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Partisan districting efforts combined with attempts to balance population numbers in Texas congressional districts have led to oddly shaped districts such as State Senator Joan Huffman’s (R-Houston) 17th district which is vaguely shaped like an upside-down question mark. The combination also leads to accusations of gerrymandering – the practice of setting districts up to intentionally favor one party or to exclude voting blocs by examining voting patterns such as those of minorities.
Third special session focuses on redistricting, and 5 other Texas-sized issues
The Texas Legislature convened Monday for its third special session with the focus on redrawing political boundaries for House and Senate districts, as well as for the state’s congressional … more
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Gov. Greg Abbott​’s veto did not impact state lawmakers, whose salaries are constitutionally protected. Abbott vetoed the funding earlier this year as retribution for the House Democrats’ walkout to block the GOP elections bill at the end of the regular session.
Abbott signs bill to restore funding for Texas legislative employees
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Friday that will fund a number of his priorities recently passed by the Legislature and restore funding for the salaries and benefits of some 2,100 state staffers, … more
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Texas A&M students gathered Tuesday to demand more mandatory COVID-19 precautions on the College Station campus. School leaders have said they’re limited in what they can require. University leaders have encouraged mask-wearing and getting vaccinated, but they say Gov. Greg Abbott has prevented them from requiring either.
After A&M student died from COVID-19, students and faculty rally for safety precautions
The death of a 20-year-old Texas A&M University student from COVID-19 last week spurred fear, frustration and sadness on the College Station campus. In the days since the biomedical science major … more
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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced last week that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries will continue to receive an additional $95 per month in food support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture via HHSC.
Abbott calls third special session for Sept. 20, and 5 other Texas-sized issues
Gov. Greg Abbott has called a third special legislative session to deal with redistricting, to decide how to spend billions of dollars in pandemic funding from the federal government and to determine … more
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Tomas Garcia sits in his home with his dog, Patches, in Houston on Wednesday. Teachers report being spread thin by the demands of remote learning and exhausted by the constant health concerns.
Pandemic’s toll on educators has made Texas’ teacher shortage worse
Toward the end of the last school year, Tomas Garcia made the difficult but, in his mind, right decision to leave teaching after 15 years. Like countless other educators, Garcia has loved the … more
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Senate Bill 1 is a far-reaching rewrite of the state’s election code that further tightens voting-by-mail rules, reins in local efforts to expand voting options, bolsters access for partisan poll watchers and sets new rules — and possible criminal penalties — for those who assist voters in casting their ballots. Harris County joined a coalition of community and advocacy groups filing lawsuits over Senate Bill 1, arguing the far-reaching rewrite of Texas voting laws violates the U.S. Constitution and numerous federal laws and will suppress voters.
Before the legislation is even signed, Texas’ new voting rules face two federal lawsuits
The top elections official in Harris County and a host of organizations that serve Texans of color and Texans with disabilities have fired the opening salvos in what’s expected to be an … more
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Just weeks into the school year, dozens of Texas school districts have had to close due to COVID-19 cases. Caseloads have left districts scrambling when many have said they have fewer tools at their disposal to combat the spread of the virus.
At least 45 districts shut down in-person classes due to COVID-19 cases
At least 45 small school districts across Texas have been forced to temporarily stop offering in-person classes as a result of COVID-19 cases in the first few weeks of the new school year, according … more
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Backups of traffic on the Grand Parkway between I-10 and FM 1093 during rush hour may be mitigated in the next few years as the Texas Department of Transportation adds one lane in each direction and other improvements in order to mitigate traffic. Additionally, Fort Bend County officials are working to improve the access roads on the southern portion of the parkway.
TxDOT holds public hearing on improvements to Grand Pkwy. between I-10 and FM 1093
The Texas Department of Transportation is holding a series of public hearings regarding proposed improvements to the Grand Parkways between I-10 and FM 1093. Suggested upgrades to the roadway are … more
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Senate Bill 8 would prohibit abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy, whenever an ultrasound can detect cardiac activity. One abortion provider said it was “engulfed” in treating more than 100 patients at one clinic before the law took effect Wednesday.
Texas law banning abortion as early as six weeks goes into effect
One of the nation's most restrictive abortion bills — which bans abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy — took effect at midnight after the U.S. Supreme Court did not take action … more
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Day one of early voting in El Paso at the Sunland Park Mall indoor voting site on Oct. 13, 2020. Senate Bill 1 rewrites Texas election laws to further restrict the voting-by-mail process and outlaw local voting initiatives meant to widen access, namely those pushed by Harris County that were disproportionately used by voters of color.
