Blanco and Landgraf on ICE raids, school choice and the bathroom bill (video)
Full video of Evan Smith's 2/17 conversation with state Reps. César Blanco, D-El Paso, and Brooks LandgrafTe, R-Odessa, on the campus of Odessa College. Full Story
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Analysis: A window into who Texas legislators’ favorite employees are
Lawmakers want to stop deducting dues for union and non-union employee associations from state paychecks — but only for the employees they disagree with. Full Story
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![State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, the chairwoman of the Senate State Affairs Committee, listened to testimony during a Sept. 14, 2016, committee meeting.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Convention of states resolution is on its way to full Texas Senate
The Senate State Affairs Committee addressed one of Gov. Greg Abbott's four emergency items Thursday: passing a resolution showing the state backs an Article V convention. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott prepares to deliver his State of the State address, flanked by (l.-r.) Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, state Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, state Sens. Donna Campbell, R-San Antonio, and Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, and House Speaker Joe Straus.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
A week after Austin ICE raids, immigrants and their supporters march in protest
A week after immigration agents launched surprise raids in Austin and surrounding areas, hundreds marched downtown in protest, saying fear has engulfed the Central Texas immigrant community. Full Story
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![Klevelin Lion chants at the front of the "Day Without Immigrants" march on Congress Avenue, Feb. 16, 2017, in Austin, TX.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
FBI, IRS agents raid state Sen. Carlos Uresti's law offices
FBI and IRS agents raided the law offices of Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti on Thursday morning, confiscating documents and other items. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officers from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raid the San Antonio office of state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, on Feb. 16, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Stadium exemption in "bathroom bill" won’t be enough, opponents say
An exemption for stadiums and convention centers in Texas' "bathroom bill" may not be enough to avoid economic fallout in the state, opponents warn. Full Story
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![AT&T Stadium in Arlington, home to the Dallas Cowboys, on October 25, 2016.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill for The Texas Tribune -
If Texas passes anti-"sanctuary" bill, El Paso County could face lawsuits
A 2006 settlement between an El Paso County resident and his local sheriff's department could come back and haunt the border town if the Texas Legislature passes its anti-"sanctuary cities" bill. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Tim Park for The Texas Tribune -
Menéndez failed to report $50,000 in donations
A Texas Tribune investigation found that two state senators failed to report almost $60,000 in donations from two PACs. Sens. Jose Menendez and Carlos Uresti, both San Antonio Democrats, vowed to file amended reports. Full Story
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![Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, reacts after his point of order to kill SB 4 the sanctuary city bill is denied during debate on Feb. 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Attorney General first in country to file brief backing Trump travel ban
Attorney General Ken Paxton issued an amicus brief Wednesday expressing his support of President Donald Trump's travel ban, effectively becoming the first state attorney general to back the controversial executive order. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas lawmakers hear public testimony on abortion bills (live blog)
Texas lawmakers began this session's abortion fights in earnest Wednesday during the first committee hearing on three abortion bills. Full Story
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Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
For Dawnna Dukes, a lukewarm welcome from Travis County delegation
Dukes’ presence in the House is a sensitive topic for her colleagues in the Travis County delegation because of the 12-term Democrat’s legal issues. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, outside the Travis County Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center before being arraigned on Jan. 18, 2017.]()
Credit: Tim Park for The Texas Tribune -
Texas couldn’t help this sex-trafficked teen, so authorities sent her to jail
No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go. Full Story
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![17-year-old Lena waits to be released from the Harris County Jail, with a small bag of her possessions. Her mentor gave her a blue jumpsuit to wear over her skimpy clothes.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott blasts NFL for wading into "bathroom bill" debate
"The NFL needs to concentrate on playing football and get the heck out of politics," Gov. Greg Abbott told conservative radio host Glenn Beck. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and the official NFL logo.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune/The National Football League -
Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys among artists speaking out against Texas bathroom bill
Singers and actors including Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper and Alicia Keys have signed onto an open letter asking Texas lawmakers to reject Senate Bill 6 and other anti-LGBT legislation recently filed at the state legislature. Full Story
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![Singer Lady Gaga performs during the halftime show at Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons in Houston on Feb. 5, 2017.]()
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Is an ICE detainer legal? Texas AG, immigration attorneys disagree
After Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton insisted in a letter last week that Texas' anti-"sanctuary cities" bill would survive a legal challenge, immigration attorneys are trying to convince members of the Legislature that he's wrong. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton testifies how his faith is getting him through his recent legal woes during a speech to a gathering at the Republican Party of Texas gathering in Dallas May 14, 2016.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune/Bob Daemmrich -
When foster care couldn't help this 16-year-old, she ran to a pimp
After her father raped her, Jean became one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care, a system that often leaves children more damaged than when they arrive. For Jean, selling sex seemed like a safer bet. Full Story
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![Jean, pictured in her mother’s home in East Texas, was one of the roughly 12,000 Texas kids in long-term foster care when she ran away and was taken in by a Dallas pimp.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Rainy Day Fund takes center stage at first House budget hearing
Budget writers in the Texas House are considering tapping the state's savings account because they have a lot less money at their discretion this session. Full Story
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![Longtime state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Katy, in the House Chamber on Feb. 9, 2017. Zerwas was named chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee by Speaker Joe Straus.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela will back Joaquin Castro if he runs for Senate
U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela says he will back U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, should the San Antonio Democrat challenge U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Full Story
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![U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, in Austin for a discussion with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith, on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
How hollow rhetoric and a broken child welfare system feed Texas' sex-trafficking underworld
Texas leaders have publicly battled sex trafficking for more than a decade, but they’ve devoted hardly any resources to helping victims. Full Story
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![Pimps send their victims to "walk the track" on a stretch of Bissonnet Street in Houston. Anti-trafficking efforts in Texas have focused more on putting pimps in prison than rehabilitating their prey.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Guns on campus: Texas students weigh in (video)
Fifty years after a gunman opened fire from the tower at UT-Austin – the first recorded mass shooting in U.S. history – students can carry loaded handguns on campus. Hear from proponents and opponents of the law. Full Story
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