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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.
Federal officials called the state's health agency this week to say that Texas' reluctance to expand Medicaid will play into whether the Obama administration extends a waiver that helps the state's hospitals cover uninsured patients. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Wednesday tentatively approved a measure to partially consolidate the state’s massive health and human services system. Full Story
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The Austin State Supported Living Center will be the first closed, but more are to come as the state continues moving away from residential centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Full Story
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Two proposed constitutional amendments designed to safeguard religious liberty would "devastate" economic development and set Texas on the ill-fated path Indiana just traveled, a leading business group said Tuesday. Full Story
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Two reports have criticized Health Commissioner Kyle Janek’s leadership. Three state lawmakers have called for his resignation. And a contract awarded to a vendor on his watch is under investigation. What's a new governor to do? Full Story
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A set of bills from conservative lawmakers would make it illegal for people to use the bathroom other than the one designated for their gender assigned at birth. Members of the transgender community say the legislation specifically targets them and even places a bounty on their heads. Full Story
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As the Texas House prepares for a floor fight Tuesday over its budget, a flurry of amendments filed by Democrats seeks to defund the state's Alternatives to Abortion program. Full Story
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In the wake of three child deaths under the state’s ward so far this year, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday told the Department of Family and Protective Services to straighten up and fly right. Full Story
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Texas Republicans have long used the Affordable Care Act as a political punching bag, but that hasn’t stopped state budget writers from taking $102 million from the president's signature health care law to pay some bills. Full Story
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Policymakers must decide whether to spend more money on small hospitals serving a limited number of patients that, in most cases, cannot keep their doors open without government assistance. But without them people, inevitably, will die. Full Story
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