Same-Day Voter Registration Could Increase Texas Voter Turnout

Texas could become the latest state to enact same day voter registration. A bill filed by state Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-[District], would require two voter registrars to be present at each polling place on Election Day. The registrars would be able to register new voters, allowing them to cast a provisional ballot that day. In […]

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Politics and Governance

Learning from History: The Case for Unification of the Democratic Party in the Nomination Race

On Sept. 12, 2019, qualifying Democratic presidential candidates hit the stage in Houston, Texas for the third Democratic debate of the year. The highest polling and highest grossing candidates faced off on hot-button issues such as healthcare, race relations, gun violence, immigration, and trade policy, among others. Running throughout the debate was the question of […]

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Politics and Governance

House Bill 10 Reports on Mental Health Parity

“Now that a precedent has been given national media attention, Texans have greater incentive to be more vigilant when it comes to their rights as patients.”

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Health & Social Policy Politics and Governance

For Families or Politics? Drug Testing for Welfare Access

In the policy arena, legislators should address the wellbeing of children and families. This is where supporters of these bills fail to employ good policy.

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Health & Social Policy LBJ School Op-Ed Politics and Governance

Conversion Therapy and Texas “Pride”: A Conversation with Garrard Conley

Author Garrard Conley kicked off 2018’s Barbara Jordan Week at the LBJ School by coming to speak at its inaugural event. Conley’s new book, Boy Erased, is an autobiographical account of his experience with gay conversion therapy and his complicated relationship with his parents. Conley discussed the psychological manipulation the conversion “counselors” used, the agony […]

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Economics & Trade Policy Partner Policy Schools

Sprawl City Bank Run: Dallas Twitter Users on DFW’S Gas Shortage After Hurricane Harvey

Photo (CC): Astronaut Randy Bresnik took this photo of Tropical Storm Harvey from the International Space Station on Aug. 28 at 1:27 p.m. CDT. All other photos courtesy of the author.  Rumors about Texas gas shortages in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey prompted irrational but intense desperation among Dallasites to immediately fill up their cars. As a […]

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Immigration Policy

The sanctuary cities law and food insecurity in Texas’ immigrant community

Photo: Michael Stravato The state’s new ban on sanctuary cities increases the risk of food insecurity and hunger among undocumented immigrants and their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens. Texas is home to roughly 1.5 million undocumented immigrants, 38 percent are undocumented families living with at least one U.S. citizen under the age of 18. Currently, 1 of every […]

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LBJ School

For what purpose do you rise? A slice of life at the Texas State Legislature in its 85th session

Photo: Eric About three weeks into my internship at the state legislature (or “lege”), we had the senate live feed playing in our office while we worked and for the first time, I noticed a unique feature of parliamentary procedure. One of the senators asked to be recognized and in response, the president said, “For […]

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Technology Policy

Cyber Sirens: Heed the Warnings Before it is too Late

Photo: Yuri Samoilov At 11:48pm on April 7, 2017, every tornado siren in Dallas went off at the same time.  The sky was clear, but the shrieks from 156 sirens wrenched residents from their slumber. As the sirens blared on for 95 minutes, terrified callers flooded 911 phone lines, leaving people experiencing real emergencies waiting […]

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Health & Social Policy

Let’s celebrate Mother’s Day by addressing Texas’ maternal mortality crisis

Photo: Dave Herholz On Mother’s Day this year, my brother and I will likely celebrate the way we usually do. We will each buy our respective cards (or he’ll sign his name to the one I bought two weeks ago), take her out to brunch, and listen to her recount the stories of how we […]

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