TEXAS NEWS

Texas students say K-12 DEI ban and other anti-LGBTQ+ bills threaten their safety, voice and mental health
Read full article: Texas students say K-12 DEI ban and other anti-LGBTQ+ bills threaten their safety, voice and mental healthStudents are concerned the legislation could silence supportive teachers, dismantle safe spaces, lead to overenforcement and prevent honest conversations about identity.

Texas lawmakers want to exempt police from deadly conduct charges
Read full article: Texas lawmakers want to exempt police from deadly conduct chargesLocal prosecutors have used the charge to punish police accused of misconduct. Legislation that would prevent that is advancing through the Legislature.

Can Texas lawmakers agree on how to spend billions to save the state's water supply?
Read full article: Can Texas lawmakers agree on how to spend billions to save the state's water supply?The Texas House took its first step toward revising a priority Senate bill last week. The changes were lauded by the state’s water community.

Experts cast doubt on state’s report that undocumented immigrants cost Texas hospitals $122M in a month
Read full article: Experts cast doubt on state’s report that undocumented immigrants cost Texas hospitals $122M in a monthPolicy experts say undocumented immigrants' cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans.

Texas universities say Trump administration restored immigration status of some international students
Read full article: Texas universities say Trump administration restored immigration status of some international studentsMore than 250 students in Texas had their status revoked in recent weeks. Despite the reversal, federal attorneys say they’re developing policies to resume terminations.

Texas House Republicans flex their might after Democrats threaten legislative priorities
Read full article: Texas House Republicans flex their might after Democrats threaten legislative prioritiesAfter Republicans and Democrats fight over the budget and constitutional amendments, GOP members stake out a new battlefield.

Requiring voters to prove citizenship spurs concern that eligible Texans won’t be able to cast ballots
Read full article: Requiring voters to prove citizenship spurs concern that eligible Texans won’t be able to cast ballotsDemocrats and other critics say Texas legislation threatens to keep citizens who can’t easily access the right documents from voting.

Texas lawmakers consider barring counties from mailing unsolicited voter registration forms
Read full article: Texas lawmakers consider barring counties from mailing unsolicited voter registration formsVoting rights advocates worry that legislation approved by House and Senate committees could make it harder to get more people on the rolls.

Immigration crackdown: Know your rights at the U.S. border and other ports of entry
Read full article: Immigration crackdown: Know your rights at the U.S. border and other ports of entryWhat immigrants and citizens should know about federal agents’ power to question and search people at airports and the border.

Texas lawmakers approve $1B private school voucher plan
Read full article: Texas lawmakers approve $1B private school voucher planTexas lawmakers on Thursday passed a $1 billion education bill that allows families to use public money to pay for private school tuition, a major victory for school voucher proponents nationwide that was cheered on by President Donald Trump.

Texas may officially recognize Gulf of America change after Senate gives first OK
Read full article: Texas may officially recognize Gulf of America change after Senate gives first OKSenate Bill 1717 would require the name of Gulf of Mexico to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication.

Texas school districts got their first A-F grades in five years. See how your school did here.
Read full article: Texas school districts got their first A-F grades in five years. See how your school did here.The Texas Education Agency released the 2022-23 school year ratings on Thursday after a 19-month legal battle over how those ratings are calculated.

1 in 5 Texas schools got a D or F rating under new performance standards
Read full article: 1 in 5 Texas schools got a D or F rating under new performance standardsFailing grades for districts were made public for the first time since 2019. They showed schools with the poorest students were more likely to get a low score.

Bill to create dementia research institute approved in House, but could face $3 billion funding hurdle
Read full article: Bill to create dementia research institute approved in House, but could face $3 billion funding hurdleSome Republicans have bristled at the hefty cost of the bill, and Democrats could reject the funding for it over the school voucher dispute.

Abbott signs first bill of session into law, creating a Texas DOGE
Read full article: Abbott signs first bill of session into law, creating a Texas DOGEThe first bill to reach Abbott’s desk this session creates a regulation-cutting state agency under the purview of the governor. It was passed with bipartisan supermajorities.

School districts stay quiet as lawmakers push to limit when they can sue the state
Read full article: School districts stay quiet as lawmakers push to limit when they can sue the stateSchool leaders have privately criticized a bill that would make it harder to contest their performance ratings in court. But they did not testify against it to avoid lawmakers’ ire.

Texas may study the impact of immigration again, but focus only on costs
Read full article: Texas may study the impact of immigration again, but focus only on costsThe only time the state conducted such an assessment two decades ago, it found that undocumented Texans contributed more to the state’s economy than they cost the state.

