State Sen. Kirk Watson to retire from Texas Senate
State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, on the Senate floor on April 11, 2019. Juan Figueroa/The Texas Tribune
State Sen. Kirk Watson, an Austin...
Long Waits at the Border Hurting Texas Economy
When non-essential traffic across the Texas-Mexico border started to increase over the summer, Customs and Border Patrol began artificially inflating the wait times to...
Follow the Freshmen: Checking in on Filed Bills by New Legislators
Fourth in an ongoing series
The 86th session of the Texas Legislature welcomed 34 new members in January, with 28 members sworn into the Texas...
Top 10 New Laws Taking Effect in Texas Starting September
After hundreds of bills were discussed and ultimately passed during the 87th Texas Legislature, Abbott’s final signature has turned 666 bills into new laws,...
Is Jeff Leach Using Public Office to Benefit Clients?
In a startling example of possible political cronyism, Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Allen) is introducing a bill that will protect truck drivers from litigation when...
GOP "Texodus" in the State House
In recent months, news of retirements by six Republican members of the Texas congressional delegation has led some opponents to declare a GOP “Texodus.” The same is starting to happen at the state level with Republicans in the Texas House.
One year in, here’s how freshmen legislators valued constituent communication
Representing the public is a challenging but extremely important job. Though many see politicians through a cynical lens, elected officials are, by definition, public...
Special Session Buzz Grows Over Redistricting, Lobbying Ban, and Abortion Pills
Talk of a special legislative session is gaining momentum as Gov. Greg Abbott and top Republicans face pressure to tackle redistricting, a lobbying ban,...
Texas Lawmakers Push Camp Safety Reforms After Deadly Hill Country Floods
In the aftermath of the catastrophic July 4th floods that claimed 137 lives, including 27 campers and...
County Judges and Mayors Appeal to Gov. Abbott for Local Control on Face Masks
In San Antonio, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff has identified the secret sauce to bypassing Gov. Greg Abbott and imposing a local mandatory face...
