Texas Legislature adjourns second special session after passing more of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities
The Legislature is expected to return soon for another special session focused on redrawing the state's political maps. Full Story
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![Speaker Dade Phelan presides over the Texas House of Representatives on Aug. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: New laws reflect Republican lawmakers’ focus on their right flank
From abortion restrictions to guns, the Texas Legislature's regular session Republican victories were just the beginning. Full Story
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![Lawmakers on the House floor on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Private donations for a Texas border wall have soared to $54 million. But it’s still unclear who’s giving.
After two months, the donations had petered out around $1 million. But the effort saw a major boost in August. Full Story
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![A border wall near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House advances bill to restore money to pay salaries for 2,100 state workers after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed Legislature funding
The legislation will need another stamp of approval in the House before it heads to the Senate, which has not yet debated its version of the proposal on the floor. Full Story
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![The sun sets on the state Capitol in Austin, on May 27, 2021.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Republican bill tightening Texas election laws is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk
Senate Bill 1 rewrites Texas election laws to further restrict the voting-by-mail process and outlaw local voting initiatives meant to widen access, namely those pushed by Harris County that were disproportionately used by voters of color. Full Story
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![Day one of early voting in El Paso at the Sunland Park Mall indoor voting site on Oct. 13, 2020.]()
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666 new Texas laws go into effect Sept. 1. Here are some that might affect you.
The new laws will affect abortion access, social studies curriculum and cities that trim the budgets of law enforcement. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on Aug. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas deploys firefighters and other aid to Louisiana for Hurricane Ida recovery efforts
Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane Sunday, was downgraded to a tropical storm Monday, but officials warned that flooding from storm surge will continue to affect parts of the state throughout the morning. Full Story
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![Highway 51 is flooded near LaPlace, Louisiana on Monday morning after Hurricane Ida came ashore on Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021.]()
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Texas House approves additional $2 billion for border security as state moves to build border wall
The bill would nearly triple border security funding from the last biennium. The legislation needs one more vote of approval from the House before moving to the Senate. Full Story
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![A portion of the newly-erected border fence that is being constructed by the state on private property in Del Rio on July 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott can’t enforce mask mandate ban, he argues in court
Abbott says local district attorneys have the authority to enforce his ban on local mask mandates. But urban DAs are unlikely to go after their fellow local officials. Full Story
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![A student wearing a mask and face shield eats lunch at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for the Texas Tribune -
New Texas GOP chair Matt Rinaldi winning over critics of Allen West’s tumultuous era
Some party activists had worried Rinaldi would be more of the same after West left the chairmanship to challenge Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this summer. Full Story
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![Then-State Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, on the House floor on May 23, 2017.]()
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Extended unemployment benefits for jobless Texans will end in September, state agency says
The Texas Workforce Commission announced that the U.S. Department of Labor notified the commission that the state’s unemployment rate fell below the threshold needed to continue the benefits. Full Story
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![The Texas Workforce Commission Building in Austin on March 30, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House passes new voting restrictions as Democratic hopes of killing the legislation wane
Democrats used every tool they had, fleeing the state en masse and forcing two special sessions, but a Republican bill to rewrite state election laws won final approval in the House on Friday. Once the House and Senate work out some differences, it appears headed to the governor’s desk. Full Story
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![The House floor on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Revival of “remain in Mexico” policy could have deadly consequences for asylum-seekers, advocates warn
The Biden administration says it will continue its legal fight against the revival of a Trump-era policy that requires asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases are pending. Full Story
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![Customs and Border Protection officers apprehend asylum seekers who recently crossed the border in Roma on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
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Texas House committee approves bill to spend an extra $2 billion on border enforcement
A border sheriff told lawmakers that some landowners who are afraid of migrants crossing their property have asked him, "When can I shoot?" Full Story
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![A portion of an unfinished border wall stands near the U.S. and Mexico border in Del Rio on July 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas House speaker says “absolutely no deals made” to bring back absent Democrats
Navigating the quorum break, Speaker Dade Phelan said he was especially mindful of not doing “un-repairable harm” to the chamber, indicating that could have happened if members were physically detained and brought to the chamber. Full Story
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![House Speaker Dade Phelan sits on an interview with The Texas Tribune at the Capitol on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Full FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine opens door for vaccine mandates in Texas
With the U.S. Food and Drug administration’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, Texas is in uncharted territory when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations. Full Story
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![A nurse administers a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at a clinic organized by the Travis County Mobile Vaccine Collaborative at Rodriguez Elementary School on July 28, 2021.]()
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As Gov. Greg Abbott beefs up border enforcement, some locals want very different kinds of help
Amid the heated rhetoric around an increase in migrants, people on opposite ends of the Texas-Mexico border see the problems — and solutions — differently. Full Story
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![A man gazes up at a stained glass window in Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church while exiting the church with other asylum seekers in Mission on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Asylum-seeking families and children made up nearly half of July border crossings: “This is young mamas and daddies trying to save their families”
Migrant crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border reached a 21-year high in July. This video takes you to the epicenter: Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, where more crossings are happening than in any other region in the country. Full Story
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![Asylum seekers exit the respite center across the street from Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mission on Aug. 3, 2021.]()
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Desperate Texas doctors turn to antibody treatments to slow down surging COVID-19 hospitalizations
The infusions are more available and accessible to Texans than ever before, and new criteria for who can receive antibody treatment have led more doctors to prescribe it. Full Story
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![Dr. Fritz Thurmond speaks to Kathy Hardman as she waits a one-hour observation period after receiving a COVID-19 antibody infusion at Titus Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant on Aug. 19, 2021.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests negative for COVID-19 four days after positive test
The governor credited his vaccination for keeping his infection "brief and mild" and encouraged others to consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott signs Senate Bill 2 and Senate Bill 3 at the Texas Capitol on June 8, 2021. The omnibus power grid bills will change the state’s power grid and the people who oversee it.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune