Gov. Greg Abbott removed the cap from his signing pen and placed his signature on the controversial bill that would ban sanctuary cities in Texas, officially making it state law, in a Facebook Live video...
Stabbing
On May 1 at 1:46 p.m., the UT Police Department responded to a call about an individual attacking a student with a large, Bowie-style hunting knife in the Speedway Plaza. Two minutes later,...
Minutes after four students were stabbed Monday afternoon on campus, many students still went to class and some took exams in the midst of confusion about the ongoing violence around them.
According...
UT Student Government members, in coordination with the University, are encouraging students to prioritize their health and safety despite concerns about exams and classes following the on-campus
stabbing...
Political beliefs, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression could be added to the list of characteristics protected from employment discrimination under bills considered Monday by a Texas...
Senate Bill 4, which would prevent cities from creating “sanctuary” policies known to protect immigrants who are in the country illegally, passed in the Texas House of Representatives Thursday...
Update (4:18 p.m.): The bill that would ban "sanctuary cities" in Texas officially passed in the House by a 94-53 vote along party lines Thursday afternoon. SB 4 will now return...
The Texas House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday that would invalidate Austin’s local ride-hailing ordinance, a move that could potentially prompt Uber and Lyft to return.
House Bill...
A House committee addressed one legislator’s attempt to stop Texans from misrepresenting the state through incorrect emoji usage on social media during a hearing Tuesday.
House Concurrent...
At a time when several student organizations are working to encourage conversation about sexual violence, some fear a bill passed by the Senate would halt their progress.
Senate Bill 576, authored by...
After 15 hours, the Texas House of Representatives continued their debate over a proposed $218.15 billion budget, which was expected to last until the early hours of Friday morning.
Last Tuesday, the...
A bill aimed at ending delayed testing of DNA evidence related to rape and sexual assault cases received tentative approval Wednesday from the Texas House of Representatives.
State Rep. Victoria...
Texans are one step closer to accessing more equal coverage for mental health care and substance abuse following the House of Representative’s approval of House Bill 10, which gives these costs the...
The Texas Senate unanimously voted on Tuesday to pass the finance committee’s proposed budget, which decreases state funding for many colleges and universities by 6 percent to 10 percent.
Senate...
The state’s fees to obtain and renew handgun licenses are among the highest in the country, but a bill passed by the Senate on Monday seeks to reduce these costs.
Senate Bill 16, sponsored by...
UT would be required to provide students who receive financial aid with information regarding estimates of the amount of student debt they might incur under a bill unanimously passed by the Senate Monday.
Senate...
Several bills proposing various plans to raise the minimum wage in Texas were heard by a House of Representatives committee Monday, but members did not vote on any of the bills.
Nineteen states...
On the first week following the bill filing deadline, legislators picked up the pace with the Senate approving 11 bills and the House of Representatives approving six.
Conversation in the House focused...
The highly debated “bathroom bill,” officially known as Senate Bill 6, received a favorable vote of 21-10 on its second reading in the Senate on Tuesday.
During a public hearing of the bill...
Public testimony during the Senate committee hearing for Senate Bill 6, also known as the “bathroom bill,” lasted approximately 12 hours with 90 percent of public witnesses testifying against...
After months of bills being added to the pile of legislation senators and representatives intend to consider, the rising number will come to a halt today at 7 p.m. Marking 60 days of session, this...
Update (8:05 a.m.): After approximately 13 hours of public testimony, the committee voted 8-1 in favor of SB 6 at 4:50 a.m Wednesday. The bill will move to the full senate for further deliberation.
Original...
Texas public universities and colleges seeking to purchase land outside of areas surrounding their main campuses could face stricter requirements before proceeding.
House Bill 1737 would require...
State Representative Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, is taking a novel approach to derailing legislation he doesn’t like: Once a week, he castigates a bill with a Facebook video series titled “Bad...
Two House bills and a Senate bill that would change the way Child Protective Services operates in Texas unanimously passed out of their respective chambers Wednesday afternoon.
