Latest news with #TribFest
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen. Joan Huffman joins GOP field vying to succeed Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general
State Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who is one of the longest tenured members of the Texas Senate, announced her bid for attorney general on Monday, making her the third high-profile entrant and second member of the upper chamber to declare for the open seat. 'I will be elected attorney general because I am the best-qualified, most experienced candidate who understands the intricacies of every function of state government,' Huffman said in a news release. In her announcement, Huffman, 68, highlighted her experience as an assistant district attorney and state district judge in Harris County, through which she prosecuted and heard various types of felony crimes. She also touted her work as chair of the powerful Senate State Affairs, Redistricting and Finance committees, the latter of which made her the chamber's lead budget writer over the past two funding cycles. 'The attorney general is the lawyer for the state and every state agency,' she said. 'I know the ins and outs of every facet of state government.' Huffman, who does not have to give up her state Senate seat to run since she is not up for reelection next year, is the third candidate running in the March 2026 primary to succeed Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leaving office to challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn for the Republican Senate nomination. Huffman took a shot at her opponents in her announcement. 'You want an experienced attorney,' she said, 'not someone who's never seen the inside of a courtroom or is simply a young politician climbing the political ladder.' State Sen. Mayes Middleton, a Galveston Republican who is one of the Legislature's most conservative lawmakers, entered the race for attorney general with in April with a promise to spend $10 million of his own money on the campaign. Aaron Reitz, a former senior official at the Department of Justice and veteran of the Texas conservative legal movement, announced his bid earlier this month. Reitz responded to Huffman's entry by declaring, 'the liberals now have their candidate,' and waving off her attack on him as a 'young' politician. In the Senate, Huffman has spearheaded a range of criminal justice legislation and efforts to clamp down on the state's bail system, authoring the primary pieces of the bail package that was one of Gov. Greg Abbott's top priorities this year. She was first elected to the Senate in 2008, making her the fifth-longest tenured member and second most senior Republican in the upper chamber. Huffman earned her law degree from South Texas College School of Law while working as a secretary for the Harris County District Attorney's office. She then became a Harris County prosecutor, leading prosecutions in more than 100 jury trials, before being elected twice to the 183rd Criminal District Court, according to her website. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
TribCast: A special legislative session is coming
This week, we're joined by two members of our politics team — reporter Kayla Guo and editor Jasper Scherer — for an emergency episode to discuss Gov. Greg Abbott vetoing Texas THC ban and calling a special session. How will Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick respond? Will redistricting end up on the agenda? Watch the video above, or subscribe to the TribCast on iTunes, Spotify, or RSS. New episodes every Tuesday. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
See how your representatives in the Texas Legislature voted on this year's major bills
The Tribune has been tracking the status of major legislation from the 2025 session. Now that it's over, here's a tool that you can use to search for specific lawmakers and how they voted on those proposals. You can enter your address and find the House member and Senator who represents you. Or you can search for a legislator by name. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker announces run for Lina Hidalgo's seat atop Harris County government
Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker is ready to be back in Houston politics. Parker announced Wednesday that she is running for Harris County judge in 2026, setting up a potential intra-party challenge against fellow Democrat Lina Hidalgo, who has held the seat since 2019 and narrowly won reelection in 2022. Hidalgo has not yet publicly stated definitive plans for 2026. Parker is the first well-known Democrat who has announced a run to preside over the commissioners court of Texas' most populous county. 'I'm running for Harris County Judge to keep our county safe, affordable, and thriving,' Parker said in a statement. 'I'm running to fight the chaos that is hurting our seniors, families, and small businesses. I'm running to fight for US.' In her announcement, Parker took aim at Republican President Donald Trump, who began a second term in January. 'Donald Trump is throwing millions of Americans off healthcare to fund tax cuts for billionaires – and gutting FEMA, which pays for our local response to hurricanes, flooding, and major disasters,' she said. Parker made history as the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor for a major American City when she was first elected as Houston's mayor in 2010. She served two terms as mayor and has been out of politics since 2016. She is the only person to hold the office of mayor, controller and council member in Houston. After her tenure as Mayor ended, Parker became the CEO and president of the LGBTQ+ Victory fund, a political action committee. She resigned from the PAC in December. The only other candidate in the race for Harris county judge is the Mayor of Piney Point Village, Aliza Dutt, a Republican who was elected in 2024, according to the Houston Chronicle. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas foster care agency chief to step down this summer
Stephanie Muth, who took the reins of the Texas foster care agency two years ago, announced late Monday she is stepping down at the end of July. 'Commissioner Muth has led with unwavering dedication and service to the children and families of Texas,' Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. 'Under her guidance, the Department of Family and Protective Services made meaningful progress to improve care for our state's most vulnerable children. Her commitment to expand innovative community-based solutions will leave a lasting impact on the state of Texas.' Muth, once the director of the state's Medicaid program, returned to government service from consulting work after Abbott tapped her to replace then DFPS commissioner Jaime Masters in 2023. Masters' three-year tenure as head of one of the largest state foster care agencies in the nation was rocked by caseworker turnover and a dramatic rise in the number of foster care children who were living in hotel rooms because there were no foster care placement beds available. In August 2020, there were 50 children classified as 'CWOP' or children without a placement. That number soared to 400 in August. 2021. Other problems included an investigation over allegations that an employee at a residential treatment center for children who were trafficking victims had solicited and sold nude photos of those children who lived there. Two years later, the number of children without a placement has dropped, according to the agency. At a presentation before the House Human Services Committee in March, Muth told lawmakers that the number of CWOP children was 20. Also under Muth's tenure, the judge in the ongoing federal lawsuit against the state's foster care system was removed. Plaintiffs lawyers, representing Texas foster care children, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that overturned a contempt order against the state and removed the U.S. District Judge Janis Jack, who had overseen the case to this point. During Muth's tenure she continued the decade-long rollout of the 'community-based' care model, in which children in foster care receive services and are placed into care near their own home and relatives instead of being moved across the state to the first available placement. Eight of the state agency's 11 districts now have a private community-based contractor. 'I have the highest regard for the agency's leadership and staff and am enormously proud of the work we've done together,' Muth said in a statement. ' I've accomplished many of the goals the Governor set for my time at DFPS and I am confident that the agency will continue to make progress.' Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
