Politics & Policy
December 7, 2023
The “Longhorn Football Mom” Who Made the Lege Pay Attention
When Jena Ehlinger’s son Jake died of fentanyl poisoning, she was driven to find some meaning in her pain.
Texas Legislature
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Politics & Policy
December 7, 2023
The Greatest Sideshow on Earth: Behind the Scenes of Ken Paxton’s Acquittal
The impeachment trial of Ken Paxton delivered a steady stream of tantalizing entertainment. But the most consequential moments played out when few were watching.
Politics & Policy
November 22, 2023
Why Are So Many of Our Reps Quitting Congress?
Some seem tired of working in a place where so little gets done.
Politics & Policy
November 6, 2023
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry GOP
For a long time, Texas Republican chairman Matt Rinaldi couldn’t win elections. Now he wants to decide them—by exacting revenge on opponents within his party.
Being Texan
November 3, 2023
Texans Should Embrace the Time Change. It’s One of Few Seasonal Markers We Have.
In lieu of fall foliage and chilly weather, at least we get to turn back the clocks.
Border & Immigration
October 27, 2023
The Immigration Debate at the Texas Legislature Has Devolved
In the latest showdown over immigration restrictions, Texas representatives got into a heated confrontation on the floor.
Politics & Policy
October 20, 2023
The Texas Legislature Keeps Trying to Ban Vaccine Mandates for Private Businesses. This Time It Might Actually Be Successful.
Republicans need a win after a summer of infighting. But party leaders are ignoring several potential consequences in moving hastily on this issue.
Politics & Policy
October 16, 2023
What’s Behind the Fact-Challenged Freak-out Over Colony Ridge?
The Houston exurb offers cheap land to hardworking families. But some in the GOP see the benefit in demonizing the migrants who’ve moved there.
Politics & Policy
October 4, 2023
Greg Abbott Failed to Persuade Lawmakers on School Vouchers. Now He’s Threatening Them.
Ahead of a special legislative session, the governor has implied there will be political consequences for those who get in his way.
Politics & Policy
September 22, 2023
Winners and Losers in the Ken Paxton Impeachment Saga
The attorney general’s acquittal affects an upcoming legislative session on school vouchers—and the civil war within the Texas GOP.
Politics & Policy
September 7, 2023
Here’s What Happened on Day Three of the Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial
Through anger, calm, and even some tears, former aides testified about the attorney general's alleged corruption.
Politics & Policy
September 6, 2023
Waiting in Line for Ken Paxton
Before sunrise, journalists and eager onlookers gathered at the gates of the Capitol grounds, awaiting the start of the attorney general's historic impeachment trial.
Politics & Policy
September 6, 2023
What We Learned on Day Two of the Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial
We heard testimony on Paxton's affair and watched the defense make one of the prosecution's key witnesses squirm.
Politics & Policy
September 5, 2023
Highlights From the First Day of the Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial
The Texas Senate did not dismiss any charges, Paxton will not have to testify, and more we learned from day one.
Politics & Policy
September 1, 2023
Republican and Democratic Cities Band Together to Blow Up the Death Star Bill
HB 2127, which strips municipalities of regulatory authority, was intended to target liberal cities. So why are conservative mayors so upset?
Politics & Policy
August 31, 2023
Your Cheat Sheet for Ken Paxton’s Impeachment Trial
Everything you need to know about the alleged adultery, bribery, and abuse of office. Plus: Big-time lawyers! Billionaire donors! And burner phones!
Politics & Policy
August 30, 2023
Big News: According to a New Documentary, the Texas House Is Secretly Run by Democrats!
The film by right-wing activist Michael Quinn Sullivan is a warning to Republicans who might vote for Ken Paxton's impeachment.
Politics & Policy
August 9, 2023
Where Do Texas Abortion Laws Stand Now?
A state district court judge narrowed Texas’s abortion ban, but the state’s appeal complicates access to the procedure.
