Long smokes a cigarette on his walk between classes. The philosophy journalism double major thinks the campus smoking ban will help him quit.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes second, more limited bill expanding access to medical cannabis
It was the second time in as many days that the lower chamber moved to increase which medical conditions allow Texans to use CBD oil for treatment. But both bills face an uphill battle in the Senate. Full Story
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![State Rep. Stephanie Klick, R-Fort Worth, on the House floor on May 6, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate advances bill requiring pre-abortion counseling
Supporters say the measure would prevent women from regretting an abortion after they have the procedure. But abortion rights advocates fear the bill lacks key protections, like a requirement for the counselor to be a licensed medical professional. Full Story
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![Action on Friday at the second day of the Texas Republican Convention in San Antonio as Senate candidate Angela Paxton waves to the crowd. June 15, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
With business groups’ backing, House panel adds non-discrimination protection to Senate bill
State Rep. Dade Phelan added the provision to a Senate bill that would bar cities from enacting rules on how businesses schedule their employees’ shifts. LGBTQ groups worried that without the language, businesses could pick which employees get certain benefits. Full Story
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![Chairman Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, listens to testimony during the State Affairs committee hearing in Austin on Feb. 27, 2019.]()
Credit: Emree Weaver / The Texas Tribune -
Some lawmakers want Texas to release vaccine opt-out rates for schools
Texas tries to track the number of students with vaccine exemptions every year, but the data is incomplete and doesn't include the opt-out rates for individual public schools. Amid a recent rise in measles cases across the country, some in the Legislature are calling for more detailed reporting. Full Story
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![Medical assistant Patricia Jaramillo holds a vial of the meningitis vaccine, August 7, 2012 in Houston at Legacy Community Health Services. Each vial contains one dose.]()
Credit: Eric Kayne for The Texas Tribune -
Watch: A conversation on children’s health and vaccines
We're livestreaming our conversation in Houston on how and why the anti-vaccination movement has taken off in Texas, moderated by Tribune Editor-in-Chief Emily Ramshaw. Full Story
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Dallas to require employers to offer paid sick leave as Texas lawmakers debate banning such ordinances
The sick-leave ordinance was approved by a 10-4 vote despite efforts in the Texas Legislature and the courts to ban such rules. Full Story
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![Downtown Dallas on March 19, 2018.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune