End Citizens United/Let America Vote, a major Democratic PAC focused on anti-corruption and voting rights, is endorsing Jessica Cisneros in her race for Texas' 28th Congressional District. “Jessica Cisneros is a champion when it comes to getting big money out of...
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Texas teacher pay ‘virtually stagnant’ for last decade, report finds
A new report by the Texas American Federation of Teachers union and the nonprofit think tank Every Texan shows a “lost decade” in teacher pay. Between the 2009-10 school year and 2020-21 school year, average teacher wages declined by four percent, according to the new...
State Rep. Erin Gamez on serving Brownsville
Brownsville attorney Erin Gamez is the latest Democratic lawmaker to be sworn into the Texas House. Gamez won her seat in a special election primary after State Rep. Eddie Lucio III stepped down in January. Since no Republican filed to run, Gamez automatically...
Accelerator helps democracy-focused nonprofits find their footing (and funding)
Valerie Reiffert regretted missing the first protest in San Antonio that sprang up the weekend after the police murder of George Flloyd in 2020. She stayed home, worried that counter protestors might endanger the safety of her two-year-old child. But when...
Internal poll shows tied race for Harris County Commissioner primary runoff
A recent survey of 300 Democratic primary voters in Harris County Precinct 4 show a close race between commissioner candidates Lesley Briones and Ben Chou. That’s according to an internal poll shared with the Signal showing Briones with 34 percent of the vote,...
Frontera Fund promises statewide effort against criminalization of pregnancy outcomes
Frontera Fund, an abortion fund that helped free Lizelle Herrera in Starr County, held a press conference on Wednesday promising a statewide effort and potential legal action against authorities that criminalize the outcome of a pregnancy. Herrera, 26, was arrested...
What the arrest in Starr County means for abortion access in the RGV
The Signal recently spoke with Nancy Cardenas Pena, Texas state director for policy and advocacy for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, one of the three abortion justice groups that helped free Lizelle Herrera in Starr County. Herrera, 26,...
Texas environmentalists talk latest troubles and strategies
This week, activists and allies with the Texas Campaign for the Environment held their annual meeting, updating members on strategy and the ongoing work of climate crisis organizers. TEC Executive Director Robin Schneider spoke about the renewed push for crude oil,...
The expanded child tax credit helped millions of Texans before the plug was pulled
In January, the expanded child tax credit expired, ending monthly payments to parents across the nation. The direct payments began as part of the American Rescue Plan in July 2021. They expanded the existing child tax credit of $2,000 per child in 2020 to up to...
The anti-LGBTQ bill Dan Patrick wants to import from Florida
In a campaign email to supporters this week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick promised to recreate Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill during the next Texas legislative session. “I will make this law a top priority in the next session,” Patrick said of the 88th regular session, set to...