Straus on Abbott, bathroom bill: "I never give up on anyone"
Asked if he had given up hope that Gov. Greg Abbott would weigh in on the so-called "bathroom bill," House Speaker Joe Straus responded: “I never give up on anyone.” Full Story
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Edgar Walters
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Edgar Walters worked at the Tribune from 2013 to 2020, most recently covering health and human services. Before that, he had a political reporting fellowship with the Berliner Zeitung, a daily newspaper in Berlin. He is a graduate of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked as an editor for The Daily Texan. When not in the newsroom or at the Capitol, he could be found on the volleyball court, standing 6 feet, 7 inches tall.
Past Contributions
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![Rep. Joe Straus makes remarks after being being sworn in for his fifth term as speaker of the Texas House on Jan. 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House proposes using $1.4 billion from state savings account for health and human services
The proposal from state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, would pay down bills coming due for several of the state's health and human services programs. Full Story
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![State Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, answers questions regarding a lean Texas budget with an appearance at a Texas Tribune event on Feb. 23, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
With money tight, will Texas leaders use the state’s savings account?
Facing a shortage of cash, will Texas lawmakers tap the $10 billion piggybank known as the Rainy Day Fund? Full Story
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Citing sex-trafficking series, Texas Dem urges Paxton to stop fighting foster care suit
“If there was ever a call to action for state officials to get serious about reforming foster care, this was it,” state Rep. Chris Turner said about problems plaguing the child welfare agency. Full Story
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![State Rep. Chris Turner, left, on the House floor during a budget debate on March 31, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas leaders won't commit to more resources for sex-trafficking victims
The state’s top leaders have remained silent on whether they'll provide more resources for sex-trafficking victims — or more funding for the crippled child welfare system that’s supposed to protect vulnerable kids. Full Story
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Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Solutions: What Texas can do to help child sex-trafficking victims
Over the past week, we’ve exposed how Texas leaders who crusade against sex trafficking have done almost nothing to help child trafficking victims. We asked those closest to the issue how they would begin addressing the problem. Here's what they said. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Rep. Senfronia Thompson D-Houston and Sen. Joan Huffman R-Houston during a press conference on Jan 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
When it comes to helping sex-trafficking victims, success is elusive
How do you help sex trafficking victims like Sarah who’ve learned that the way to survive is to flee? Full Story
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![People who care for sex-trafficking victims have a common refrain: It's not if they'll run away, but when.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
FBI, IRS agents raid state Sen. Carlos Uresti's law offices
FBI and IRS agents raided the law offices of Texas Sen. Carlos Uresti on Thursday morning, confiscating documents and other items. Full Story
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![Law enforcement officers from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raid the San Antonio office of state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, on Feb. 16, 2017.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
She was a sex-trafficking victim, but Texas law labeled her a pimp
Laws the state uses to put sex traffickers behind bars can sweep up their prey, too. A few years in age can mean the difference between a chance at rehabilitation and a lengthy prison sentence, as Yvette learned. Full Story
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![Yvette, 24, was convicted of trafficking a 16-year-old girl in 2015. She is serving a 23-year sentence at a prison in Gatesville, Texas.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas couldn’t help this sex-trafficked teen, so authorities sent her to jail
No one wanted Lena behind bars. She was not a prostitute; she was a child who had been sexually exploited. But teenage sex-trafficking victims in Texas end up in jail for one simple reason: There's nowhere else for them to go. Full Story
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![17-year-old Lena waits to be released from the Harris County Jail, with a small bag of her possessions. Her mentor gave her a blue jumpsuit to wear over her skimpy clothes.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune