House Passes Weakened Campus Carry Bill
Facing a midnight deadline, the Texas House managed to pass a version of legislation allowing concealed handguns on university campuses that differs greatly from a version approved by the Senate. Full Story
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Morgan Smith
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Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
Past Contributions
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House to Take Up Campus Carry Ahead of Deadline
Supporters of campus carry will be fighting against the clock on Tuesday when the Texas House takes up previously delayed legislation requiring public universities and colleges to allow concealed handguns on their campuses. Full Story
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After Another Gun Fight, Open Carry Passes Senate
Legislation moving Texas closer to allowing open carry of handguns finally cleared the state Senate late Friday evening after the chamber was thrown into hours of tense debate over a controversial amendment limiting the power of police to stop people visibly carrying guns. Full Story
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Open Carry Debate Knocks Senate Off the Rails
Final Senate passage of open carry legislation was expected to be routine, until Sen. Don Huffines offered an amendment that triggered fierce debate and temporarily postponed the bill. Full Story
![Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita, Falls, center, and Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, speak to Karina Davis the Senate Parliamentarian on March 16th, 2015]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Crunch Time Near for Major Education Bills
The 84th Legislature started with ambitious plans for reforming public education. Now it's make-or-break time for many of the major initiatives still alive. Here's a roundup of where things stand. Full Story
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Campus Carry Faces Last Hurdle in Legislature
With less than two weeks left in the legislative session, the Texas House is all that is keeping a stalled measure requiring public universities and colleges to allow concealed handguns on their campuses from reaching the governor's desk. Full Story
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After Waco Shootout, Lawmakers Continue Open Carry Push
The day after a deadly confrontation between rival biker gangs in Waco, top Texas lawmakers defended a proposal to loosen the state's handgun laws. Full Story
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Pearson Loses Bulk of Texas Testing Contract
For the first time in three decades, a new company will develop and administer the state-required exams Texas students begin taking in the third grade. Full Story
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Texas House Approves A-F School Ratings
After a heated late-night debate, a controversial plan to start assigning public schools A-through-F grades cleared the Texas House on Thursday. Full Story
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Head of GSD&M Urges Opposition to Gay Marriage Bill
The big question in the House on Thursday was whether the midnight deadline would strike before Republicans could bring up a controversial gay marriage bill. Full Story
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![Sarah Goodfriend, second from left, and Suzanne Bryant, center, with their daughters (far left and far right) and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, second from right. DeBeauvoir issued Goodfriend and Bryant a marriage license on Feb. 19, 2015.]()
Credit: Joe Deshotel