This week, activists and allies with the Texas Campaign for the Environment held their annual meeting, updating members on strategy and the ongoing work of climate crisis organizers. TEC Executive Director Robin Schneider spoke about the renewed push for crude oil,...
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignal.com
The expanded child tax credit helped millions of Texans before the plug was pulled
In January, the expanded child tax credit expired, ending monthly payments to parents across the nation. The direct payments began as part of the American Rescue Plan in July 2021. They expanded the existing child tax credit of $2,000 per child in 2020 to up to...
The anti-LGBTQ bill Dan Patrick wants to import from Florida
In a campaign email to supporters this week, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick promised to recreate Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill during the next Texas legislative session. “I will make this law a top priority in the next session,” Patrick said of the 88th regular session, set to...
In Houston, Beto focuses on Abbott’s CPS trafficking scandal
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke visited Houston on Saturday for a town hall in Spring Branch. Speaking to attendees at the Lazy Oaks Beer Garden, O’Rourke talked about his desire to raise teacher pay, connect the Texas electrical grid to the rest of...
Poll shows Greg Abbott with two-point lead over Beto O’Rourke
On Friday Texas Lyceum released its annual statewide poll, a major survey on the top issues facing Texans and their opinion on Texas leaders. The biggest attention-grabbing news from the poll is just how close things are at the top of the ticket in the 2022...
Texas House LGBTQ Caucus Chair Mary Gonzalez on Abbott’s anti-trans order
Texas House lawmakers recently penned a letter to Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Jaime Masters expressing concern with Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to investigate the parents of transgender youth for child abuse. Lawmakers said the order (which...
Harris County gets shoutout as example of successful bail reform
Harris County's misdemeanor bail reform efforts recently got a hat tip from the Prison Policy Initiative, a non-profit, non-partisan national advocacy group that focuses on mass criminalization. Since 2019, the state’s largest county has taken aim at the money...
Abortion funds threaten to sue Rep. Briscoe Cain for false and defamatory statements
Earlier this month, Republican Texas House lawmaker Briscoe Cain sent Texas abortion funds cease-and-desist letters, threatening the funds, their donors and volunteers with criminal prosecution unless they stopped helping fund abortions in Texas. Now, the Texas Equal...
Don’t turn the Gulf into a sacrifice zone, environmental groups tell Biden
Gulf Coast environmental groups are speaking out against a new plan by the Biden administration to expand U.S. gas supply to Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The White House plan is an attempt to curb Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels,...
Bipartisan Texas House lawmakers ask execution of Melissa Lucio to be stopped
Lawmakers from both parties gathered on Thursday to hold a press conference in favor of delaying or stopping the execution of Melissa Lucio, a 53-year-old woman convicted of murdering her two-year-old daughter. “I have never seen a more troubling case than the...