House Bill...
Three bills related to granting states the ability to amend the U.S. Constitution moved one step closer to becoming a reality Tuesday afternoon.
Senate Joint Resolution 2 proposes a convention of...
Uber and Lyft might have the opportunity to return to Austin if a bill proposing restrictions on the city’s regulation of transportation network companies passes during this legislative session.
Sen....
Update (1:12 p.m.): The Senate passed SB 970 requiring an accessible sexual assault policy for both public and private universities by a 30-1 vote Tuesday afternoon. While the bill formerly...
Two Democratic and two Republican Texas lawmakers butted heads Thursday night over issues including sanctuary cities, school finance, the Rainy Day Fund and Child Protective Services.
In a panel...
Longhorns and Aggies set aside their differences Wednesday to lobby at the Capitol on behalf of their joint goal of sustaining affordable yet excellent higher education in the state.
Texas Exes and...
Several UT students posted the hashtag #ProudProductOfPublicSchools last week to show support for the Texas public school system, which faces potential changes in funding.
The hashtag, which began...
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Joe Straus revealed committee assignments for the 85th legislative session Thursday morning.
Straus placed each of the 150 House members on one or more...
Update (11:37 a.m.): Senate Bill 4, addressing a ban on sanctuary cities, will advance in the legislative process. Following 16 hours and hundreds of testimonies, of which the majority opposed the...
UT’s McDonald Observatory, which is home to one of the largest telescopes in the world, is at risk of losing a large portion of its funding.
As an astronomy hub educating students and training...
The Senate Finance Committee called for a complete reconstruction of Texas’public school finance system and higher education reforms during the committee’s first round of meetings last week.
Committee...
Initiatives to cut costs for college students are a large component of several higher education bills filed this legislative session.
In Lt. Gov Dan Patrick’s “2017 Top Legislative Priorities,”...
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, whose district includes UT, announced plans to file her first three bills regarding college preparedness, gun safety and property rights Thursday at a press conference.
She...
The Texas State Legislature, which began its 85th session Jan. 10, faces the deliberation of more than 1,700 bills throughout the next five months.
Every other year, Texas legislators in both...
Texas legislators have filed more than 1,600 bills since the 85th session of the Texas Legislature began, spanning topics from gun control and ride-hailing regulations to abortion policies.
Here...
After a year and a half hiatus, the Texas Legislature convened Tuesday at noon to officially begin its 85th session.
The 140-day session will consist of the Texas House and Senate deliberating the enactment...
The number of SURE Walk users has remained high throughout the past month, following a 400 percent increase in requests for the service after the on-campus homicide.
Krishan Sachdev, SURE Walk director...
In response to a rise in complaints of inadequate lighting following a homicide on campus last month, University officials may increase the number of lights on campus.
Bob Harkins, associate vice...
A 29-year-old man was shot and killed by an Austin police officer in a South Austin Randall’s parking lot on April 22. The incident marked 2016’s fifth officer-involved shooting in Austin,...
Reckless driving offenses in the campus area have decreased slightly since 2013 but remain relatively low when compared with other driving-related violations such as drunken driving, according to data...
Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo was reprimanded Tuesday by the Austin Police Association and City Manager Marc Ott for continuing to discuss the officer-involved shooting that occurred Feb. 8.
As...
The UT Police Department addressed safety concerns in collaboration with the Austin Police Department, Campus Safety & Security and other community agencies at a town hall meeting on campus Monday...
Criminal trespassing rates on University grounds have been on the rise throughout the past several years.
According to statistics from the University of Texas Police Department, warning citations for...
The Texas Department of Public Safety is conducting a comprehensive review of security measures on the UT campus at the request of President Gregory Fenves.
The evaluation has already started and is...
Despite increased requests to relocate the homeless population in West Campus after dance freshman Haruka Weiser’s death, police have no specific policies to address the group in this area.
Homeless...
Petitions written by UT students asking for an increase in on-campus emergency call boxes — blue-light telephones that automatically call the police — have circulated online following an on-campus...
