State Rep. Jim Murphy, chair of House GOP Caucus, won’t seek reelection
Murphy, who represented House District 133 from 2007-09 and again since 2011, chairs the House GOP Caucus and the House Higher Education Committee. Full Story
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![State Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Houston, spoke to the media during a press conference by the Republican Caucus on the break of quorum by state Democrats. July 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Despite his victory in Texas and no credible evidence of widespread fraud, Donald Trump calls for election audit legislation
There has been no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and the Texas secretary of state who oversaw the 2020 election and was appointed by the Republican governor declared the election “smooth and secure.” Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott, left, addresses former President Donald Trump during a border security briefing to discuss further plans in securing the southern border wall on June 30, 2021, in Weslaco.]()
Credit: Brandon Bell/Getty Images via POOL -
Analysis: The 2022 general election is a year away, but many of the issues are already evident
Candidates for the 2022 elections are still popping up, but many of that election’s major issues are already being debated. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott addresses the media about border security at a press conference at Anzalduas Park in Mission on March 9, 2021.]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas troopers create “steel wall” of patrol vehicles in Del Rio as feds continue to repatriate Haitians
Gov. Greg Abbott says the line of law enforcement and military vehicles is stopping migrants from crossing the Rio Grande into Del Rio, where the number of migrants camped under a bridge keeps dropping. Full Story
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![Military and Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles create a cordon around migrants sheltering in a nearby makeshift border camp along the international bridge in Del Rio on September 22, 2021.]()
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Texas appellate justices appear skeptical of Attorney General Ken Paxton defense that he’s exempt from state’s whistleblower law
Paxton’s attorneys argued to a panel of Texas 3rd Court of Appeals justices on Wednesday that a lawsuit from former deputies should be thrown out. The ex-employees claim they were fired after reporting Paxton to law enforcement. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton.]()
Credit: USA TODAY NETWORK via Reuters -
Texas sued over bill stopping social media companies from banning users for political views
A judge recently blocked a similar bill in Florida after a lawsuit brought forward by NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the same groups that sued Texas. Full Story
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![A 3D-printed Facebook logo on a keyboard in this illustration taken March 25, 2020.]()
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State Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of powerful state affairs committee, says he won’t run for reelection
The news comes less than a month after Paddie, who has represented House District 9 since 2013, announced he would run for reelection. Full Story
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![State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, speaks from the podium at the front of the House of Representatives on Sunday, May 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Law enforcement warns of “credible threat” against Texas legislators who voted for abortion ban
The threat was apparently made on Reddit and included the names of House and Senate members who voted for Senate Bill 8 during the regular legislative session. Full Story
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![The House floor on Aug. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott adds property tax relief, bail to special session agenda
Abbott has faced pressure from his right to prioritize property tax relief. One of his challengers in the Republican primary has slammed him for not including it earlier in the agenda, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called it his top priority this session. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on Aug. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ ban on school mask mandates draws federal investigation for possibly violating the rights of students with disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education announced the inquiry days after the Texas Education Agency quietly updated its guidance to say school districts can’t require masks. Full Story
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![Fifth graders at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley work from behind desktop barriers meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
After losing to a Democrat in 2020, former GOP state Sen. Pete Flores seeks election in newly drawn Republican district
Within hours, Flores got the endorsement of Sen. Dawn Buckingham, R-Lakeway, who is vacating the seat to run for land commissioner, and then Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate. Full Story
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![State Sen. Pete Flores, R-Pleasanton, on the Senate floor on April 9, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott and local officials are fighting several legal battles over mask mandates. Here’s what you need to know.
The Texas fight over mask mandates is confusing. We’re here to help. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott holds a press conference in Dallas on unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border on March 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Carly May for The Texas Tribune -
Watch Peter Hotez and Leana Wen discuss the coronavirus pandemic at The Texas Tribune Festival
Hotez is co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital. Wen is a professor of health policy and management at George Washington University. Full Story
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![Leana Wen and Peter Hotez.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Watch Texas lawmakers Larry Taylor and Harold Dutton discuss education and the Legislature at The Texas Tribune Festival
Taylor, a Friendswood Republican, chairs the Senate Education Committee. Dutton, a Houston Democrat, chairs the House Public Education Committee. Full Story
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![State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, and state Rep. Harold V. Dutton Jr., D-Houston.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
Texas doctor who admitted to violating the state’s near-total abortion ban sued under new law
At least two lawsuits were filed after Dr. Alan Braid said he performed an abortion prohibited by the law earlier this month. One of the people suing Braid reportedly wants Texas’ new abortion law to be ruled unconstitutional. Full Story
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas sues Biden administration over guidance saying transgender workers can use bathroom of their choice
A federal document also says that misusing a person’s preferred pronouns could be considered harassment in some instances. Texas Republican officials have tried to pass state laws targeting transgender people’s access to bathrooms and school sports teams. Full Story
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![LGBTQ activists and supporters blocked the street outside the U.S. Supreme Court as it heard arguments in a major LGBTQ rights case in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, 2019.]()
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First draft of Legislature’s map of new State Board of Education districts shores up Republican majority
The Republican-dominated, 15-member board determines what millions of public school students in the state are taught in classrooms. Full Story
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![The State Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas’ foster care problems are clear. The response from state leaders isn’t.
The state’s foster care system has been dangerous to children and embarrassing to the state for years. But with state officials constantly chasing other issues, it’s still suffering from neglect. Full Story
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![The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services offices in Austin on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Biden administration speeds up deportation flights for Haitians in growing Texas migrant camp
The situation in Del Rio spiraled this week as more than 15,000 migrants, many of them from Haiti, arrived at the border in recent days, settling in a makeshift camp as they waited for CBP agents to process their petitions to stay in the U.S. Full Story
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![Makeshift shelters at a temporary migrant camp under the international bridge in Del Rio on Sept. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Senate opens redistricting debate with proposed map one senator labels “intentional discrimination”
The first draft of the Senate map was authored by a Republican who chairs the Senate Redistricting Committee. It immediately drew fire from a Democratic member who said her district was being redrawn to dilute voting power of people of color. Full Story
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![The Senate floor on Jan. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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