Texas is projected to lose $3.2 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years due to an exemption for the state’s data center industry, prompting lawmakers to consider proposals to limit or repeal the tax break.
Category: Texas Tribune
Posted inTexas Tribune
Texas Students Demand Diverse Perspectives in Social Studies Curriculum
Students are calling for Texas’ social studies standards to be revised to include diverse perspectives and promote critical thinking, rather than prioritizing memorization and political agendas.
Posted inTexas Tribune
New Texas Laws Create Fear and Uncertainty for Noncitizens
Texas Republicans have enacted sweeping regulatory and legal changes that have upended the lives of noncitizens, limiting access to occupational licenses, car registration, commercial driver’s licenses, in-state tuition, and other services, causing fear and uncertainty among the 1.7 million people without documentation in Texas.
Posted inTexas Tribune
Texas School Vouchers Spark Debate over Equity and Outcomes for Black Students
Texas’ Black students face unequal academic support and discipline, and while some believe the state’s new voucher program will help them, others worry it will drain money from public schools and benefit majority-white private schools.
Posted inTexas Tribune
Trump Issues Executive Order on Elections, Sparking Legal Challenges
President Donald Trump issued an executive order giving the U.S. Postal Service unprecedented oversight over mail-in voting, which experts say is unlikely to be implemented in time for the November election and will likely face legal challenges.
Posted inTexas Tribune
Thousands of Texas Students Lose College Credits, Costing Time and Money
Thousands of Texas community college students are losing transfer credits each year, resulting in increased education costs and delayed graduation, due to courses not counting towards their degree or not meeting grade requirements.
Posted inTexas Tribune
Texas Prisons Face Trial over Lack of Air Conditioning
A trial is set to begin in Austin over the lack of air conditioning in Texas prisons, which a federal judge ruled is “plainly unconstitutional” and has led to the deaths of at least 23 inmates since 1998.
Posted inTexas Tribune
Thousands of Dallas County Voters Redirected to Wrong Polling Locations
Dallas County data shows that at least 12,674 voters were redirected to the correct polling locations after the county GOP forced the elimination of countywide polling sites on election day, resulting in confusion for voters of both parties.
Posted inTexas Tribune
University of North Texas Cuts Linguistics Degrees and Women’s Studies Program
The University of North Texas is cutting or consolidating more than 70 academic programs, minors and certificates in order to close a $45 million budget shortfall, including phasing out its linguistics degrees and eliminating a women’s and gender studies master’s program.
Posted inTexas Tribune
Autonomous Vehicle Incident Raises Safety Concerns as Driverless Cars Expand in Texas
An autonomous vehicle blocked an ambulance from reaching the scene of a shooting in downtown Austin, sparking concerns about the safety of self-driving cars and prompting cities to develop protocols for dealing with them.