Texas elections bill headed to Abbott's desk
A wave of changes to Texas elections, including new voting restrictions, is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Three months after House Democrats first broke quorum to stymie a previous … more
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Texas Medical Center Hospitals such as the Memorial Hermann Hospital System are reporting that they are overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. However, data from the TMC indicates a possible reduction in upcoming cases. The effective reproduction rate, which is ideally less than 1.0, is at 0.65 as of Aug. 29 but was at 1.04 last week. Concurrently, 14.9% of COVID-19 tests are positive, matching the prior week’s test rate for Sunday.
Capital Highlights: Elections bill passes House along party lines and 4 other Texas-sized issues
The Texas House approved an elections bill Friday along party lines with 21 Democrats declining to participate. The bill, slightly different from previously passed Senate legislation, now heads a … more
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The Texas Comptrollers Office has created the Broadband Development Office. The move comes after many rural Texans struggled with trying to get a solid connection for online schooling and remote work over the last 18 months.
Comptroller Hegar announces Broadband Development Office
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced last week that his agency will operate a newly created Broadband Development Office. The BDO will award grants, low-interest loans and other financial … more
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Proponents of Senate Bill 15 have largely touted it as a measure with enough guardrails to make sure students succeed while learning remotely and to help those who might fall through the cracks. The bill, which would provide funding through September 2023, needs final approval from the House before it heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
TX House works to fund limited virtual learning options as return to normal thwarted by delta variant
After months in limbo, Texas lawmakers took a step toward expanding and funding virtual learning as the pandemic still proves a threat to families not yet comfortable sending their children back to … more
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Students’ backpacks hang on their chairs in an empty classroom at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos. The measure would allow for a one-time payment of up to $2,400 for retired teachers, counselors and other school staff.
Retired Texas teachers closer to getting a “13th check” after House endorses legislation
After months of political wrangling, the Texas House has advanced a bill that could give retired teachers, counselors and other school staff a one-time payment of up to $2,400. Senate Bill 7, … more
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The last of the extended assistance will be given through the week ending Sept. 11, the Texas Workforce Commission announced Thursday. The Texas Workforce Commission announced that the U.S. Department of Labor notified the commission that the state’s unemployment rate fell below the threshold needed to continue the benefits.
Extended unemployment benefits for jobless Texans to end in September
Texas will soon stop paying extended benefits because of a decline in the state’s unemployment rate, the Texas Workforce Commission announced Thursday. The state has historically given … more
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Dave DeJohn, a teacher at Yates High School, gets vaccinated by pharmacist Ilana Druker at Houston Independent School District’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. Harris County is now offering $100 incentives for people to get their first shot. Other city and county governments in Texas are offering incentives to unvaccinated people to get a shot. Statewide, vaccination rates have increased modestly.
Harris Co. saw a sixfold jump in vaccine rates after offering $100 for first doses
A week after public health officials in Texas’ most populous county started handing out $100 cash cards to locals getting their first COVID-19 shot, the number of daily vaccinations has shot up … more
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Hybrid Rubber-Tired Gantry Cranes arriving to Bayport Container Terminal in Port Houston.
Port Houston volume sets new record in July - again
Port Houston reached new heights with its biggest month ever recorded for container twenty-foot-equivalent units, according to a press release from the port. This July Port Houston recorded … more
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Work is once again underway as the Texas House has established a quorum for its special session after House Democrats prevented a quorum in protest of a proposed elections bill they say will disenfranchise many Texas voters.
Delta variant continues to spur COVID-19 case rise, and 3 other Texas-sized issues
The number of new cases of COVID-19 in the state continues to rise steeply, with 125,033 reported in the past week, along with 937 deaths. New cases in Texas were up 27% compared to the previous week … more
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Gov. Greg Abbott said he tested negative for COVID-19 on Saturday, four days after a positive diagnosis. The governor credited his vaccination for keeping his infection "brief and mild" and encouraged others to consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Abbott tests negative for COVID-19 four days after positive test
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has now tested negative for COVID-19, he announced Saturday, just four days after testing positive for the virus. “I am told that my infection was brief and … more
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Fort Bend County Judge KP George speaks at a press conference shortly after noon on Friday, Aug. 20. George has ordered that masks be worn in Fort Bend County-run facilities and schools.
Ft. Bend judge issues injunction against Abbott’s executive order restricting mask mandates
An injunction was granted by the 434th District Court of Texas granting an injunction upholding Fort Bend County’s order on wearing masks in county buildings, the office of Fort Bend County … more
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