"Sandra Bland Act" doesn't address cause of her arrest, family says
The legislation now mostly focuses on mental health issues and county jail operations. Full Story
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Credit: Kee Creation -
Reaching across the aisle, legislators target voter fraud at nursing homes
In a rare twist, Republicans and Democrats are jointly pushing an effort to crack down on voter fraud. The measure targets ballots cast at nursing homes, and it could make it easier for older Texans to vote. Full Story
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Execution halted amid claims of false evidence at trial
A Fort Worth man who claims he did not intentionally kill an 89-year-old man had his looming execution halted Friday afternoon. Full Story
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![Tilon Lashon Carter, sentenced to death for the 2004 murder of James Eldon Tomlin.]()
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Texas Senate passes Sandra Bland Act
The bill would mandate that county jails divert people with mental health and substance abuse issues toward treatment, make it easier for defendants with a mental illness or intellectual disability to receive a personal bond and require that independent law enforcement agencies investigate jail deaths. Full Story
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![State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, talks about the Sandra Bland Act, which would reform interactions between jailers and inmates with mental health issues on May 11, 2017. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Rep. Dutton: If "raise the age" bill dies in Senate, I'll kill Senate bills
As a House bill that would raise the age of criminal responsibility from 17 to 18 languishes in the Senate in the final weeks of the legislative session, the bill's author promises "a funeral" for Senate bills if his bill dies. Full Story
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![State Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, in the Speaker's Committee Room at the Capitol on May 10, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Bill to enforce reporting of police shootings stumbles, then passes
After failing by one vote on the House floor Wednesday night, a bill to penalize law enforcement agencies that don't report police shootings to the state was reconsidered and passed. Full Story
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![State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, on the House floor on May 6, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton lawyers say judge didn't have authority for 2017 rulings
Lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are seeking to void a number of major rulings in the securities fraud case against him, arguing the judge who made them did not have the authority to do so. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a press conference to recognize January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month on January 12, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texan on death row will face parole review instead of execution
For the second time in a week, a Texas death row inmate had his sentenced tossed out. Robert Campbell, 44, has been on death row for nearly 25 years in a Houston kidnapping and murder. Full Story
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Houston Police Chief ready to reluctantly enforce "sanctuary" law
Once Senate Bill 4 goes into effect on Sept. 1, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said he's prepared to lead a police force that allows officers to inquire about the immigration status of people they detain. Full Story
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![Art Acevedo, chief of the Houston Police Department, speaking on the Race and Policing in Texas panel at A Symposium on Race and Public Policy on Jan 14, 2017.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott: I urged pastors to pressure Texas House over "bathroom bills"
Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Tuesday in a radio interview that he has urged pastors to pressure the Texas House to advance the so-called bathroom bills that have languished there for weeks. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott prays with event organizer Evelyn Davison at the 66th annual Texas State Prayer Breakfast in Austin on May 1, 2017. Davison has organized the event for the last 43 years.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
House passes bill on inappropriate teacher-student relationships
The House passed Senate Bill 7, which would penalize principals and superintendents who purposely hide incidents of teachers having sexual or romantic relationships with students. Full Story
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![State Reps. (l-r) Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, Ken King, R-Canadian and Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont at a Public Education meeting on March 7, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Bill stripping pensions from felon politicians advances
The Texas House voted Monday to strip government pensions from elected officials who commit serious acts of public corruption, moving the first major piece of ethics reform toward the governor's office. Full Story
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![State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth; Gov. Greg Abbott; and state Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich / Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Everything you need to know about Texas’ “sanctuary cities” law
Here’s everything you need to know about Senate Bill 4, a controversial immigration enforcement measure banning “sanctuary cities” across Texas. Full Story
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![Monserrat Garibay of Education Austin speaks in front of the Texas Governor's Mansion on May 8, 2017, after Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 4, known as the "sanctuary cities" bill, the night before.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton looks to get ahead of legal challenges to "sanctuary cities" ban
Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to get ahead of an anticipated barrage of legal challenges to Texas' ban on "sanctuary cities." Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Texas lawmakers: State needs to act after black teen's death by police
In the aftermath of a police officer killing 15-year-old Jordan Edwards near Dallas, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus called on state leaders to work with legislators on police interactions and accountability. Full Story
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![State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, speaks at a Texas Legislative Black Caucus news conference on May 4, 2017, imploring state leaders to act on the recent shooting of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in Balch Springs outside Dallas.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
After police shoot and kill unarmed teen, Texas lawmakers consider next steps
In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of an unarmed 15-year-old by police on Saturday night, Democrats in the state Capitol have pointed to relevant bills they say could prevent similar deaths. Full Story
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![15-year-old Mesquite High School freshman Jordan Edwards (left) was shot and killed by Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver on April 29, 2017.]()
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"Sanctuary cities" bill clears latest hurdle, heads to Abbott for signature
The Texas Senate on Wednesday voted to send to Gov. Greg Abbott a bill that would ban "sanctuary" jurisdictions in Texas and allow police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. Full Story
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![Protesters block the doors to the State Insurance Building, on the Capitol grounds in Austin, in protest of Senate Bill 4 — known as the "sanctuary cities" bill — on Monday, May 1, 2017.]()
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Aiming to stop suicides, Texas Senate supports crackdown on cyberbullying
The state Senate Wednesday unanimously approved a bill dubbed "David's Law" that's aimed at curbing teen suicides by cracking down on cyberbullying. Full Story
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![State Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, listens to questions regarding Senate Bill 179, the anti-cyberbullying bill, on May 3, 2017.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Sandra Bland Act gets nod from Texas Senate panel
The legislation would mandate that county jails route people with mental health crises and substance abuse issues to treatment and install electronic sensors or cameras to better monitor inmates. Full Story
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![Sandra Bland, who was found dead at the Waller County Jail in 2015.]()
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UT police on stabbing spree: "This was not a conspiracy"
Police said the student who stabbed four people on the University of Texas at Austin campus didn't appear to be targeting anyone in particular. Full Story
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![A look at the sun setting over the University of Texas at Austin Tower in 2011.]()
Credit: Illustration by Nicolas Raymond / Todd Wiseman