House Democrats are moving to protect access to abortion pills after a federal judge in Texas blocked the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, a drug that can be used for abortions and to manage early miscarriages. Reps. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas) reintroduced the Protecting Reproductive Freedom Act on Monday, which would reaffirm the FDA’s approval authority for abortion medication over state laws. It would also protect doctors’ ability to provide abortion medication through telehealth. The legislation, which uses non-binding “Sense of Congress ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A federal campaign committee filed on Saturday titled 'Greg Abbott Presidential Campaign' was not created on behalf of the third-term Texas governor, a spokesperson with Abbott’s office told Nexstar Sunday. The campaign committee was filed with the Federal Election Commission on Saturday, which also happened to be April Fools' Day.  Renae Eze, communications director for the governor, confirmed to Nexstar via text that it was not filed by Abbott’s campaign. When asked to confirm or deny the campaign committee’s legitimacy, Eze said, "It’s not us," in a text to Nexstar ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- The Texas Senate Education Committee on Wednesday is considering a bill that would enforce "local community values" in school library books and could expose librarians to criminal penalties for harmful material in their libraries. Senate Bill 13 would create "school library advisory councils" tasked with ensuring "local community values are reflected in each school library catalog." Members of each council would be chosen by the school district's board of trustees. "The proposed legislation provides increased structure and transparency to the processes and standards for sch ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The LGBTQ+ community and allies rallied outside of the Texas Capitol Thursday morning to speak out against proposed legislation they say would be harmful to transgender Texans. Three bills the group mentioned in particular — SB 14, SB 250 and SB 1029 — were scheduled for a hearing Thursday in the Senate State Affair Committee ..read more

TEXAS (NEXSTAR) – If you accidentally kill a wild animal with your vehicle in Texas, do you have the right to take it home for dinner? Many states, like California, have certain exceptions about what animals can be picked up off the road and whether drivers are legally protected in doing so. Other states, like Louisiana, have made it illegal to collect roadkill entirely. Texas belongs to the latter camp, having completely outlawed the practice of picking up roadkill. Wildlife Public Information Officer Lerrin Johnson explained when an animal is killed by a vehicle on a roadway, that animal was ..read more

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Two years after a man killed 58 people in Las Vegas, the Trump administration banned bump stocks — a device the gunman used, which can enable a shooter to rapidly fire multiple rounds from semi-automatic weapons after an initial trigger pull. After several legal battles, Texans are now able to purchase them again.  Following the massacre, the Department of Justice amended the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to change the definition of “machine gun” to include bump stocks. Federal law largely prohibits “machine guns,” though a p ..read more

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) -- A Texas man whose ex-wife terminated her pregnancy is suing three women who assisted her under the state’s wrongful death statute, the first such case brought since the state’s near-total ban on abortion last summer. Marcus Silva is represented by Jonathan Mitchell, the former solicitor general of Texas and architect of the state’s prohibition on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. The lawsuit is filed in state court in Galveston County, where Silva lives. Silva alleges that his now ex-wife learned she was pregnant in July 2022, the month after the overturn ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) -- Marci Marie Simmons says one hug threw her into more than a month without human contact. Consoling a crying inmate violated a policy against touching other inmates, she claimed, and solitary confinement was the punishment. "She was sitting on the floor crying over some mail that she got. And I reached down and hugged the top of her shoulders. They saw that on camera. And they came," she recounted. "They came in handcuffed me and took me to solitary confinement. I was there the first time for 34 days over that infraction." Marci Marie Simmons during a family visitation. Her ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Anna Zargarian's lifelong dream of becoming a mother was shattered when her water broke about 20 weeks early, and her doctor said her baby would not survive outside of the womb. Physicians told Zargarian her pregnancy would have to be terminated in order to save her own life, but they could not provide that under Texas abortion laws. She is one of five Texas women suing the state after they say they were denied abortion access, despite having pregnancy complications that risked their lives or the life of their baby. "Finally, one doctor told me 'you're wasting your time tryi ..read more

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Top Texas Republicans agree property tax relief is their top priority, but remain sharply at odds about how to get it done. On Thursday, House Speaker Dade Phelan unveiled what he said would be "the largest property tax decrease in history of state of Texas." It's in House Bill 2, the coveted bill number carried by Ways and Means Committee Chair Morgan Meyer, R-Dallas ..read more