Deadline: Redistricting, Abortion Bills, More Have Week Left at Lege
Seven days remain in the current Texas special legislative session. Lawmakers are not finished debating bills on redistricting, abortion, transportation and criminal justice.
View ArticleHundreds Denied Chance to Speak at Texas Capitol Abortion Hearing
Hundreds of people who had signed up to testify at a Texas House Committee hearing on abortion restrictions yesterday didn’t get to speak. Committee Chairman Byron Cook closed testimony after 3 a.m....
View ArticleWendy Davis Filibuster Ends; Abortion Bill Defeated (Update)
Update: It's clear this morning that the vote to pass SB 5 came too late. The filibuster by State Sen. Wendy Davis was successful. Davis took to twitter with the news:Thanks to the powerful voices of...
View ArticleHow Cheering Activists Defeated the Texas Abortion Bill
Hundreds of supporters in orange shirts were at the Texas Capitol throughout the day on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, hoping to watch State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, successfully filibuster...
View ArticleRules Fight Looms Over Texas Legislature's Latest Special Session
Gov. Rick Perry is fond of special sessions. Since 2000, he's called for 11 special sessions as governor. And, after the legislative fireworks in the final hours of the last special session, Gov. Perry...
View ArticleAs New Special Session Starts, So Does Debate Over 'Blocker Bills'
In the Texas legislature, every rosebush has a thorn.So-called rosebush bills, or blocker bills, have a unique role that allow senators to delay a debate on a bill, or block a bill’s movement...
View ArticleTuition Revenue Bond Bill Refiled - But Will It Go Anywhere?
State Senator Kel Seliger re-filed a bill that would provide $2.7 billion dollars to public universities for infrastructure improvements.But he's not confident that Gov. Rick Perry will add the bill to...
View ArticleTexas Senators Wrap Abortion Testimony After March, Rally (Photos)
For the first time since State Sen. Wendy Davis' historic Senate filibuster last month, Texas senators revisited the abortion debate at a committee hearing that ended at almost 2 a.m. Tuesday.There...
View ArticleSenate Committee Wraps Testimony on Texas Abortion Bill
Update: The Senate Health & Human Services Committee public hearing on Senate Bill 1 wrapped up just before 2 a.m. Tuesday. Senators did not vote on the bill.Read the latest from KUT's Veronica...
View ArticleComprehensive Sex Ed Proposed in Response to Texas Abortion Debate
Texas has one of the highest teen birth rates in the country. According to a recent study by the Guttmacher Institute, in 2008, Texan teens had 85 pregnancies per 1,000 women 15-19 years old.And while...
View ArticleHere's What Can Get You Kicked Out of the Texas Capitol
Decorum is the word these past few weeks at the Texas Capitol.In the Legislature's special sessions, protest has been vocal - both outside the Capitol dome and in House and Senate chambers. Today in...
View ArticleBoth Sides on Texas Abortion Bill Welcome Future Legal Challenges
A familiar sound filled the Texas House on Wednesday morning – the voting bell, applause and protesters.House Bill 2 passed, 96 to 49 nays, and it's also expected to pass the Senate, late this week or...
View ArticlePublic Input Sought for Rules on Texas Abortion Clinics' Upgrade
Now that House Bill 2 has passed and awaits Governor Rick Perry’s signature, a long process will begin to determine how the new, stricter standards for abortion clinics will be implemented. The Texas...
View ArticleGov. Perry Signs Texas' Sweeping Abortion Bill Into Law
Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed a controversial bill into law this morning."It is a happy, celebratory day, and so many of you in this audience are the reason we're here today," Perry said. "In signing...
View ArticleGov. Perry Calls Third Special Session of Texas Legislature
Just over an hour after lawmakers ended their second 30-day special session of the year, Gov. Rick Perry called lawmakers back for a third one, with transportation funding the only issue on the...
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