Hate crime law results in few convictions and lots of disappointment
In Texas, the tiny number of successful prosecutions leave both victims and lawmakers questioning state’s commitment to punishing hate. Full Story
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![Reverend Rodney Norsworthy, a minister at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, shows the grave of James Byrd, at a cemetery in Jasper, TX on June 15 2012.]()
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Texas to lose Brazos Valley children's therapy provider
Easter Seals East Texas officials have put the Texas Health and Human Services Commission on notice they are ending services for 230 children in the Brazos Valley area on Aug. 31. Full Story
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Data shows Dukes has missed most votes in Texas House
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, has missed more than 100 record votes during the current legislative session, the most of the 150 members of the House, according to a Tribune analysis of data from a legislative analytics website. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, speaks on the House floor during the budget debate on April 6, 2017.]()
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Texas parents fear being outed for seeking vaccine exemptions
Under House Bill 2249, the state would require reports on the number of vaccine exemptions at each public school. But parents say it could make it easier for people to publicly shame them for not vaccinating their children. Full Story
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![Nicholas Nunez, 4, sits with his mother, Elizabeth Trejo, while he receives his shots at the Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County in Fort Worth on August 30, 2013.]()
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Sandra Bland's mother urges House committee to pass bill named after her daughter
The Sandra Bland Act would require law enforcement agencies to document the race and ethnicity of drivers they stop, divert some people to treatment instead of jail and require more training and reporting for county jails and law enforcement officials. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
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Senate panel weighs alternate graduation route for students who fail exams
The Texas Senate Education Committee heard Tuesday from supporters, and a few critics, of a bill that would make permanent a 2015 law that allows students to graduate even if they haven't passed their required exams by going before a graduation committee. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, discussed higher education issues during a Texas Tribune event on April 4, 2017. Seliger is chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Bill declaring fantasy sports legal passes House committee
In a hearing Tuesday, the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures approved a bill that would affirm the legality of online fantasy sports. Full Story
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Senate approves recusals for county clerks, judges objecting to same-sex marriage
Under a Senate-backed proposal, county clerks with religious objections to same-sex marriages can recuse themselves from signing marriage licenses. Full Story
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![Pamela Holwerds holds up her marriage license following the ceremony that married over 40 same-sex couples on the south lawn of the Texas Capitol in Austin on July 4, 2015.]()
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Texas lawmakers seek to ensure no state funds reach abortion providers
An amendment to ban abortion providers from receiving any funds from the state budget passed in the House, but it's unclear how effective it would be in fully defunding groups like Planned Parenthood. Full Story
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![State Rep. Matt Rinaldi, R-Irving, speaking at a Texas Tribune symposium. Jan 14, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Study: Texas voter education campaign failed to prevent ID confusion
Texas’ court-ordered $2.5 million voter education campaign failed to prevent widespread confusion about the state’s identification rules ahead of the 2016 General Election, according to a new study. Full Story
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![During the first week of early voting for the 2016 presidential elections, civil rights lawyers took issue with this sign outside of a polling place in Cuero. It did not mention options for casting a ballot without photo ID.]()
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"David's Law" would criminalize cyberbullying, mandate school policies
A Texas senator wants to criminalize cyberbullying when it leads to a minor's serious injury or suicide. Critics of the bill say prevention is more effective than punishment. Full Story
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Here’s what the Texas school choice bill means in plain English
Despite lobbying from Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the leading private school choice bill of the session is facing strong resistance in the Texas House. We've updated our annotation of Senate Bill 3 to reflect the version that passed out of the Senate. Full Story
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![Children from charter and private schools all over Texas turned out for the 85th legislative session's National School Choice Rally on Jan. 24, 2017.]()
Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Has Top 10 Percent Rule impacted diversity at UT-Austin? It's complicated.
It's hard to know exactly how the Top 10 Percent Rule has impacted diversity at UT-Austin, but data suggests it does boost the school's Hispanic population right now. Full Story
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![The University of Texas Tower, Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Hazlewood plan would leave benefits for current veterans untouched
Colleges are asking the state to pare back the state program that offers free tuition to veterans or their children. But key lawmakers in the Texas House don't want to mess with what's being offered to current veterans and their families. Full Story
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![Texas A&M Kingsville Army ROTC cadets (l-r) Andrew Wilson, Nathaniel Estes, Octavio Calleja-Ponce, Daniel Obrego and Cristian Barriosalas raise the flag in front of Texas A&M Kingsville's College Hall on October 26, 2016.]()
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Senate backs bill requiring minors obtain parental consent before joining unions
Minors in the state may be required to obtain parental approval before they can join a labor union under a proposal the Texas Senate tentatively approved along party lines Monday. Full Story
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![Happy Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, watches passage of SB 1 budget bill on a 30-1 vote April 14, 2015. Lone no vote was Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston.]()
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Bill penalizing celebratory gunfire up for debate in House panel
The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee heard testimony for a bill Monday that would penalize people for discharging a firearm without an intended target. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers consider election law change for language interpreters
Texas lawmakers on Monday considered changes to the state's election code regarding language interpreters for voters who are not proficient in English, three years after a voter's son was blocked from helping her cast a ballot. Full Story
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Hinojosa, Howard and Watson on public ed, taxes, CPS (video)
Full video of Evan Smith's 4/10 conversation at Austin Community College with three state legislators from Austin: Reps. Gina Hinojosa and Donna Howard and Sen. Kirk Watson. Full Story
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House lawmakers take a stab at funding for trafficking victims
A Texas House member's proposal would cut $3 million from Gov. Greg Abbott's homeland security budget and give it to victims of human trafficking. Full Story
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![September 15, 2016 Conversation with Gina Hinojosa D-Austin]()
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Analysis: A state school finance system that can choke a city’s growth
A state that wants to grow by freeing economic engines from regulations and taxes is throttling its cities and school districts with regulations and taxes. Full Story
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Credit: The Texas Tribune