Legalized marijuana supporters hope voters in this Texas city will send a message to state lawmakers
There is no process in Texas for a voter-driven statewide referendum. So, supporters are going city by city to build statewide momentum. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5912eaeec86d7f6161c457250dda3090/0925%20Decriminalization%20JR%20TT%2002.jpg)
-
![A shirt promotes the legalization of marijuana in Lubbock at the South Plains Fair in Lubbock on Monday, Sept. 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Public blasts Texas agencies, regulators for poor communication and oversight at wildfire hearings
Thursday’s hearing marked the end of the Legislature’s three-day marathon of public hearings. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ceeb2a08bff9651c4e4d7a67d09d61d8/0404%20Thursday%20Panhandle%20Wildfires%20Hearings%20MC%2009.jpg)
![Craig Cowden gives testimony to the house committee investigating the Panhandle wildfires Thursday, April 4, 2024 in Pampa.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas legislative committee to investigate cause of Panhandle wildfires
The panel of three lawmakers and two residents will also look at disaster preparedness. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6cdb1ce27ce93cf70fff1c5dd1c5a1e1/0303%20Panhandle%20Canadian%20JR%2035.jpg)
![Charred ground left by the Smokehouse Creek fire after the fire burned through Currie Smith’s ranch Sunday, March. 3, 2024, in Hemphill County, Texas.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Do Texans have the “right to farm?” Voters will decide with Proposition 1.
Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4424ba579d68da52ec9010e549b30197/SATX%20Community%20Garden%20CL%2013.jpg)
![Plants and vegetables are seen in the community garden at the Catholic Charities Guadalupe Community Center in San Antonio, Texas on February 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Christopher Lee for The Texas Tribune -
Primary threats loom over House Republicans as lawmakers again consider school vouchers
Gov. Greg Abbott promised that if House Republicans block school choice again, he’d go after them in the primaries Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d34f5e797b5e76a5c7bdc0f8586ecb40/Abbott%20Corpus%20School%20Choice%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during an event held by the Parent Empowerment Coalition at Annapolis Christian Academy on Jan. 31, 2023, in Corpus Christi.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via REUTERS -
Texas Republicans ended a patchwork of local rules they say hurt business. They also eroded powers of city councils.
Lawmakers delivered Gov. Greg Abbott a long-sought bill to stop local governments from enacting local laws that exceed state law on a number of fronts. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e4f74a1bdab8bbc8ec6d0d746b09960d/I45%20Dallas%20Homes%20HTX%20MG%2015%20TT.jpg)
![An aerial view of homes near Interstate 45 in Houston, on Sept. 16, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate passes school safety bill that would require districts to bolster their active-shooter plans
Both chambers have said school safety is a priority this session after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school last year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/05489248d267d144ff1ed1d77ed000a8/School%20Police%20TK%20TT.jpg)
![A police officer monitors Maplewood Elementary School in Austin a week following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune. -
Texas GOP’s broadest attempt yet to erode blue cities’ power gets one step closer to becoming law
Gov. Greg Abbott and other supporters of the bill have long sought legislation to push back against local regulations that they say hamper business owners and harm the state’s economy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/58b5ae48e6cad14839228c4c909d9462/ATX%20Smog%20EL%20TT%2002.jpg)
![The Austin skyline on July 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House votes to require panic buttons in every classroom and armed guards in every school
Lawmakers have said school safety is a priority this session, but it is still unclear whether they’ll listen to Uvalde families who want to raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic guns from 18 to 21. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/526aa1aceaee283839c469f45a85865b/Akins%20High%20School%20RR%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Law enforcement officers patrol outside the library of Akins Early College High School in Austin on Sept. 15, 2022. The school was put on "hold" — a step below a lockdown — after a threat on social media was reported.]()
Credit: Roberto Ramirez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas House approves sweeping limits on local regulations in GOP’s latest jab at blue cities
City officials say the full scope of the legislation advanced Tuesday is still unclear, but it would limit their ability to issue worker protections, water restrictions and more. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6d48ac6b8a618046680aa44f1bc90a02/1293%20Dustin%20Burrows%20JF%20May%2014%20TT.jpg)
![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 14.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans quickly blast Donald Trump indictment, calling it “catastrophic” and politically motivated
Trump became the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, in his case over alleged hush money payments made to an adult film star. Many of his fellow Republicans in Texas lambasted the legal development. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5198143f0b788e5262242ada41aa3713/0325%20Trump%20Waco%20QkFlp%20LS%2002.jpg)
![Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Waco on March 25, 2023.]()
Credit: Leila Saidane/The Texas Tribune -
Texas cities have adopted ordinances to benefit workers. Sweeping legislation could roll many back.