Politics & Policy
August 3, 2023
Ken Paxton Managed to Delay His Trial on Securities Fraud Charges for Eight Years. Now It’s Coming Home to Roost.
The state Senate’s vote on Paxton’s impeachment will proceed independently from his criminal case. But the outcomes are interlinked.
Politics & Policy
July 28, 2023
Texas Is Quietly Leading the Way on Limiting Child Protective Services Overreach
Policy changes aimed at reducing the number of children who end up in foster care—many championed by progressives in blue states—are being passed by Republicans in Texas.
Politics & Policy
July 24, 2023
“I Don’t Want to Live in This State of Terror Anymore”: Some Families With Trans Children Are Leaving Texas
After Governor Greg Abbott signed a law blocking gender-affirming care for minors, some have fled the state. Others have no choice but to stay.
Politics & Policy
July 11, 2023
Could Texas Really Eliminate Property Taxes?
The Legislature took a big step Monday, but further efforts could come with great costs: a sky-high sales tax, decimated public schools, and defunding the police.
Politics & Policy
July 6, 2023
How to Lose Friends and Alienate the Legislature
The governor has long suffered from the reputation that he’s a policy lightweight. He’s turning it around this year in five easy steps.
Politics & Policy
July 5, 2023
This Democrat Is Back in the Texas Lege After 40 Years. He Can’t Believe How Bad Things Are.
On property taxes, school funding, and more, “Democrats are not even in the conversation,” Dallas representative John Bryant says.
Politics & Policy
June 20, 2023
In the Ken Paxton Impeachment Trial, GOP Megadonors Are Free to Tamper With the Jury
As celebrity lawyers feud in the press, Republican groups have launched an influence campaign in the Texas Senate.
Best and Worst Legislators
June 13, 2023
2023: The Best and Worst Legislators
Our scorecard of the Eighty-eighth Texas Legislature’s noisy scoundrels and quiet heroes.
News & Politics
June 2, 2023
Paxton’s Impeachment Is Not a Referendum on Trump
Texas Republicans have been in the midst of a cold war with one another for much of the 2023 session. The impeachment vote simply caused it to heat up.
Politics & Policy
May 27, 2023
The Texas House Has Voted to Impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton
The state’s top attorney will be suspended from duties, pending a trial in the Texas Senate.
Politics & Policy
May 26, 2023
The Texas Legislature Finally Comes for Ken Paxton
The Texas House has voted to impeach the attorney general. After nearly eight years under indictment—during which he won two elections—why now?
Politics & Policy
May 24, 2023
Is Ken Paxton Finally in Real Trouble?
The attorney general, under indictment since 2015, now faces potential impeachment from the Texas House.
Energy
May 22, 2023
How a Powerful Texas Lawmaker and His Family Made Half a Million for a Few Phone Calls
Depositions in a recent lawsuit reveal that state rep Tom Craddick, his wife and son, and his daughter, Christi, who leads Texas’s oil and gas regulating agency, profit from industry deals not available to just anyone.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2023
How an Airbnb Party House Near Austin Became a Legislative Priority for a West Texas Politician
Rarely are special-interest bills in the Texas Lege quite so special as in Brooks Landgraf’s bill targeting the tiny town of Volente.
Politics & Policy
May 15, 2023
Do Texas Democrats Have Stockholm Syndrome?
An unusual number of lawmakers have crossed the aisle to support Republican bills this year. Party operatives are furious.
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2023
The Texas House Voted to Advance Sports Gambling. It’s Still Unlikely to Become Law.
Legal sports gambling in the state still faces a long and complicated path that would require a constitutional amendment.
Politics & Policy
May 11, 2023
Since the Lege Has Been in Session, There’ve Been Eighteen Mass Shootings in Texas
The gun bills most likely to pass aren’t restrictions but those that further protect firearm ownership.
