TX Legislature

The Texas winter storm of 2021 has been traumatic for our community. Texans were left without power for over four days, many still don’t have running water, and at least 80 people have died as a result of the disaster. It’s an act of nature compounded by...

February 25, 2021

Heroes and Zeroes of the Texas Freeze

The Texas Freeze that hit the state on President’s Day, 2021, was a devastating natural disaster made worse by conservative politics that shrugged off the policy and infrastructure needed to prepare for it. There’s no way to sugar coat it - the state...

February 11, 2021

Texas Republicans’ attack on Planned Parenthood is failing

Abortion Access

Texas Republican officials' lengthy attempt to restrict and deprive patients of having their healthcare services received at Planned Parenthood has once again been temporarily halted. In 2017, a lower court blocked the state from removing Planned...

February 9, 2021

Texas Legislature committee assignments a bad omen for voting rights

Elections

Last week, House Speaker Dade Phelan handed out committee assignments for lawmakers in the Texas Legislature, who can now begin the process of debating and passing bills. But for those who follow voting rights in Texas, the new assignments felt like a...

February 4, 2021

Rosie’s Law would help create the repro health future Texans need

Abortion Access

Although we recently celebrated the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, one thing is certain: abortion access is constantly under threat in Texas. But while Texas Republicans have filed multiple anti-abortion bills aimed at restricting reproductive health...

February 1, 2021

5 reasons why Greg Abbott isn’t pro-life just anti-abortion

Gov. Greg Abbott took the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade as an opportunity to express his anti-abortion rhetoric masked as concern for the lives of Texans, even stating his “committment to fostering a culture of life here in Texas.” Yet, his history of...

January 19, 2021

It’s time to end Confederate Heroes Day in Texas

On January 18th, Texans celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a remembrance of the country’s most famous activist for racial equality and civil rights. And on January 20th, Senator Kamala Harris will be inaugurated as the country’s first Black female...

January 11, 2021

4 ways to make your voice heard during the 2021 Texas legislative session

Editor’s Note: This piece will be updated as details come out about the process for testifying during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Texas legislative session begins today, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most historic and consequential sessions in...

January 4, 2021

The Legislature should fully fund public education as determined by educators

Economic Opportunity

This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman. Reprinted with permission. Let’s look at public education’s tumultuous year of 2020 through the eyes of a child. Imagine yourself as a sixth grader summoned to a Zoom-moderated school...

January 4, 2021

Texans must be heard this Legislative Session (Español)

Progress Texas Advocacy Manager Diana Gomez joins Telemundo to discuss the lack of public health precautions at our state’s capitol and how that will prevent Texans from advocating for themselves during the 2021 legislative session.

December 17, 2020

Top 10 Best and Worst Texans of 2020

This dumpster fire of a year had everything: a pandemic, an economic crisis, even political violence. But there were also some heroes along the way that helped us get through it. As we get ready to kick 2020 to the curb, here’s our annual look back on the...

December 15, 2020

Republicans hold up aid as hungry Texans wait hours in line for food

Texas made national headlines back in November and in April , when thousands of cars lined up at food distribution events. And as the coronavirus pandemic goes on and Texas Republican officials have failed to provide aid or leadership, millions of Texans...

December 14, 2020

Medicaid expansion is a moral imperative

This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman. Reprinted with permission. In her short story, “The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas,” Ursula K. Le Guin imagined a city of perpetual peace and harmony. There was only one catch. The...

December 10, 2020

Texas is broke. Reforming marijuana laws could help bridge our deficit.

Almost every day, someone’s name winds up in print, citing an overdose from pill addiction. As a whole, the United States loses almost 80,000 people to pills annually, and for some folks, they’re advocating for a better way to deal with pain, along with...

December 3, 2020

Bills We’re Watching in the 2021 Texas Legislative Session

Every two years, the Texas Legislature convenes for session. This 2021 legislative session is already vastly different as the coronavirus continues to change the everyday lives of Texans. While the session doesn’t officially start until January, pre-...

November 16, 2020

Let’s keep these innovations in our elections

Elections

This article originally appeared in the Austin American-Statesman. Reprinted with permission. If you make voting easier, more folks will vote. That shouldn’t be a forehead-slapping, eureka-producing insight. What took us so long to figure it out? Voters...

November 12, 2020

Our breakdown of the latest Supreme Court ACA case and why the law is critical for Texas

On Tuesday, just a week after Election Day, the Supreme Court heard arguments for the highly anticipated Affordable Care Act case, California v. Texas. With Amy Coney Barrett joining the bench and her public criticism of the ACA, many have expressed...

November 12, 2020

Abortion rights already threatened during first week of bill filing for 2021 Texas Legislature

Although Election Day seems like only yesterday, that hasn’t stopped the Texas GOP from jumping at the chance to file anti-abortion legislation. Since Monday, November 9th, the first day of pre-filing for the upcoming legislative session, there have been...

November 9, 2020

Get covered on healthcare.gov by Dec. 15

Economic Opportunity