AUSTIN (KXAN) — At least two federal lawsuits filed in Texas aim to block a recent decision to ban noncompete clauses in workers' contracts, according to an employment attorney based in Austin. Austin Kaplan, who's the founder and managing attorney at the Kaplan Law Firm, said these legal challenges are why he's warning people who might think such an agreement no longer applies to them. Chamber, business groups sue FTC to block noncompete ban "If you signed a noncompete, you must take it seriously and assume you are still bound by it," Kaplan said Wednesday. "My recommendation is to talk to an ..read more

UVALDE, Texas (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Monday a $34 million initiative aimed at bolstering mental health services in Uvalde. Construction for a new behavioral health campus in Uvalde is expected to begin later this year, according to a press release from the governor's office. The project aims to help children and adults grappling with mental health crises in Uvalde and across 32 counties in the surrounding area. The proposed facility will include a 16-bed crisis unit for adults and a dedicated wing for youths, featuring a 16-bed crisis unit tailored for children and adolescen ..read more

Editor's note: The above video shows KXAN News' top morning headlines from Monday, April 22, 2024. AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- A coalition of advocates and attorneys are suing the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, accusing the nation's largest prison system of exposing more than 85,000 prisoners to "tortuous heat conditions." The lawsuit asks the U.S. District Court in Travis County to find the conditions inside uncooled TDCJ prisons unconstitutional and mandate air conditioning to keep temperatures at or below 85 degrees. “Letting people suffer or die in prisons because of dangerous temperatures ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A federal appeals court agreed to temporarily excuse Texas from paying $100,000 per day over failures in the state’s foster care system.  Last week, U.S. District Judge Janis Jack found Texas in contempt of court for violating two of her previous orders in the longstanding lawsuit. Attorneys representing Gov. Greg Abbott and leadership at the Health and Human Services Commission and the Department of Family and Protective Services then asked for a stay, arguing their clients “have worked tirelessly to safeguard the welfare of the children in their care” and to comp ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN) — After a Texas law banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities in the state, the University of Texas at Austin canceled several minority graduation events it had previously hosted for several years. This news was dropped on minority students around three months before the May 8 graduation weekend, leaving those communities to self-organize their own celebrations without any assistance from the school or its faculty. Texas DEI law closes campus LGBTQ+ centers. Here’s the student impact Elizabeth Muench, a UT Austin graduate student, is grateful for assis ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Dallas Congressman Colin Allred raised more than $9.5 million in this year's first quarter, outraising U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in the race for his seat. This year, Cruz has raised $6.9 million in the first quarter, according to new filings with the Federal Elections Commission. Allred is also surpassing the numbers Beto O'Rourke was bringing in at this stage of his campaign in 2018, when the El Paso Democrat ran the most competitive statewide campaign for his party in decades. During the first quarter of 2018, O’Rourke raised over $6.7 million in his race against Cruz, but u ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An effort to extend some protections to transgender Austinites and their ability to seek gender-affirming medical care will receive its first vote Monday evening. The City of Austin's LGBTQIA+ Quality of Life Advisory Commission is set to consider a resolution during its meeting, which will also include a town hall about an LGBTQIA+ Cultural Center and a discussion about the potential need for one. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the city's Permitting and Development Center located at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr. in north Austin. Council Member Chito Vela of District 4 is introduc ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Mitch Little is the GOP candidate for state House District 65, northwest of Dallas. He will face Democrat Detrick Deburr in the November election, but Little is favored to win in the Republican-leaning district. With expectations that he'll be in the House in January, Little is signing the “Contract with Texas” — a commitment to procedural changes that some House conservatives say will make the chamber more efficient in passing conservative priorities. Little, who served as a lawyer for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial, discussed the contra ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Both chambers of the Texas legislature are facing new pressures concerning their priorities in next year’s session.  Lt. Governor Dan Patrick gave State Senators 57 items to study on his list of interim charges.  Come January 2025, the Senate will hit the ground running at the start of the 89th Legislative Session,” said Patrick in an online statement. “The priorities of the conservative majority of Texans will be accomplished, including school choice, continued property tax relief, and strengthening the power grid.” Patrick says the list was determined by rev ..read more

(Texas Tribune) — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick put improving housing affordability, fighting antisemitism on college campuses and examining charitable bail organizations among 57 items on a to-do list for senators before the next legislative session begins in January. Patrick, who oversees the Senate and wields tremendous power over bills passed into law, said the list was whittled from hundreds of ideas submitted from the state’s 31 senators, which the lieutenant governor reviewed with his staff. “Come January 2025, the Senate will hit the ground running at the start of the 89th Legislative Session ..read more