Health
May 11, 2023
Texas Refuses to Expand Medicaid. Here’s What We’re Missing Out On.
These benefits could be ours, if the Lege would just help insure a million more Texans.
Politics & Policy
May 5, 2023
Does a “Family Values” Agenda Include Keeping New Moms Healthy?
Progressive faith leaders and women’s health advocates are adopting the messaging to push for a 12-month Medicaid extension for postpartum care.
Business
April 14, 2023
Buying a Home in Texas Often Requires Outbidding Big-Money Investors
A pair of bills at the Lege seek to help Texans compete for real estate against these deep-pocketed companies.
Politics & Policy
April 13, 2023
Texas Cattlemen Have Taken Their Beef With Cell-Cultured Meat to the Lege
Scientists have figured out how to grow meat in a lab. Cattle farmers insist it’s not the real thing.
Politics & Policy
April 6, 2023
What Does a Legislative Troll Look Like, and What Happens When He’s Absent?
Update: An ethics complaint against Representative Bryan Slaton, who skipped the session’s most consequential debate, has been filed alleging an “inappropriate relationship.”
Politics & Policy
March 30, 2023
How Texas Drag Queen Brigitte Bandit Exposed the Absurdity of Proposals to Criminalize Drag Performers and Shows
This week, the Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs advanced two bills that would criminalize many drag performances. The bills, both filed by Republican Bryan Hughes of Mineola, take aim at men or women who use “clothing, makeup, or other similar physical markers” to “exhibit” as
Politics & Policy
March 28, 2023
Texas’s Tampon Tax Has Contributed to Widespread Period Poverty. Is the Lege Finally Ready to Repeal It?
Menstrual products are subject to a sales tax, and Democrat Donna Howard has tried to change that since 2017. With support from powerful Republicans, this could be the year.
Politics & Policy
March 23, 2023
Fearing That State Leaders Want Them “Eradicated,” Some Transgender Texans Embrace Firearms
As lawmakers consider bills targeting their livelihoods, queer Texans say more members of their community intend to defend themselves.
Politics & Policy
March 22, 2023
Loathsome Dud: Jared Patterson’s School-Library Bill Would Ban Larry McMurtry’s Novel
The lawmaker from Frisco has rallied right-wingers by promising to remove “sexually explicit” books from shelves. But he may lose them by targeting a beloved Texan classic.
Politics & Policy
March 22, 2023
Texas Jails Are Crowded, Understaffed, and Dangerous. The Legislature Is Poised to Send Them More Inmates.
Two bipartisan bills would make it easier for judges to incarcerate defendants before trial. Criminologists say that’s bad for public safety.
Politics & Policy
March 21, 2023
A Republican Lawmaker Wants (Certain) Texans to Have a Lot More Babies
Taking a cue from authoritarian leaders, state representative Bryan Slaton has proposed property tax relief for some large families. White, straight, property-owning couples would be the primary beneficiaries.
Politics & Policy
March 16, 2023
Preaching to the Choir: Greg Abbott Tours Private Christian Schools (Exclusively) to Make the Case for Vouchers
The governor has promoted “school choice” at seven religious academies around the state. Why there?
Politics & Policy
March 15, 2023
Texas Lege Watch: A GOP Bill Would Put Greg Abbott in Charge of Houston Flood Control. What Could Go Wrong?
Senator Paul Bettencourt’s proposal would hand the Harris County Flood Control District over to unelected bureaucrats appointed by the governor.
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2023
How Dan Patrick Made the Texas Senate in His Image
The lieutenant governor has consolidated power in the Legislature and exercises near-total control of his chamber. Will anyone challenge him?
Politics & Policy
March 14, 2023
The Craddicks’ Gushers of Cash: How a Powerful Texas Lawmaker and a Key Regulator Profit From the Industry They Oversee
Former House Speaker Tom Craddick and his family—including his daughter, Railroad Commission chairman Christi Craddick—earned about $10 million last year from oil and gas rights.