Jef Rouner
Jef Rouner is an award-winning freelance journalist, the author of The Rook Circle, and a member of The Black Math Experiment. He lives in Houston where he spends most of his time investigating corruption and strange happenings. Jef has written for Houston Press, Free Press Houston, and Houston Chronicle.
The Texas Legislature Needs More Transparency
It’s said that democracy dies in darkness, and it’s no secret that many pieces of unpopular legislation try to fly under the...
Texas Evangelical Women May Hold the Key To Herd Immunity
Anti-vaccine sentiment and evangelical Christianity have been known to go hand in hand. Even before the outbreak of COVID, many Texas evangelicals...
Texas Republicans Play Blame Game Over Failure of Voter Rights Restriction Bill
The dramatic failure of Senate Bill 7, which would have been one of the largest rollbacks of voter rights in America, has...
Parental Leave: Texas Has Dismal Protections for New Parents
Right here in the middle between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day is a good time to point out that our state has...
Medical Marijuana Bill Headed for Law, Other Reforms Stall
This legislative session was full of hope for marijuana reform advocates, but as time ran out over the weekend all but one...
How the Democrats Tried to Water Down the Permitless Carry Bill
House Bill 1927, which would do away with the need for Texans to have a license to carry a gun in public,...
The Bills That Died in the Texas Legislature This Year
Texas has one of the shortest legislative sessions out of all the states, with the regular congress meeting just five months every...
The Importance of “Controversy” in the Critical Race Theory Teaching Ban
In a marked victory for regressive politics in Texas, a bill banning the teaching of critical race theory in high schools is...
Known Unknowns, Texas Votes to Stay in the Dark About Medicaid Expansion
Texas’ continued refusal to participate in the Medicaid expansion set up under the Affordable Care Act has been a constant source of...
Two Texas Gun Control Bills May Limit the Damage of Permitless Carry
Governor Greg Abbott’s pledge to make Texas a “Second Amendment sanctuary” helped boost a bill that would make it legal to carry...
