Headlines / Quote of the Week

Monday, mourners from organizations based in the Rio Grande Valley and Austin held a vigil for the at least eight people who were killed by a driver outside a migrant shelter in Brownsville. The group also called for an end to policies that dehumanize immigrants, including House Bills 7 and 20 (which codify elements of Operation Lone Star) heard on the Texas House floor on Tuesday. HB 20 died, but late Tuesday night, lawmakers added one of the worst parts of HB 20, which creates a new state border policing unit, to HB 7. The Frankenstein border bill will need to pass the Senate before becoming law. (Photo by John Anderson)

Psycho: The Texas House unanimously voted to expel Bryan Slaton Tuesday, making him the first member of the Texas Legislature to be removed from office since 1927. The issue? He had sex with a 19-year-old aide after giving her enough alcohol that she "could not indicate whether it was welcome or unwelcome," per a committee's findings. Slaton was a "family values" conservative who called drag performers "perverted."

Rearview Mirror: Monday, a bill authored after the Uvalde massacre to raise the minimum age to buy a semi-automatic rifle passed a House committee, sparking hope. But by Tuesday night, the bill was off the Texas House's agenda as a key deadline passed, meaning the bill has likely died.

The Correct Man: Austinites without ID can't access some services, so Austin Public Library launched a new library card this week that's also a photo ID. APL's Roosevelt Weeks said, "Libraries exist to lift barriers."

Dial P for Pulitzer: The Statesman received a high honor Monday. The Pulitzer Prize selected the paper as a finalist for the Gold Medal for meritorious public service thanks to its coverage of flawed law enforcement response to the Uvalde mass shooting.

The Trouble With Liberty: The UT Board of Reg­ents unanimously voted last week to create a new college to house the Civitas Institute. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick began planning what was formerly the Liberty Institute in 2021 to teach "individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise, and free markets."

The Arena Vanishes: The Austin Monitor reports that demolition of UT's Frank Erwin Center arena starts next month to make way to expand Dell Medical School.

Family Plot: Last week, to address the urgent need for more housing in Austin, Council voted on a resolution to make subdividing properties easier and cheaper. The city's current fee schedule means subdividing property can cost about $20,000 per acre. (Developers of larger subdivisions would pay the old fees.)

The Care That Cost Too Much: The Texas Tribune called it a "long shot," but a $2.3 billion budget request in the state's 2024-25 spending plan would help child care providers stay afloat, with roughly $1,000 direct-to-provider payments per child per year.

Strangers on the Bench: The Statesman reported this week that a controversial bill moving in the Texas Lege would eliminate the Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals' authority to consider state-agency-related issues. It would establish a new, more conservative statewide appellate court, its judges elected statewide. The House needs to vote on it, though no vote is scheduled.

Whitney Mitchell (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Quote of the Week

"It's hard to sleep in my bed, because he's not there ... I know it's never going to be the same again."

– Whitney Mitchell, fiancée of Garrett Foster who was killed by Daniel Perry at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020 (read more)