State News

New School Discipline Law Could Lead to Longer Suspensions

byJasmine Wright

Texas schools this fall will be able to extend in-school student suspension indefinitely after the Legislature approved a law aimed at improving school discipline despite criticism that it could heap punishment on students already at risk of being left behind in the education system. Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 6 into law on June […]

Hungry Texans Lose Access to Millions of Pounds of Food as USDA Cuts Deliveries to Texas Food Banks

byMadeline de Figueiredo

Recent cuts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture have forced the cancellation of 396 food deliveries to Texas food banks, putting at risk nearly 12 million pounds of food valued at $19 million and intended for emergency food assistance. 

Draggieland Pageant Goes on After Judge Nixes A&M’s Drag Show Ban

byShunya Carroll

Maria Maria hit each choreographed step like an athlete. Her routine elevated classic New York voguing to a gymnast’s floor routine. The four to the floor pop medley was almost drowned out by the crowd’s cheering. 
This wasn’t a national stadium tour. It was Draggieland.
The biggest drag show in College Station prevailed Thursday over Texas A&M University’s attempt to ban drag performances on campus.

Texas Poised to Become First State with Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

byMeredith McKelvey

In an all-or-nothing gamble, members of the Texas Legislature are looking to invest state money in highly volatile cryptocurrencies, with the hope that one day digital assets like Bitcoin will stabilize and exponentially increase in value.  

Outnumbered Texas Democrats Gear Up to Fight School Vouchers

byJasmine Wright

Texas Democrats say funding for public schools is at risk in the current legislative session because Gov. Greg Abbott’s years-long drive for private school vouchers has its best chance ever of succeeding. Texas Democratic lawmakers lost several key seats during the 2024 election cycle and now face face five months of negotiations with Republican counterparts. […]

They provide for others. Now community attendants want the Legislature to provide a livable wage.

byMadeline de Figueiredo

Thomas Greenwell wakes up each morning and gets ready twice — he goes through the motions of brushing teeth twice, doing hair twice and getting dressed twice — once for himself and once for his client, Edgar. But Greenwell doesn’t know how much longer he will be able to afford to take care of Edgar as a community-based care provider under Medicaid. “The attendant care wages are not sustainable at all,” he says. The Legislature will revisit attendant wages in this spring’s legislative session as caregivers and advocacy groups push for more competitive and livable wages.

Advocates Race to Inform Immigrants, Hospitals as Abbott Demands Citizenship Reports

byMadeline de Figueiredo

In the leadup to the Nov. 1 implementation of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order requiring Texas public hospitals to report on health care for undocumented immigrants, advocacy groups raced to inform affected communities and providers about the policy’s implications and limitations.

Disability Rights Groups Celebrate Ruling That Improves Accessibility for Voters — for Now 

byMadeline de Figueiredo 

Voters with disabilities could get expanded access to the ballot this election season after a federal judge struck down Texas laws limiting voter assistance.
The Oct. 11 ruling has yielded cautious celebration from activist and advocacy communities on the eve of early voting, which begins Monday. But the state might appeal the decision in time to thwart voter assistance efforts. 
“The ruling protects the rights of Texas voters with disabilities to get the assistance they need without fear of prosecution,” said Bob Kafka, the state coordinator for REV UP Texas, one of the groups that challenged the law.

Petition Effort Poses Test for New Law, Progressive District Attorneys

byMichael Nolan

One of the first uses of a new Texas law aimed at removing “rogue” district attorneys could curtail the discretion of prosecutors in major cities, political and legal analysts say. Travis County District Attorney José Garza, a Democrat who recently won a primary in his re-election bid as the county’s top prosecutor, will soon find […]

Teacher Shortages Prompt Texas Schools to Recruit Worldwide

byMichelle Lavergne

To address a teacher shortage, more Texas school districts are turning to the Visiting Teachers Program, which recruits certified educators from other countries. Through that initiative, international educators who are actively enrolled in a J-1 Visa Exchange Visitor Program approved by the Texas Education Agency may receive a temporary visiting international teacher certificate.

Mexican Actor Says Latinos Can Change Texas Politics If They Vote

byKatrina L. Spencer

Latinos in Texas have the power to change the state’s political landscape if they vote in greater numbers, Mexican actor Tenoch Huerta Mejía told a group of about 200 Central Texas residents Monday. 
“Somos un chingo,” Huerta Mejía said, referencing the fact that Latinos are a large part of the Texas electorate.
Huerta Mejía, who starred in the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” was invited to speak on the University of Texas at Austin campus by NextGen America, an organization working to promote progressive public policy and increase voter turnout.

Despite Texas Ban on Abortion, Pro-Life Advocates See More Work to Do in Post-Roe World

byAbby L. Johnson

Texas Alliance for Life and thousands of supporters marched Saturday to the Texas Capitol, calling for more measures to protect Texas’ nearly all-encompassing ban on abortions. 
Texans from across the state began to march from the corner of 14th and Brazos street toward the Capitol amid honking horns and drivers leaning out their windows to hold up a middle finger. 
“We want to see abortion completely and totally abolished. Like now, not taking steps,” said one marcher.