Lawmakers say their bills are needed to provide small businesses with consistent regulations and that regulatory power should be returned to the state. Labor groups say the proposal could undo hard-fought measures to protect workers. Full Story
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas GOP launches radio attack ads against Republican state House speaker
The radio ad, which criticizes Phelan for appointing Democratic committee chairs, prompted pushback from Republican colleagues in the House over why the state party would use resources to attack its own member. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a6f78f19fe472af3703edfd84b35875a/Matt%20Rinaldi%20JV%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Former state representative Matt Rinaldi spoke to demonstrators at the Governor’s Mansion in protest of Gov. Abbott’s executive orders to close businesses and mandate masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Uvalde parents’ anger and quest for answers persist after committee faults school and police in mass shooting
Uvalde residents who lost loved ones at Robb Elementary say they want to know if officers will face repercussions. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f6f89b34bc20dd3f3601a9e68df56f8a/Uvalde%20Presser%20Burrows%20EL%20TT%2009.jpg)
![Alfred Garza III, father to one of the school shooting victims, speaks to the media at the Civic Center in Uvalde after a press conference on Sunday. Several residents and victims' relatives expressed anger that officials are still not answering some of their questions.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas House kicks off inquiry into Uvalde shooting behind closed doors
State Rep. Dustin Burrows, the chair of the investigating committee, said he couldn’t promise a timeline for the review and that witnesses will be questioned in private. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/502c40c1f4bfecb7ffe6e4e279dfe877/Uvalde%20School%20Shooting%20SF%20TT%2009.jpg)
![Police block off the road leading to the scene of a school shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
House Speaker Dade Phelan announces legislative committee to investigate Uvalde shooting
Phelan said it is an “outrage” that officials still do not have a clear picture of what happened during the shooting. The committee’s findings will inform the House’s legislative response. Full Story
![State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, on the House floor on May 14.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Lawsuit seeks to block Lubbock’s ordinance aimed at outlawing abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas are suing over the West Texas city’s “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1c702948c9f51802dcb7377af51fb523/Lubbock%20May%20Election%20Day%20JR%20TT%2006.jpg)
![Kids hold signs supporting Proposition A at the corner of Indiana and 82nd Street in Lubbock on May 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
Texas governor’s emergency powers during pandemics would be curbed under bill advanced in House
The wide-ranging legislation would affirm the governor’s ability to suspend state laws during a pandemic and allow for overriding local orders issued by county judges or mayors if they’re inconsistent with state orders. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fcb93e858f5cb4499a0719a25c3a2b8c/ATX%20Snow%20Storm%20Day%203%20MG%20TT%2027.jpg)
![Customers formed a long line for groceries outside of Fiesta on Stassney Lane in Southeast Austin. Feb 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmakers, lobby firm react to allegations that a lobbyist gave date rape drug to Capitol aide
State lawmakers, staffers and other Capitol observers have denounced the alleged incident, with several House members declaring on social media that they were banning from their offices any lobbyist or lobby firm associated with the accusation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f0c2b4c99847446f633b80f67e0ed83a/Senate%20Session%20April%2012%20JV%20TT%2012.jpg)
![The Texas Capitol on April 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
After slow start, Texas lawmakers pick up the pace on GOP priorities as legislative session passes halfway mark
After some early tension, the Legislature's Republican leaders say they are on the same page with the business that remains. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/51cfc40409095a150dd46b748f405600/House%20Floor%20Phelan%20Jan%2012%20MG%20TT%2011.jpg)
![Newly-elected Speaker of the House Dade Phelan addresses the House Floor on opening day of the 2021 Legislative Session on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/983168a87750bb5bbb38e2b9ff650ba1/Heat%20File%20SP%20TT%2011)