The Latest Breaking News from Texas

WASHINGTON — With Congress at an impasse on major federal immigration legislation, some advocates have turned to local legislatures to promote and push through bills that would give undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses, in-state college tuition and other services.

Irma Reyes feels like she can’t wake up from nightmare

Texas is holding elections, including for municipal offices, on May 6, 2023. A number of candidates running in these elections completed Ballotpedia’s Candidate Connection survey. These survey responses allow voters to hear directly from candidates about what motivates them to run for office.

Proposed legislation from Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would criminalize explicit performances where children are present and strip libraries of state funding for hosting any event featuring performers in drag. Critics say the bill is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

As of March 19, Ballotpedia has tracked 27 election-related bills in the Texas State Senate since the beginning of the year. Of the 27, Ballotpedia tracked 24 from March 13-19. Republicans sponsored 19, while Democrats sponsored five. Five of the 24 bills are:

Senate Bill 8 supporters say the legislation protects the rights of parents who don’t want their kids to learn about gender identity and sexual orientation. Critics say it could force schools to ignore the existence of LGBTQ people.

As of March 19, Ballotpedia has tracked 60 election-related bills in the Texas House of Representatives since the beginning of the year. Of the 60, Ballotpedia tracked 52 from March 13-19. Republicans sponsored 37, while Democrats sponsored 15. Five of these bills are:

Sharon Fonvielle-Baughman said Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leadership has failed to support the special investigators division, a unit created in 2005 to handle the most high-risk cases.

What the historic 2023 election for mayor meant for Celia Israel, for Austin, and women in Texas politics.

A new report found that companies in Texas have had 21,000 unexpected pollution releases that emitted 400,000 tons of air pollution over six years, but only 1% of them prompted action by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

When a draft of an upcoming United States Supreme Court decision curtailing legal abortion access in the U.S. leaked in May 2022, Karina Gould, Canada’s minister of families, children and social development, declared that Americans seeking abortions would be welcomed north of the border.