House Democrats are combining several gun policy bills into one large package known as the Protecting our Kids Act. Among the measures in the bill: raising the age to purchase semi-automatic weapons to 21; outlawing the sale, manufacture, transfer or possession of a large-capacity magazine; and creating tax breaks for purchasing proper gun storage equipment.
Veronica Escobar
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The 2021 Texas Tribune Festival
Watch U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar and immigrant advocate Ali Noorani discuss border crossings at The Texas Tribune Festival
Escobar is a Democrat from El Paso. Noorani is executive director of the National Immigration Forum.
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Criminal Justice
Two years after Walmart mass shooting, El Paso leaders see inaction and betrayal by Texas officials
In what some people call an affront to the families of the 2019 shooting victims, Texas Republicans expanded gun rights earlier this year when the state Legislature passed a permitless carry bill.
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Politics
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar joins lawsuit accusing Donald Trump of inciting Capitol riot
The suit says Trump and his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, violated the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act.
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Texas 2020 Elections
The Democrats’ national convention shone a spotlight on Texas’ emerging bench — beyond the Castros and O’Rourke
During their party’s national convention this week, Democrats got a glimpse of their roster of up-and-coming leaders. Among them were at least four Texans who aren’t the usual suspects.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Analysis: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is lucky not to be on the 2020 ballot
The governor would face real competition if he were on the ballot this year — even in a Republican Party primary. His response to the pandemic has opened him to political attacks from the left and the right alike.
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Coronavirus in Texas
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar calls Gov. Greg Abbott’s leadership during coronavirus “a total failure”
During an interview with The Texas Tribune, Escobar, D-El Paso, said the state’s leadership missed an opportunity to implement robust testing when an emergency was declared.
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Police brutality in Texas
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tells U.S. House committee defunding police is “not the answer”
George Floyd’s brother Philonise Floyd was also a featured witness at the hearing, where he spoke about the pain of losing his brother.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Some Texans in Congress vote through proxies for the first time in American history
Republicans have fought the allowance of proxy voting tooth and nail. They argue that such a move upends the Constitution, and they promise a protracted legal fight.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Coronavirus in Texas: State sees highest single-day death toll from COVID-19
Our staff is closely tracking developments on the new coronavirus in Texas. Check here for live updates.