News

Immigration: The first sign of relief from a terrible policy

On Feb. 25th, a group of 27 migrants were finally allowed to cross the Matamoros, MX/Brownsville,TX border in order to continue with their asylum proceedings here in the US. This group’s crossing marks the first time in over a year that migrants seeking asylum can do so within the US, since the...

February 7, 2012

Sen. Cornyn Votes Against Violence Against Women Act in Committee

Hot Topics

Working to protect women against violence should be a nonpartisan issue, right? The federal Violence Against Women Act was established in 1994, and was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. Up for renewal this year, a party line vote in committee showed that...

February 7, 2012

TFJ: Senators Leahy, Blumenthal Fight to Fill Texas Emergency Judicial Districts

Justice

Today, Senators from other states fought for Texas judges while Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison sat on the sidelines. Senators Pat Leahy and Richard Blumenthal stood up on the Senate floor today and talked about the need to fill critical...

February 6, 2012

Lamar Smith to Consider Hearing on Bill to Make English Official Language

Accountability

Conservatives in Texas are speaking out against the " language of living in a ghetto ." Texas Congressman Lamar Smith may consider a congressional hearing on legislation that would make English the national language, according to a news report from WOAI...

February 3, 2012

Komen Changes Course on Funding Breast Cancer Screenings at Planned Parenthood

Health Care

Congrats! In 36 hours, over 1,800 of you signed our petition calling on the Susan G. Komen Foundation to stop playing politics with women's health and continue granting money to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings and mammogram referrals. You...

February 2, 2012

Rep Canseco Calls Planned Parenthood A “Front For Mass Murder”

Accountability

Health Care

On Monday night at a town hall meeting in Fair Oaks Ranch outside of San Antonio, Congressman Francisco "Quico" Canseco, who represents Texas' 23rd district, called Planned Parenthood a "front for mass murder" that "needs to be abolished." These...

February 2, 2012

The STOCK Act Needs Our Support

Accountability

Ed. note: This post has been updated to reflect additional co-sponsors in recent days. Part of President Obama's state of the union focused on what should be a completely non-controversial idea, holding Congress to the same rules as everyone else. The...

February 1, 2012

The Progress Texas Monthly

Hot Topics

Today is our organization's first anniversary and we want to thank you for a terrific first year!   In 2011, we set ambitious goals to hire staff, mobilize Texans and lay the foundation for a progressive movement in our communities. We beat all our...

January 27, 2012

We Won! HHS Denies Texas Waiver Request on 80-20 Rule

Health Care

The U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) agency is going to protect better health, not bottom lines, and you are the one who made it happen! In December, 2,775 of you joined us and Texas Well and Healthy to sign a petition demanding HHS deny the Texas...

January 25, 2012

President Obama Calls for Up-or-Down Vote on Judges

Justice

During his State of the Union address , President Obama called on the Senate to cease their unprecedented obstruction of judicial nominees. With 32 judicial emergencies across the country, including 5 here at home, the time has come to put the qualified,...