Four Texas House Republicans censured for campaigning against incumbents
The censured members said they had been punished for campaigning against โliberal incumbentsโ alongside statewide elected officials like Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Texasโ Republican old guard mobilizes to protect Dade Phelan from the far right
Phelanโs primary has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Partyโs business-minded establishment against an insurgency primarily motivated by social and cultural issues.
We ranked Texas House members along the ideological spectrum based on their 2023 votes
Hereโs a look at House members, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on their votes cast during the 2023 regular session and four special sessions.
Dan Patrick says PAC leaderโs meeting with white supremacist was a โblunder,โ but will keep groupโs $3 million contribution
Two other Republican lawmakers are giving away donations after Nick Fuentes was seen visiting the office building associated with Defend Texas Liberty PAC President Jonathan Stickland. The meeting has roiled the party, leading to many Republicans calling on their peers to return money from the PAC.
Rep. John Smithee emerges as House hero among Paxton supporters, floated for speaker
On the day the House impeached Ken Paxton, Smithee delivered a 20 minute speech, criticizing the impeachment process as opaque, rushed and unfair to the accused.
Proposed ban on corporal punishment in Texas schools fails again
Texas public schools can allow corporal punishment, which includes hitting, spanking, paddling or deliberately inflicting physical pain to discipline students.
โPugilist Patrick on full displayโ: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick takes aim at two Republicans who crossed him
Patrick has made no qualms in the past about bending arms or using public pressure to get other state officials โ including Gov. Greg Abbott โ to go along with his plans.
Two Texas bills would restrict lessons about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools
The legislation closely mirrors a Florida bill passed last year, dubbed by critics as the โDonโt Say Gayโ law, which detractors say would further isolate LGBTQ students and open teachers and school districts to legal risks.
โI want to fightโ: LGBTQ Texans ready for legislative session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills
Republicans are backing legislation targeting gender-affirming care for children, classroom lessons about sexuality and drag shows.
Texas Republicans say if Roe falls, theyโll focus on adoptions and preventing women from seeking abortions elsewhere
State leaders say expanding a social safety net for children and prosecuting abortion funders are among their priorities. โWeโll continue to do our best to make abortion not just outlawed, but unthinkable,โ said state Rep. Briscoe Cain.
![โI wanted to teach differently than I had been taughtโ: How some Texas educators practice anti-racist teaching](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/aqdNiHJTMdNUqECECF2J-gVes7k=/800x536/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/H2HIX2BT3ZD6HO2LRWAY2U43LE.jpg)
โI wanted to teach differently than I had been taughtโ: How some Texas educators practice anti-racist teaching
Conservative lawmakers denounce critical race theory and say it facilitates racism. Some teachers say it actually informs their efforts to counter racism in the curriculum and classroom, even though they don't teach it directly to students.
![Texasโ controversial new social studies law prompts McKinney school officials to cancel Youth and Government class](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/oucVfdjdQXZinvphnFL1WE-c76s=/800x505/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YNDVUOIDD5BKLOWQLFENPNQYGM.jpg)
Texasโ controversial new social studies law prompts McKinney school officials to cancel Youth and Government class
One of the Republican authors of the so-called critical race theory bill said the district is misinterpreting the new lawโs ban on political activism. A school official called the language โvague.โ
![Texas teachers say GOPโs new social studies law will hinder how an entire generation understands race, history and current events](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/FkBUcGCJd3eUHBLp3Mp9W8JC_dU=/800x536/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/LNLGBDTYINEAZC5MZDMSQ5NXQ4.png)
Texas teachers say GOPโs new social studies law will hinder how an entire generation understands race, history and current events
Educators who spoke to The Texas Tribune overwhelmingly denounced the new social studies law going into effect Sept. 1. These are the provisions they say could cause problems for them โ and Texas students.
![Martin Luther King Jr.โs son says Texas Republicans are misrepresenting his fatherโs words in effort to whitewash history](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/MoTul0OFphlgbXOGGFMwninRg5c=/800x536/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HUEJRY2S6ZHJJEHQJ56MXQO42Y.jpg)
Martin Luther King Jr.โs son says Texas Republicans are misrepresenting his fatherโs words in effort to whitewash history
Republican Texas lawmakers have justified their efforts to limit how racism and current events are taught in school by saying that critical race theory judges people by the color of their skin. Martin Luther King III and experts disagree.
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Texas Senate bill seeks to strip required lessons on people of color and women from โcritical race theoryโ law
The bill would also remove a requirement to teach that white supremacy is "morally wrong." One Democratic lawmaker said the billโs attempts could lead to a โfrightening dystopian future.โ
![Texas bill to ban the teaching of โcritical race theoryโ spiked at the last minute on a technicality](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/yHVkB8yWX8PWRsY_uYWltDIKFT8=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65):fill(FFF)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6G5RSR642VCKHLJALMR4XZB7XE.jpg)
Texas bill to ban the teaching of โcritical race theoryโ spiked at the last minute on a technicality
Texas educators worried the bill would have a chilling effect on tough conversations about race and racism. GOP lawmakers said they wanted to ensure teachers' personal biases stay out of their lessons
![Texas public schools couldnโt require critical race theory lessons under bill given initial House approval](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/bI8J1od6FzmWAV3dOlxBGcFLhiQ=/800x536/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HRFPKQXQJZAIRFCWWRTBOEYUBE.jpg)
Texas public schools couldnโt require critical race theory lessons under bill given initial House approval
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![Analysis: Coronavirus splits Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his own party](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/6CPAFx06XPt4Ng_bNUEV1-mKTXA=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XFNTAVSKEJB4LI5H4NTSLSSB7Q.jpg)
Analysis: Coronavirus splits Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his own party
Whatโs unusual is to see so many prominent Republican names on the top of a lawsuit against the Republican governor of Texas this close to an election. Whatโs happening in Texas illustrates how the pandemic, the economy and other issues have shaken political norms. State Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, has disowned Abbott, saying he can no longer follow the GOPโs leading state official. In a normal presidential election year, a Texas governor who isnโt on the ballot would be leading the partisan charge, helping lesser and greater figures rally their voters in the state. Abbott isnโt ignoring the political fights of the season.
![Conservative state Rep. Steve Toth withdraws support for Gov. Greg Abbott over coronavirus response](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/qrT9UCGSoPCxU1JmDiWiJAMbGss=/1200x803/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YPDXZOXWBNDEFDBFSF3EZGMPLE.jpg)
Conservative state Rep. Steve Toth withdraws support for Gov. Greg Abbott over coronavirus response
Greg Abbott meets with local El Paso leaders to discuss the coronavirus situation for the city and state on Aug. 13, 2020, in El Paso. Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The TexaState Rep. Steve Toth, a Republican from The Woodlands, has withdrawn his support of Gov. Greg Abbott, arguing the GOP leader has "betrayed the trust of conservative Texans" over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. "What has become clear that you have no plan for how and when to end this nightmare," Toth wrote. "Stop using polling data to shape your response instead of using the ample downwared data on hospitalizations and new infections."