The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District trustees unanimously voted to send a request to Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session on gun violence. The school board wants the governor and legislatures to pass a bill to change the legal age to buy...
Texas Legislature
back to archiveTexas Senate Hearings on Uvalde End With Little Talk of Guns
The Texas Senate committee formed after the Uvalde mass shooting held its first public hearings this week. For anyone hoping something substantial will be done before the start of the school year in August, none of it instilled confidence. Tuesday’s 12-hour hearing...
As Governor Calls for Another Committee, Lawmakers Urge Special Session
Following the mass shooting in Uvalde, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday called for the formation of “special legislative committees” to examine and develop legislative recommendations on school safety, mental health, police training and firearm safety. The committees...
Republicans Are Clamoring for A Fourth Special Session
For Republicans in Texas, three special legislative sessions were apparently not enough. And now a growing number of Republican lawmakers are letting Greg Abbott know that they want a fourth session to officially ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates. At least two dozen...
Outspoken Republican Lyle Larson says he’s leaving Texas House
Throughout 2021, State Rep. Lyle Larson has done what he does best: Speak his mind. Known for bucking the Texas GOP’s top brass throughout the past several years, the San Antonio Republican was easily the harshest intraparty critic of Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration...
How Texas got its Progressive Caucus
It was no coincidence the Texas Progressive Caucus formed days after a string of Democrats suddenly returned to Austin to restore quorum in the House. Although a press release announcing its formation made no mention of quorum, its founding members remained in...
More than 600 new Texas laws take effect tomorrow. These are the most important ones to know.
The Texas Legislature may be back for its second special session, but hundreds of new Texas laws — 666, to be exact — will go into effect tomorrow. Many of the new statutes focus on somewhat frivolous topics, like allowing beer and wine sales on Sundays. However, the...
Op-Ed: Reflections of a Quorum Breaker
I’m a proud quorum breaker. By leaving Texas, my 56 Democratic colleagues and I shined a national spotlight on Greg Abbott’s voter suppression bill and pushed Congress closer to passing a new federal voting rights act to override it. We did it by staying focused,...
With few concessions to Democrats, Texas House advances voter suppression bill
Congregating at midnight much like vampires would, Texas House Republicans voted Monday to advance Senate Bill 1, a bill that threatens to reduce polling hours and make it more difficult to vote by mail. Republicans are pushing the legislation as a solution to...