Sam Stockbridge

1 month ago | reformaustin.org | Jovanka Palacios |Sam Stockbridge

The documentary Uvalde Mom made its premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW), offering a deeply personal and urgent examination of the aftermath of the Uvalde school shooting. Directed by Anayansi Prado, the film follows Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who ran into Robb Elementary School during the mass shooting on May 24, 2022, rescuing her two children while law enforcement remained outside.

2 months ago | reformaustin.org | Sam Stockbridge

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Secretary of the Interior to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America within 30 days. Now, a Texas lawmaker is seeking to enshrine that name change in Texas law. State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, on Wednesday filed a bill and a joint resolution to replace the Gulf of Mexico with the Gulf of America in the state constitution, and to use the Trump-backed name in future state statutes.

2 months ago | reformaustin.org | Sam Stockbridge

A Houston man who was arrested and last week pardoned for assaulting police during the 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol is facing local charges for solicitation of a minor online in 2016, the Houston Chronicle reported last week. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Andrew Taake, now 36, in July of 2021 for assaulting law enforcement officers with a metal whip and bear spray during the Jan.

2 months ago | reformaustin.org | Sam Stockbridge

The Senate’s flagship bill to subsidize private school and homeschooling for Texas families would be the largest program of its kind in the United States, serving about 100,000 students and costing Texas about $1 billion to implement for one fiscal year. At least, in theory. In truth, a number of factors make it difficult to predict actual enrollment in the program and how much it would cost the state to keep up with demand.

2 months ago | reformaustin.org | Sam Stockbridge

During the inaugural meeting of the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, Democrats challenged assertions that a $1 billion private school subsidy bill would give priority to poor families first.  Senate Bill 2 would create $10,000 education savings accounts for up to 100,000 public school children that could be spent on tuition for private schools and school supplies. It’s another incarnation of a policy that Gov. Greg Abbott unsuccessfully attempted to pass last session.