-
Lucio Vasquez/Houston Public MediaHouse Bill 20, also known as the Damon Allen Act, passed the House on a voice vote and appeared to have bipartisan support. It included amendments by a number of Democratic members. -
Angela Kocherga/KTEPCentral American migrants talk about relying on smugglers who promise safe passage through Mexico to the United States as the Department of Homeland Security launches an operation targeting international human smuggling organizations. Immigrant advocates say U.S. policies restricting legal avenues for migrants like asylum are forcing more to rely on smugglers who charge higher fees, the harder it is to cross the border into the U.S.
-
Nearly two dozen candidates are vying to fill the late congressman's seat, and former president Donald Trump is backing Wright's widow, Susan Wright. -
They used their car to stay warm when a winter storm brought down the Texas power grid. In a state that doesn't require carbon monoxide alarms in homes, they had no warning they were poisoning themselves.
-
For months, religious leaders and other trusted voices have been promoting the vaccine to dispel hesitancy, a tactic that federal and local officials have recognized is crucial to improving vaccine uptake.
-
When benzene emissions exceed a certain level, refineries are supposed to come up with a plan to reduce them. But a new report from an environmental nonprofit found some Texas refineries continue to exceed the federal threshold.
-
But a proposed bill in the state Legislature could extend health benefits to new moms on Medicaid.
-
The founder of the Texas Freedom Colonies Project wants to "put the authority of the story of Black people's lives back in the hands of Black folks" by working with descendants to chronicle the stories of African-American settlements established just after the emancipation of enslaved people in Texas.
-
ERCOT doesn’t have the power to mandate major changes. That’s the job of the Public Utility Commission (PUC), which oversees ERCOT and regulates the grid, as well as the Railroad Commission, which regulates the natural gas sector. The Texas legislature oversees all of the organizations, and its efforts to mandate weatherization have stalled.
-
An expanded Medicaid program would have likely meant coverage for over 1 million uninsured Texans and help for a struggling rural hospital system.
-
The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed it was investigating allegations that a date rape drug was used on a Capitol staffer. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan addressed House members in a speech on Monday and other lawmakers reacted to the incident.
-
Texans in rural communities are facing an ongoing crisis as hospitals and medical facilities shutter. An analysis by the American Public Media Research Lab data shows that since 2005, 24 rural hospitals have closed in the state, which is the highest number of closures in the country.
-
Senate Bill 912 is one of more than 90 such bills advanced in state legislatures across the country in the wake of last year’s demonstrations against racism and police violence.
-
Laws on the books can be enforced and strengthened on paramilitary and private militias. Texas took a pass during this legislative session.
