June, 2019

• 2 June

  Report: Texas losing ground on children’s health coverage

  

  AUSTIN – After more than a decade of progress getting health coverage for more children in the U.S., a new report shows that nationally, more than 800,000 fewer children were enrolled in federal health programs …

May, 2019

• 30 May

  Report: Many Texas teachers moonlight to make ends meet

  

  AUSTIN – A new report puts a spotlight on the economic stress facing people who choose a career in teaching. According to the Economic Policy Institute, nearly six out of ten teachers nationwide turn to “moonlighting” …
• 15 May

  Texas Moves to Bring Clarity to Drug Pricing

  

  AUSTIN – Texas lawmakers are showing overwhelming support so far for legislation that AARP says would be one of the strongest dr ug-price transparency measures in the country. House Bill 2536 is in the hands …

April, 2019

• 25 April

  Texas Teacher Shortage Linked to Low Wages, Oversized Classes

  

  AUSTIN – Texas teachers earned more than 22 percent less in weekly wages than similar college graduates in 2018, after accounting for education, experience and other factors, according to a new Economic Policy Institute report. Report …

January, 2019

• 2 January

  AARP Warns of ‘Sticker Shock’ at Freestanding ERs

  

  Confusion by Texas consumers over freestanding emergency rooms has left many families with unexpected and unnecessary high medical bills. A new AARP survey of Texas freestanding ERs finds that, unlike urgent care clinics, many of freestanding ER …

December, 2018

• 12 December

  Groups Rally to Help Texans Get Health Coverage Before Saturday Deadline

  

  AUSTIN – To enroll for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, Texans must sign up at Healthcare.gov by no later than this Saturday. Stacey Pogue, senior policy analyst for the Center for Public Policy …

June, 2018

• 19 June

  Texas House Speaker Straus Asks Trump to End Policy of Separating Immigrant Children

  

  Texas’ Republican House Speaker Joe Straus asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday to rescind the “zero tolerance” policy of his administration that has led to thousands of immigrant children being separated from their parents at the border. …

May, 2018

• 6 May

  Study: Texas Has High Rate of Food Insecurity, Hunger

  

  LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas ranks among the top states in the country for food insecurity, according to a new report, with more than 4.3 million people who may not know where their next meal is …

April, 2018

• 25 April

  Texas Law Blocks Teachers From Striking for Better Pay, Benefits

  

  AUSTIN – Statistics out this week show that teachers’ salaries in Texas now rank among the bottom third of all 50 states. Although teachers in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona have walked out or are …
• 17 April

  Study: Texas Foster Care System has High Teen Pregnancy Rate

  

  AUSTIN  – Teen girls in Texas foster care are almost five times more likely to become pregnant than other teens, according to a new study. The “Fostering Healthy Texas Lives” report says the high pregnancy …

March, 2018

• 19 March

  Study: Texas Needs Alternatives to Sending Women to Prison

  

  AUSTIN – Prison reform advocates say too many of the 12,000 women in Texas prisons don’t need to be behind bars. A study by the nonpartisan Texas Criminal Justice Coalition finds that more than two-thirds of the …

February, 2018

• 25 February

  LULAC Sues Texas, Others Over Electoral College Vote System

  

  SAN ANTONIO – A coalition of activists and attorneys is suing Texas and three other states over their “winner-take-all” system of allocating Electoral College votes. The goal is to overturn a practice that they claim …
• 14 February

  Study: Texas, U.S. Elections Vulnerable to Foreign Hacking

  

  DALLAS – When you cast your vote March 6 in the Texas primary, how will you know if your ballot is secure? A new study warns that most states – and particularly Texas – have …

January, 2018

• 21 January

  Texas Supreme Court to Settle Dispute Over Plastic Bag Ban

  

  AUSTIN – A decades-old dispute between Texas cities and state officials over plastic grocery bags has finally made its way to the state Supreme Court. At least 10 Texas cities, including Austin, Brownsville and Lardeo, …
• 8 January

  Texans Face New Voter ID Law for March 6 Primaries

  

  AUSTIN – When Texans head to the polls March 6 for the first primary of the 2018 midterm elections, they’ll face a new Voter ID law. That law, which went into effect Jan. 1, keeps …