A push to change a 2019 Texas law that bars certain felons from becoming social workers
Texas prohibits people with assault convictions, among other felonies, from becoming social workers. A new lawsuit says the ban is unconstitutional. Full Story
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![Tammy Thompson, left, and Katherin Youniacutt, right, pose for a portrait the night before filing a lawsuit against the state of Texas to try and reverse the 2019 law that prevents convicted felons from becoming licensed social workers.]()
Credit: Ilana Panich-Linsman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers target property taxes, abortion and gender transition care in first bills for the 2025 session
Tuesday marked the first day lawmakers could file bills for next year’s legislative session. Full Story
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![Members vote to approve an anti-voucher amendment brought by state rep. Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, during a marathon session on the House floor to approve HB-1 at the Capitol in Austin on April 06, 2023.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
Those enrolled in the federal program shielding them from deportation can enroll through Jan. 15, but a lawsuit and Trump’s anti-immigration stance threaten to eliminate eligibility. Full Story
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![Victoria Elizondo, a DACA recipient and chef-owner of Cochinita & Co., poses for a portrait at he restaurant on November 8, 2024, in Houston, Texas.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune -
A growing and aging population is forcing Texas counties to seek state EMS funding
Although Texas counties are not required to provide ambulance services, many are digging deep to pay for their own fleet or to contract out services. Full Story
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![The interior of a CareFlite ambulance vehicle outside the Johnson County County Commissioners office in Cleburne on November 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
How “wildly successful” anti-trans ads fired up Texas voters for Republicans
The barrage of ads focused on trans kids playing youth sports motivated the Republican base as Democrats struggled to respond. Full Story
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![People line the railing on all three levels of the outdoor rotunda of the state Capitol in Austin, and wave signs during the "Fight for our Lives" rally in opposition of anti-LGBTQ bills on March 27, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Amarillo voters reject abortion “travel ban,” a rare rebuke of anti-abortion movement in Texas
Tuesday’s vote was a rare chance for Texans to vote directly on abortion restrictions. The state already has a near-total abortion ban. Full Story
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![Opponents and proponents of Prop A stand on a street corner next to the Santa Fe Building in Amarillo during Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
Texas OB-GYNs urge lawmakers to change abortion laws after reports on pregnant women's deaths
The group of 111 doctors cited recent ProPublica reporting on two pregnant women who died because doctors did not provide lifesaving care. Full Story
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![Thousands of people walk in a pro-abortion protest march around downtown San Antonio on June 24, 2022.]()
Credit: Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribune -
A pregnant teen died after trying to get care in three visits to Texas ERs
It took 20 hours and three ER visits before doctors admitted the pregnant 18-year-old to the hospital as her condition worsened. She’s one of at least two women who died under Texas’ abortion ban. Full Story
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![Candace Fails poses for a portrait holding a picture of her late daughter, Nevaeh Crain, at her home in Vidor, Texas on October 24, 2024. Crain passed away on October 29, 2023 at 25 weeks of pregnancy due to preventable causes, including hemorrhaging, after seeking medical help at various hospitals.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for ProPublica -
Second Texas doctor sued for providing gender-affirming care to minors
These are the first cases under a law prohibiting doctors from providing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to help minors transition. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
A Texas woman died after the hospital said it would be a crime to intervene in her miscarriage
Josseli Barnica is one of at least two pregnant Texas women who died after doctors delayed emergency care. Full Story
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![Josseli Barnica and her daughter in 2020.]()
Credit: Courtesy of the Barnica family -
Board cancels costly psychologist licensing exam after pushback led by Texas
The national licensing board announced it will consider folding the proposed skills test into an existing exam amid worries the additional hurdle would discourage applicants. Full Story
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![The Association of State & Provincial Psychology Boards takes part in a discussion with the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists regarding the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology on Thursday, April 11, 2024, in Austin. Mariann Burnett-Atwell, PSY.D., Michelle Paul, PH.D., Jennifer Laforce, PH.D., Hao Song, PH.D., and Alex Siegel, J.D., PH.D. sat on the panel during the discussion.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Delta-8 hemp and Texas medical marijuana industries to face off in the upcoming legislative session
Medical marijuana providers say they must operate under strict rules while hemp products like delta-8 can proliferate. Full Story
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![The Texas Original cannabis farm on Sept. 26, 2024. The red light is an experimental form of growth where the light bleaches the flower of the plant.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Ken Paxton sues Dallas pediatrician over providing hormone treatments to teens
In the first test of Senate Bill 14, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused Dr. May Lau of providing testosterone to at least 21 teens. Full Story
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![A transgender flag sits on the desk of state Rep. Penny Morales Shaw, D-Houston, and Rep. Rhetta Andrews Bowers, D-Rowlett, during discussion of a Point of Order brought against SB 14, which seeks to ban puberty blockers and hormone therapies for transgender youth, on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on May 12, 2023.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?
The American Academy of Pediatrics embraces the diagnosis, but courts have thrown out some cases, calling it “junk science.” Full Story
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![A midwife cares for a newborn baby.]()
Credit: Natalia Ojewska for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ order to ask hospital patients’ citizenship status renews focus on the state’s large uninsured population
On Nov. 1, hospitals will begin asking patients their citizenship status. But data suggests uninsured citizens, not immigrants, cost Texas hospitals more. Full Story
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![The emergency center at Ben Taub Hospital in the Texas Medical Center in Houston on June 26, 2020.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for the Texas Tribune -
This mobile clinic is bringing birth control to rural South Texas
IUDs and other hormonal implants require training to administer and are expensive to stock, making them hard to come by in rural Texas. Full Story
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![The 40-foot-long UniMóvil — with two exam rooms, diagnostic equipment, and a lab — brings health care to rural communities in Texas' Rio Grande Valley.]()
Credit: Courtesy of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine -
5th Circuit Court orders federal judge removed from Texas foster care lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Janis Jack, the state’s de facto foster care czar, has been overseeing the case since 2011. Full Story
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![U.S. District Judge Janis Jack administers the U.S. oath of citizenship to more than 100 area residents representing 25 countries in 2008 aboard the USS Lexington. Jack was the first woman federal judge to serve in Texas south of San Antonio. July 5, 2008.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Todd Yates/Corpus Christi Caller-Times -
Galveston man drops wrongful death claims against women who allegedly helped his ex-wife get an abortion
Marcus Silva and the women agreed to drop lawsuits against each other just days before they were set to go to trial. Full Story
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![A pharmacist poses with pills of Misoprostol, made by Lupin Pharmaceuticals, at a pharmacy in Provo, Utah, on June 19, 2019.]()
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Can ire over abortion ban finally put a Democrat on the Texas Supreme Court?
Three Republican incumbents are being targeted for their role in recent abortion rulings by a new Democratic political action committee. Full Story
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![The Texas Supreme Court on Jan. 15, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Mental health support for toddlers has lagged in Texas. That’s now changing.
Lawmakers and child care centers are pushing for a statewide mental health system for toddlers. Full Story
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![Children work on letter puzzles at Kid's Castle Family Daycare and Preschool in Pflugerville on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune