updated Mon. November 1, 2021
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Corpus Christi Caller-Times
March 9, 2018
AUSTIN – With the first round of the Texas primaries in the rearview mirror, the political spotlight shifts to the May 22 runoffs where there are fewer races to watch and fewer candidates to follow. The battle ... John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. ContactÃÂ ...
Houston Public Media
March 9, 2018
Sen. Cornyn addresses the Senate on Oct. 10, chastising the president and Democrats for stalling bills to open portions of the federal government. Texas' leading senator in Washington D.C. echoes the worries of other Texas Republicans that President Trump's plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminumÃÂ ...
Fort Worth Star Telegram
March 9, 2018
Yes, fewer Democrats than Republicans voted in the primary this year, despite growing activism and continued frustration with Republican President Donald Trump. But the Democratic turnout this year was double what it was in the last midterm election in Texas and in Tarrant County, one of the reddestÃÂ ...
U.S. News & World Report
March 9, 2018
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the U.S. government of broadly separating immigrant families seeking asylum. ... was given a roughly 25-day sentence jail sentence for illegally entering the country and then placed in immigration detention facilities in West Texas,ÃÂ ...
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
March 9, 2018
Shining light on government to hold it accountable is hardly a new idea. In fact, Texas was a national leader in this realm for more than 40 years. Sadly, the flow of public information in this huge state is slipping from the sunshine into the shadows. Some state leaders have been dimming the lights, ensuringÃÂ ...
Lincoln Journal Star
March 8, 2018
In this March 6, 2018, photo, Lizzie Pannill Fletcher and her husband, Scott Fletcher, walk out of the polling place at St. Anne's Catholic Church after voting in the primary election in Houston. Democrats are salivating at the prospect of flipping a wealthy Houston enclave that has been solidly RepublicanÃÂ ...
NMPolitics.net
March 8, 2018
Historically, Texas has received about 43 percent of the river's water. But New Mexico has disrupted that ratio in recent years by pumping more groundwater — a method that has become vastly more common in the last several decades. In 2014, the federal government joined Texas' argument, filing similarÃÂ ...
WTOP
March 8, 2018
Republicans still won the turnout battle in Texas by a half-million votes. The brightest star on the ballot for Democrats, Senate challenger Beto O'Rourke, revealed weak spots after letting two primary rivals take 38 percent of the vote. And he's the biggest draw on a Democratic ballot that is otherwise litteredÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
December 31, 1999
In the fight against New Mexico over the critical Rio Grande water supply, Texas has the federal government on its side. And the feds can stay there, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday morning in a victory for Texas. Monday's unanimous ruling decides one narrow question in a five-year-old suit over theÃÂ ...
ABC News
February 23, 2018
Repairs to houses also are running months behind the pace following 2012's Super Storm Sandy and lower-profile disasters like Baton Rouge flooding in 2016. Only 3,500 homes have been repaired in one Texas quick-fix program. A Government Accountability Office report showed nearly 19,000 repairedÃÂ ...
Houston Public Media
February 23, 2018
State and local governments are getting higher grades than the federal government for their responses to Hurricane Harvey, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Overall, all three levels of government are getting more good marks than bad. Local governments are the favorites here,ÃÂ ...
TechRepublic
February 23, 2018
The lawsuit has raised questions about the limits of the government's power to conduct security surveillance on private property, and the role of low-cost, Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices in surveillance efforts. The use of technology such as drones in surveillance has gained national scrutiny inÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
February 22, 2018
The mailer purports to come from the “Texas Ethics Disclosure Board,” an official-sounding name that Empower Texans registered with the Secretary of State's office late last month. There is no such government agency, though there is a Texas Ethics Commission that polices campaign and lobbyistÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
February 21, 2018
The governor said Texas gun safety standards should be reviewed to see whether they need updating. He added that government leaders need to empower local law enforcement to recognize “red flags.” Abbott's comments came six days after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School inÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
February 21, 2018
Two female Texas A&M University professors who say they were denied a chance to become foster parents for refugee children because they didn't "mirror the Holy Family” have sued the federal government and a Catholic group contracted by the government to administer a refugee program. In a lawsuitÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
February 18, 2018
Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is aligning with President Donald Trump in highlighting the lack of evidence in recently issued indictments that Russia's government colluded with Trump's 2016 campaign to influence the election. "On the face of these indictments, they say that the American side of it was unwitting — thatÃÂ ...
Brownsville Herald
February 18, 2018
As a result, the bill gave tax benefits and tax-exempt bonds to state and local governments that he said leave tribal government at a disadvantage. "This inequity significantly handicaps tribal authority to provide much-needed government revenue for tribal programs and infrastructure and prevents economicÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
February 17, 2018
Those statements set the stage for the next fight over local control in the Texas Capitol. The conservative state government and the more liberal big cities have been at odds in recent years over issues like plastic bag bans, ordinances regulating who can cut down certain trees and regulations forÃÂ ...
Fort Worth Star Telegram
February 15, 2018
"Last year we focused on rights," Libby Willis, a Democratic activist and neighborhood leader who ran for Texas Senate District 10 in 2014, told the crowd in ... Shortly after Barack Obama became president in 2009, Republicans across the country were frustrated with how government was being run.
Texas Tribune
February 15, 2018
The Texas Attorney General's Office handbook on the state's public information law says that a governmental body must produce public information ... Justin Gordon, head of the attorney general's office's open records division, said government bodies can't wait out the clock to release public information.
WTOP
February 12, 2018
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge is hearing arguments on whether Texas' statewide elections to choose judges for its highest criminal and civil courts violate the Voting Rights Act by deliberately diluting Hispanic voting power. A coalition of Hispanic and civil rights advocates has sued and is seekingÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
February 9, 2018
The hold, which blocked Vought's nomination from getting the Senate confirmation it needed, was widely interpreted as a salvo at the White House and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney for not having strongly supported sufficient disaster relief funding for Texas last year following the storm. Most TexansÃÂ ...
KSAT San Antonio
February 8, 2018
Texas State students call for ouster of student body president at raucous, heated meeting ... SAN MARCOS, Texas - Hundreds of students at Texas State University in San Marcos attended a heated student government meeting Monday to call for the resignation of student body President Connor Clegg.
Texas Tribune
February 7, 2018
Ramirez is one of the 23 million people — including 1.3 million Texans — who may lose access to community health centers in the next several weeks if the federal government doesn't renew funding for them. Federal funds provide 70 percent of community health centers' support, but Congress allowed theÃÂ ...
KTRK-TV
February 7, 2018
The phrase 'Eminent Domain' continues to come up in ongoing discussions in Texas about issues such as the border wall President Trump wants to build along the U.S.-Mexico border and the Texas Bullet Train, where some residents are worried about how the proposed route might affect their property.
McClatchy Washington Bureau
February 7, 2018
The government could endure another partial shutdown after Thursday if no funding plan is approved. But Senate Democratic and Republican leaders were eying a compromise that would deal with spending for the next two years, and the Senate is likely to consider immigration ideas on the floor later thisÃÂ ...
WTOP
February 7, 2018
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Donald Trump Jr. has endorsed George P. Bush's re-election bid for Texas land commissioner, repaying Bush for breaking with his powerful political ... The president's oldest son tweeted Tuesday that “Texas conservatives have a clear choice: Bush for Texas Land Commissioner.”.
MyStatesman.com
February 6, 2018
Reshma Kirpalani On Mon. Feb. 5, 2018, over 100 students gathered at a student body hearing at Texas State University. Many students were there to protest against student body president Connor Clegg because of his 2014 and 2017 Instagram posts, which the group believes are racist. (RESHMAÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
January 31, 2018
Republicans could hardly be more dominant in Texas government than they are today — than they have been, in fact, for the last decade. They've passed a remarkable amount of remarkably conservative legislation. And to think they did all of that with a legislative leader that the purists call a RINO — aÃÂ ...
Magnoliareporter
January 31, 2018
Freeman is a native of Lufkin, TX. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications and a bachelor of arts in business administration in management from Southern Arkansas University. He holds a master's degree in public administration in government and policy from Grand Canyon University.
TribTalk
January 30, 2018
Chris Christie may get much of the media attention, grassroots Republicans of all ages are pushing for real medical freedom and smaller government. While campaigning in Colorado, then-nominee Donald Trump said he believed in medical marijuana and that legalization for other uses should be left to theÃÂ ...
Texas Standard
January 26, 2018
Continuing resolutions now fund all the spending of government, especially the Pentagon. “It's about as inefficient as you can get in actually trying to plan ahead, and actually govern on a weekly, monthly, or annual basis,” Samuelsohn says. When Congress governs by CR, it means that the previous budgetÃÂ ...
The Texas Monitor
January 26, 2018
The Texas congressional delegation fell flat in supporting open and effective government in 2017, according to a website that tracks such legislation. In the annual congressional report cards for 2017, GovTrack.us scored no member of the U.S. House from Texas higher than 92nd. 11 members tied forÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
January 20, 2018
Most national parks in Texas remain open over the weekend despite the federal government shutdown, but visitors can still expect to see consequences of Congress' failure to pass a spending bill Friday night. Big Bend National Park remained open to visitors Saturday, but the visitor center was closed.
KXAN.com
January 19, 2018
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As of Friday morning, a government shutdown remains a possibility despite some movement inside Congress. The deadline for lawmakers to vote is midnight. The Senate will be back in session Friday, but has not scheduled a vote on the temporary bill the House passed Thursday nightÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
January 19, 2018
The development means that many government services will soon likely not be available to Texans. In past shutdowns, national parks in Texas have closed and the public has faced difficulties accessing government programs. At the same time, Social Security checks will still be mailed, and the governmentÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
January 18, 2018
The U.S. government teetered on the edge of a shutdown on Thursday as players from both parties tried to leverage those issues into passing a spending a bill. But once again, Hurricane Harvey disaster funding seemed to fall by the wayside in Congress as the two chambers scrambled to avert anotherÃÂ ...
Chron.com
January 17, 2018
AUSTIN - Texans will feel little to no immediate impact if the federal government shuts down Friday, according to several state and federal agencies. Funding to keep the federal government running is set to run out midnight Friday unless Congress passes a new spending bill. Republicans expressedÃÂ ...
Chron.com
January 17, 2018
AUSTIN - Texans will feel little to no immediate impact if the federal government shuts down Friday, according to several state and federal agencies. Funding to keep the federal government running is set to run out midnight Friday unless Congress passes a new spending bill. Republicans expressedÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
January 17, 2018
Hey, Texplainer: Which Texas services will stop and which will continue if the federal government shuts down? The short answer is that it depends on what is classified as “essential.” Anything related to national security and public safety — such as the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department ofÃÂ ...
Houston Public Media
January 5, 2018
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Anti-Defamation League and the Interfaith Alliance Foundation penned a letter this month opposing the Texas churches' lawsuit. While the federal government is allowed to reimburse religious groups for the secular emergency services they provide,ÃÂ ...
Wichita Eagle
January 5, 2018
Texas Republicans have more at stake than anyone as Washington's border security deliberations drag on. Eleven months from Election Day, they say the White House has paralyzed their ability to motivate their base. Without bolstered border security, Texas GOP strategists fear their voters could stayÃÂ ...
Fort Worth Star Telegram
January 5, 2018
John W. Duncan doesn't lead off campaign events with the disclaimer, "Hey, I'm the gay candidate." In 2018, that's not necessary, not even in Texas, where state legislators last session tried to make it legal to decline adoption services to gay couples, and separately to deny them marriage licenses onÃÂ ...
Dallas News (blog)
January 5, 2018
“You got a booming Texas population and taxpayers expect their government services to actually function and be there when you need it,” Hutchinson said. “But when you don't have enough people to do the work, it won't happen.” The state population recently surpassed the 28 million mark, but the rateÃÂ ...
San Antonio Express-News
January 5, 2018
Cornyn said he does not expect to see more funding devoted to Texas in the current aid proposal, even if Congress passes it as part of a deal to avert a government shutdown. “We're not really talking about changing the top line,” he said. “But that may change as people want more money for Puerto Rico.”.
Texas Tribune
January 4, 2018
The change is being applauded by state leaders and churches that had been pushing for access to the funds. Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton said FEMA's shift "averts the federal government violating the constitutional rights of those who continue to play a vital role in helping Texans get back onÃÂ ...
Texas Tribune
January 4, 2018
So far, the state is leaning hard on the federal government to fix what Harvey broke. Despite enduring the rainiest day in recorded history — up to 50 inches fell in parts of Houston at Harvey's peak — Texas' top leaders have resisted tapping the so-called Rainy Day Fund (which currently stands at aboutÃÂ ...
Dallas News (blog)
January 4, 2018
Trump likely to undo Obama-era transgender prisoners policy, ending Texas court battle ... During President Barack Obama's tenure, the federal government fought hard for the rights of LGBT Americans and crafted policies, regulations and laws across several agencies that protect trans men and women.
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
January 4, 2018
The former governor tapped the Corpus Christi native to run the Texas Water Development Board. ... As governor, Perry named Bruun to chair the Texas Water Development Board. The move came as ... John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact himÃÂ ...
Sherman Denison Herald Democrat
January 4, 2018
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, the Anti-Defamation League and the Interfaith Alliance Foundation penned a letter this month opposing the Texas churches' lawsuit. While the federal government is allowed to reimburse religious groups for the secular emergency services they provide,ÃÂ ...
