The Baines Report
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 […]
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 […]
Photo: Callie Richmond Undocumented immigrants are human beings. They work, love, have fun, and — like everyone else — get sick. Sometimes they get really sick, the kind of sick that requires comprehensive, ongoing treatment and lots of community support. But unlike everyone else, it is nearly impossible for undocumented immigrants to get the medical attention […]
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Representative Gina Hinojosa rushes into the office just as the House is being called to the Floor, but she takes the time to greet everyone in the office and ask how they are before rushing back out again. I’m usually already at my desk, settling in and sorting through the […]
Photo: Bionic Teaching Texas’ 85th legislative session kicked off last month. Lawmakers now have until the end of May to balance a state budget three percent smaller than that of the previous session. Having the power of the purse, the legislature must decide which government programs to prioritize and which to trim—or cut. Policymakers have a […]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/303973646″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /] Photo: Rock, Paper, Scissors Read more about The Higher Court and the LBJ School students behind it at thehighercourt.org
Photo: Rock, Paper, Scissors The Higher Court is a weekly podcast from the 85th Legislature’s ultimate authority – the court of public opinion. Hosted by Estevan Delgado and Cynthia Van Maanen, produced by Jen Rice. All listeners are urged to run for office immediately. The Baines Report will be sharing the Higher Court’s episodes as soon […]
Photo: PEXELS As I headed into the Texas Union for the first session of the 2016 Texas Tribune Festival I experienced simultaneous feelings of anticipation and dread. My feet dragged slower and slower as I walked into the Santa Rita Room for the session on “Fixing Foster Care.” Foster care, adoption, and how children interact […]
The opinions herein reflect those of the author and in no way represent those of the Legislative Budget Board of Texas. If you haven’t been to the Capitol yet, I urge you to visit. Built from 1882-1888 out of Texas pink[1] granite, it was the tallest building in America at the time. It loomed over […]