Pro-Paxton group gives $3 million to impeachment trial judge Dan Patrick
Defend Texas Liberty was the lieutenant governor’s largest benefactor in late June, providing a $1 million donation and $2 million loan to his campaign. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks to media during a press conference in the offices of Blakemore & Associates in Houston on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Brazosport ISD is training its own teachers. The program might become a model for other Texas schools.
The small district’s apprenticeship program lets aspiring teachers earn a bachelor’s degree and teacher certification at no cost. In return, participants must work at the district for at least three years. Observers hope state lawmakers will use the program as a model for legislation. Full Story
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![Cody Scarborough, teacher apprentice, leads his AP Chemistry class through a lab activity at Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas, on Thursday, May 4, 2023. The end of the school year will mark the completion of his year-long residency.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
Acting as Paxton impeachment judge, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issues sweeping gag order
“Prejudicial and inflammatory statements” from both sides have jeopardized the ability of senators to offer fair and impartial justice, Patrick says. Violators can be found in contempt, jailed and fined. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick gavels in the Senate at the state capitol in Austin on June 20, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton, impeached and suspended from office, raised $1.7 million in less than 2 weeks
Paxton’s campaign said 2,343 donors contributed to the Republican attorney general in 12 days when a fundraising freeze lifted after the regular legislative session. Full Story
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![Ken Paxton speaks at his primary election results watch party alongside his wife Senator Angela Paxton in McKinney, TX on March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
“Unbearable”: Doctors treating trans kids are leaving Texas, exacerbating adolescent care crisis
Texas doctors fear a new era of government intrusion into medicine as lawmakers ban transition care for kids following prohibitions on abortion. Full Story
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![People gather in front of the Texas Capitol during a protest for transgender kids' rights in Austin on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
In a political era of “parental rights,” Texans raising trans kids say new law strips them of choice
Senate Bill 14, which is set to take effect on Sept. 1, bans transition-related care for minors. Parents of transgender kids say it blocks their ability to support their children. Full Story
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![Kari stands with her son, a 17-year-old trans kid, during golden hour at a park in Georgetown on June 30, 2023. As of September 1 of this year, her son will no longer be legally allowed to have gender affirming healthcare and, according to the bill, will have to be “weaned off” their hormones in a “medically appropriate” manner. “I would love to ask somebody what is going to change between today and next March? Is my son going to magically change genders? Please let me know where that magic is,” Kari said.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
“We are dying”: Houston workers protest new state law removing water break requirements
The protesters called House Bill 2127 the “law that kills” and said it will leave those who labor outdoors at the mercy of their employers. Full Story
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![Members of Fe y Justicia Worker Center hold signs in protest of HB-2127 during a press conference at Houston’s City Hall on Friday, July 14, 2023. HB-2127 is a new state law that eliminates many worker protections.]()
Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune -
Property tax special session is over, but months of acrimony could complicate Texas lawmakers’ mission as more work awaits
Efforts to repair rifts, particularly among Republican leaders, begin as another contentious special session looms on Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for “school choice.” Full Story
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![Speaker of the House Dade Phelan gavels the House into session on the first day of the second special session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 28, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
New school safety laws seek to add armed guards, chaplains and mental health training. Here’s what you need to know.
Experts say many of the changes will bolster school safety but some requirements may be challenging for public schools to implement by the upcoming school year with limited funding and staffing constraints. Full Story
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![Austin Police Department officer Cory Ehrler monitors the entrance to Ridgetop Elementary School in Austin, Texas shortly after classes start on the Monday following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As the 83rd Legislature approaches, Texas lawmakers are considering making firearms more available to teachers and other school personnel. The Texas Tribune (Smith: School Security). Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa/The Texas Tribune -
Long-awaited $18 billion property tax-cut deal heads to Gov. Greg Abbott
House Democrats attempted to insert benefits for renters and more money for public education into the tax-cuts package in a series of floor amendments but were unsuccessful. Full Story
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![An Aerial image of a suburban neighborhood in San Marcos on October 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Harriet O’Neill, former GOP justice on Texas Supreme Court, joins impeachment prosecutors against Ken Paxton
After 18 years as a district and appellate judge, O’Neill returned to private practice in 2010. She called the case against Paxton “clear, compelling and decisive.” Full Story
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![Former Texas Supreme court Justice Harriet ONeill in a 2010 interview with The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Justin Dehn/The Texas Tribune -
Professors sue Texas over TikTok ban, signaling First Amendment fight
The professors said the ban immediately halted research projects into TikTok and derailed their plans to lead classes discussing the social media app’s benefits and risks. Full Story
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![The TikTok logo outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, on Sept. 15, 2020.]()
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Texas agency renounces workplace training that mentioned gender identity definitions
The Texas Department of Agriculture’s elected leader, Sid Miller, has fought protections for trans workers. Full Story
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![Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller speaks to a crowd gathered in front of the Governor’s Mansion to protest statewide business closures and mask mandates, on Oct. 10, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Lawsuit seeks to block Texas from banning gender transition-related care for children
The families argue the new law, which goes into effect Sept. 1, violates their parental rights by stopping them from providing medical care for their children and discriminates against transgender teens. Full Story
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![People gathered on the stairs across from the House floor to protest against SB 14, which seeks to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth, before it is heard for debate in the House at the state Capitol in Austin on May 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
A Comal County ranch owner ponders selling his land, setting off another clash between property rights and environmental concerns
When the owner applied for a state permit that could pave the way for a subdivision, neighbors and environmentalists rallied against it in the name of protecting the area’s rivers and the Edwards Aquifer. Full Story
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![A car drives by Doug Harrison’s property in Comal County nearly halfway between New Braunfels and Bulverde, on June 16, 2023. Harrison’s application for a wastewater treatment plant on his 500-plus-acre plot of land in Comal County stirred controversy as residents have raised environmental concerns.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott raised $15 million in 12-day window after regular legislative session
The governor, whose term ends in 2026, closed June with $23 million in his campaign fund. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott answers questions from the press after signing eight bills during a public safety bill signing session at the state Capitol in Austin on June 6, 2023.]()
Credit: Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott sends more state police to patrol Austin after city leaders call for end to partnership
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson had said that troopers pulling a gun on a 10-year-old prompted the end of the agreement. A video of that encounter shows troopers with guns pointed at the ground, not the child. Full Story
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![Increased presence of DPS at the state Capitol after a suspicious package was reported in Austin on Oct. 30, 2018.]()
Credit: John Jordan/The Texas Tribune -
Property tax cuts hit the fast track as Texas Senate advances long-awaited agreement
The package could land on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk by the end of the week. Voters must pass the plan in a constitutional election in November for it to take effect in the 2023 tax year. Full Story
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![Construction in the Teravista neighborhood in Georgetown on May 18, 2016.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott taps longtime aide Angela Colmenero as interim attorney general
Governor’s deputy chief of staff replaces John Scott as agency leader while suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton awaits his September impeachment trial. Full Story
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![Angela Colmenero has been named by Gov. Greg Abbott interim attorney general for the state of Texas. She replaces John Scott, who served as first interim attorney general after Ken Paxton was suspended pending his Senate impeachment trial.]()
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Texas House and Senate reach a deal on how to cut property taxes
The deal would channel $12 billion to reduce the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. The legislation is expected to pass later this week. Full Story
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![A roofing crew begins to shingle a home under construction in the new Pavilion Park housing development on March 14, 2022 in north Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune