With the Biden Administration preparing to celebrate their first 100 days, one common theme is emerging: a persistent legal foe in the form of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The embattled AG, currently under investigation by the FBI for abuse of office and...
Policy
back to archiveA brief history of MS-13
MS-13 has been called the most dangerous gang in the world. The gang’s shocking violence and satanic influences have earned it a high level of notoriety and it’s a favorite talking point for Republicans seeking to justify stricter immigration policies, especially...
Bill criminalizing homelessness gets sent back to committee
On Monday, a Texas House bill that would have prohibited camping in public places — effectively criminalizing homelessness — was knocked back down to committee. HB 1925 was bumped back to the House State Affairs Committee shortly after Rep. Joe Deshotel...
Census results officially announce Texas to gain two congressional seats
This afternoon the United States Census Bureau debuted the first results from the 2020 census, officially announcing that Texas is gaining two congressional seats. The announcement, long delayed due to both decisions from the Trump administration and the COVID-19...
Austin’s ballot initiatives could revolutionize progressive politics across Texas
Over the past several months, Republican-controlled state legislatures have levied an onslaught of voter suppression efforts in response to 2020’s record-breaking turnout across the country. While Georgia has rightfully received the lion’s share of criticism from...
Texas House passes preliminary $246.8 billion state budget
After 175 amendments and more than 10 hours of debate on Thursday, Texas House lawmakers unanimously passed a preliminary $246.8 billion state budget for the next biennium. The approved budget bill will now return to the Senate, and then to a conference committee...
Texas could lead a geothermal energy boom
When people think of renewable energy they usually think of wind and solar power. In spite of its association with fossil fuels, Texas is already a leader in wind with more installed capacity than any other state by far. Yet there are several other forms of renewable...
A new sense of urgency for Texas to expand Medicaid
Texas is one of just twelve states that has not expanded Medicaid. Now, the question of whether or not the state will expand Medicaid has gotten more urgent with the repeal of a Trump-era waiver. According to a document seen by the Washington Post, the Biden...
How Texas taxes sustain inequality
On Thursday, policy experts with the left-leaning think tank Every Texan (formerly the Center for Public Policy Priorities) held a panel discussion over Texas, taxes, and social justice. The discussion was moderated by the Signal’s very own David Lee and joined by...