Tag Archives: Texas Legislature
City Council condemns anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed one of its most extreme anti-immigrant laws yet: Senate Bill 4, which gives law enforcement the ability to arrest and hold people suspected of having entered Texas illegally. As the law’s enforcement still hangs…
City Council • By Lina Fisher • Sep 3, 2024
Commission drills down on what disannexation could mean for area water quality
Though the city’s current water quality monitoring system has been in place for an impressive 30 years, changes at the state Legislature mean a change at the city level as well. Andrew Clamann, who works for the Watershed Protection Department…
Water • By Elizabeth Pagano • Aug 13, 2024
Texas attorney general threatens Austin over City Council's effort to protect health care for transgender people
Shortly after City Council acted Thursday to protect transgender people from discriminatory health care laws, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a threatening statement, vowing to “consider every possible response to ensure compliance” with state law prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors.…
City Council • By Amy Smith • May 3, 2024
Why is someone suing to get Travis County DA José Garza out of office – and what comes next?
A Travis County resident is trying to remove District Attorney José Garza from office. Betsy Dupuis filed a lawsuit Friday under House Bill 17, which allows anyone in a county to try to remove that county’s top prosecutor. Her complaint is similar…
Travis County • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Apr 23, 2024
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Austin-area schools overwhelmingly reject hiring chaplains as counselors
State Rep. James Talarico, an Austin Democrat, praised school boards across Texas on Thursday for rejecting a Republican-led effort to let religious chaplains provide mental health services to students. “We are here to celebrate an important victory in the fight against…
Education • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Mar 4, 2024
Lost Creek, five other areas to vote on leaving the city
Texas Republicans and Democrats will be going to the polls on March 5 to select their candidates for the November election. But another election is coming in May, and the only people who get a chance to vote in it…
Planning • By Jo Clifton • Feb 8, 2024
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CEO of Austin-based BookPeople 'ecstatic' over decision blocking law that restricts library books
The CEO of BookPeople said she is “ecstatic” the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday blocked a Texas law that sought to restrict which books are available in school libraries. “I’m so, so happy that they upheld the lower court’s…
Courts • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Jan 18, 2024
New law means parkland funds will drop drastically
The amount of parkland dedication fees City Council can collect starting on Jan. 1 will be severely limited, two principal planners for the Parks and Recreation Department told Council at Tuesday’s work session. Robynne Heymans and Scott Grantham explained that…
Parks • By Jo Clifton • Nov 9, 2023
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Rural schools near Austin say they feel left behind as governor pushes for vouchers
For Randy Willis, public schools are crucial to rural communities. “I think the rural schools are the heart of Texas. They’re the backbone of Texas,” he said. Willis is the executive director of the Texas Association of Rural Schools, which represents…
Education • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Oct 26, 2023
A new Texas law could get prosecutors fired for not pursuing charges. Here’s how it works.
A new state law could lead to the firing of elected prosecutors who refuse to take on certain crimes like low-level pot offenses. Supporters of the law say these “rogue” prosecutors should be thrown out of office. Opponents say the…
Courts • By Andrew Weber, KUT • Oct 11, 2023
Council approves development changes as required by state law
With several new state laws going into effect on Friday, Sept. 1, Austin City Council approved some significant changes to the rules governing the city’s Development Services Department this past Thursday. Most of those changes are aimed at making it…
Development • By Jo Clifton • Sep 7, 2023
Integral Care, Austin's largest mental health care provider, approves 48 layoffs in next budget
Integral Care, the mental health authority for Austin-Travis County, voted Thursday to approve a budget that eliminates nearly 10 percent of its positions. Along with the 48 individuals who were identified for layoffs, 67 vacant positions were also cut. Employees…