Amended bill clarifying Texas abortion laws receives Senate panel approval
Read full article: Amended bill clarifying Texas abortion laws receives Senate panel approvalThe revised bill, which seeks to clarify when a doctor can perform medically necessary abortions, aims to address concerns from abortion advocates and conservative groups.

Why Texas Republicans are trying to rein in high home prices and rents
Read full article: Why Texas Republicans are trying to rein in high home prices and rentsThere’s political urgency for Republicans to deal with housing affordability, especially as surveys find most Texans say housing costs are a top concern.

Early Texas hospital data shows millions spent in care for non-U.S. citizens
Read full article: Early Texas hospital data shows millions spent in care for non-U.S. citizensA state employee testified Monday that tens of thousands of people in the U.S. unlawfully were treated, but it was unclear how long the data had been collected.

Texas Lottery executive director resigns as lawmakers’ scrutiny mounts
Read full article: Texas Lottery executive director resigns as lawmakers’ scrutiny mountsThe Texas Lottery Commission did not immediately clarify why Ryan Mindell chose to resign, as lawmakers have discussed abolishing the lottery outright.

With the border quiet, Texas ponders spending another $6.5 billion on border security
Read full article: With the border quiet, Texas ponders spending another $6.5 billion on border securitySome are questioning whether lawmakers should commit billions more to border security with illegal crossings dwindling and a Trump immigration crackdown.

“It’s what’s best for a very select few”: Some Texans are skeptical about vouchers as they near the finish line
Read full article: “It’s what’s best for a very select few”: Some Texans are skeptical about vouchers as they near the finish lineTexas Republican lawmakers in regions known for support of public schools defended voting for vouchers, saying they gained leverage to seek concessions.

Court orders immigration officials to restore legal status of three people who came to Texas on student visas
Read full article: Court orders immigration officials to restore legal status of three people who came to Texas on student visasThe three former students went to UT-Arlington and UT-Dallas. While they have prevailed in court so far, many other international students’ education futures remain uncertain.

Dan Patrick endorses Texas House’s voucher plan, clearing path to final approval
Read full article: Dan Patrick endorses Texas House’s voucher plan, clearing path to final approvalThe lieutenant governor proposes that the Texas Senate adopt the House bill, which would eliminate a negotiation over the two versions and cement the victory for supporters.

Texas hemp farmers fear full THC ban would nip industry in the bud
Read full article: Texas hemp farmers fear full THC ban would nip industry in the budAs lawmakers work to close loopholes that allow minors access to cannabis consumables, hemp farmers warn a total THC ban would strangle a once-hailed crop.

In private school voucher push, Gov. Abbott breaks through by playing hardball
Read full article: In private school voucher push, Gov. Abbott breaks through by playing hardballAnti-voucher Republicans said they voted for the bill so they could fight to improve it, and also to fend off political retribution.

House Republicans refuse to pass ceremonial resolution honoring Cecile Richards
Read full article: House Republicans refuse to pass ceremonial resolution honoring Cecile RichardsNormally, memorial resolutions to honor Texans who have died are passed without controversy. But the resolution for Richards, a former president of Planned Parenthood who died this year, sparked a cascade of outrage from conservatives.

In historic first, Texas House approves private school voucher program
Read full article: In historic first, Texas House approves private school voucher programThe bill would let families use taxpayer dollars for their children’s private schooling. Lawmakers also signed off on a sweeping $7.7 billion package to boost public school funding.

UT-Rio Grande Valley students caught in nationwide sweep sue Homeland Security over immigration status
Read full article: UT-Rio Grande Valley students caught in nationwide sweep sue Homeland Security over immigration statusThe four students were involved in minor criminal cases that have been resolved, which they argue shouldn’t be used to justify ending their higher ed goals in Texas.

Texas bill increasing public school funding and teacher pay gets final House approval
Read full article: Texas bill increasing public school funding and teacher pay gets final House approvalThe lower chamber overwhelmingly voted in favor of House Bill 2, a sweeping $8 billion piece of legislation that would also limit schools’ reliance on teachers without formal classroom training.

Texas law students warn that bill to quash “terrorist activity” in universities could trample free speech rights
Read full article: Texas law students warn that bill to quash “terrorist activity” in universities could trample free speech rightsThe bill would require universities to report any visa-holding students who support terrorism, but its vague language could be dangerous, civil rights groups say.