EXCLUSIVE “Families and children are terrified” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents breaking into homes without warrants, Democratic state Rep. Josey Garcia, of San Antonio, told The Barbed Wire this week. That’s one of the reasons Garcia and 20 other Texas state representatives say they’ve signed a letter demanding that Congress enact serious agency reforms […]
Tag: Texas Capitol
Posted inPolitics
‘Women Have Always Been on the Front Lines.’ How Five Women at the Texas Capitol Stood Up to ‘Fascism.’
Tuesday morning, state Rep. Nicole Collier awoke from her seat on the floor of the Texas House, “bonnet and all,” after spending the night locked in the Capitol. It’s an image that will go down in history. In a photo posted online, the Fort Worth Democrat is wearing a dark blue eye mask and white […]
Posted inOpinion
Republicans Are Planning to Carve Up Texas Like a Christmas Ham. We Should All Be Pissed.
We should all be pissed. At President Trump’s behest, the Texas GOP released new proposed congressional maps Wednesday, and on the surface, they’re exactly what Republicans seemed to be hoping for: an aggressive gerrymander that, if passed, would more than likely deliver five additional seats to Republicans in Congress. To oversimplify a complicated process, Republicans’ […]
Posted inOpinion
Take from the Poor, Give to the Rich: Why School Vouchers Are a Scam
Ah, school vouchers. They’re like a coupon for 30% off, but only if the discount is covered by swiping your neighbor’s wallet. Texas is back at it again, folks. Last month, our state senate passed Senate Bill 2, which proposes giving families $10,000 in public funds per year, per student, through what Gov. Greg Abbott […]
Posted inNews
Hundreds of Texans Had Thoughts on School Voucher Scheme at Tense 23-Hour Capitol Hearing
If Texas lawmakers want to use taxpayer money to fund private education, they’re going to hear from a lot of concerned citizens. A contentious public hearing on the issue lasted almost 23 hours this week, as hundreds of people spoke to lawmakers. About 330 people registered for public testimony at the House Education Committee hearing […]
Posted inMoney
Texas Has $28 Billion in the Bank. What If We Spent Some of It?
You might not realize it, but Texas has a massive pile of cash — tens of billions of dollars, in fact. It’s known as the Economic Stabilization Fund (or the rainy day fund, as most people call it) and it’s one of the biggest of its kind in the country. And the fund, mostly fueled […]
Posted inPolitics
The Feds Found Sexual Abuse of Kids in Texas’ Juvenile Justice Department. Will the Legislature Act?
As disturbing as it was to read, an August report by the civil protection unit under President Joe Biden offered Texas’ criminal-justice reform community a sliver of hope. It confirmed some advocates’ pressing concerns. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department “uses excessive force on children” and “fails to prevent staff from sexually abusing children,” the 73-page […]
Posted inHealth
The True Cost of Texas’ Abortion Ban: Rising Deaths, Abandoned Babies, Fewer Doctors
What have the country’s most restrictive abortion laws meant for the women and babies living under them? That’s the million-dollar question posed over the last three years by reporters, health care providers, activists, academics, and, of course, the people who’ve had to navigate Texas’ tumultuous reproductive care landscape. Yet, Texas officials, particularly the politicians who […]
Posted inOpinion
The Wildest, Worst — and Best — Gun Laws Texas Politicians Want: A Comprehensive Guide
In the almost two centuries since the Battle of the Alamo, Texans’ love for guns has been well documented in dime-store novels and Hollywood westerns. However, in the Texas Capitol, the issue has become a political purity test that often prioritizes the whims of primary voters and special-interest groups over sound judgment and public safety. […]
Posted inOpinion
In Texas, Bipartisanship Is on Life Support. Republicans Could Pull the Plug.
It’s old hat to say everything is bigger in Texas. True connoisseurs know that things in the Lone Star State are also often wilder and weirder than what you see on the evening news. Every two weeks, Steven Monacelli will explore the dystopic, desperate, and despicable realities of contemporary Texas and channel the sense of […]