Under a redistricting plan adopted by Harris County, 1.1 million residents who were slated to vote for a commissioner in 2022 will not be able to vote until 2024.
Emulating programs in Seattle and Madison, Harris County will enact new equity policies for hiring, contracting, and providing county services to residents.
In a move one commissioner called “vindictive,” Democrats will “swap” two Republican precincts while expanding power to raise taxes and consolidate services under the county judge.
Commissioner Tom Ramsey called a map proposed by Rodney Ellis “the most corrupt plan I've ever seen in my 45 years of doing work in Harris County.”
The county will invest in planting trees, adding streetlights and sidewalks, and cleaning up vacant lots in a program designed to reduce the dramatic rise in violent crime.
An amended version of Sen. Huffman’s legislation targeting felony bail policy for repeat violent offenders has passed the House but now returns to the Senate.
Only representatives from county Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office and the county’s public health department were allowed to participate in vendor selection.
Despite demand for more time to review a plan only unveiled last week, Hidalgo and Democratic commissioners pushed through a vote to approve a substantial restructuring of county government.
After the Federal Highway Administration heeded Democrat calls to shut down the I-45 expansion project, Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey condemned the decision as one that would hurt underserved communities.
Recently approved policy says Harris County employees must continue to wear masks unless they qualify for certain exemptions that include obtaining a “visible identifier” showing they are fully vaccinated.
A Harris County report sparked controversy for excluding data from the district attorney’s office, and commissioners clash over felony bail legislation.
As Harris County faces a case clearance backlog and criminal justice staffing shortages, commissioners approve a temporary staff increase for the district attorney’s office.
Legislation introduced by Sen. Paul Bettencourt takes aim at a collection of African art a Harris County commissioner has stored and maintained at taxpayer expense.
Instead of complying with instructions to rescind the appointment of an elections administrator, the Harris County attorney will draft a response to the attorney general on a challenge to the legality of the process.
Under Judge Lina Hidalgo’s initiative, the county will spend more than $2 million to provide legal services to individuals facing deportation.
A motion to revoke bond for a Harris County murder suspect has been pending for two weeks, and while the state has lost track of his whereabouts, the district attorney’s office is requesting his GPS records in connection with another shooting.
A new proclamation from the governor reinstates poll watchers for mail-in ballot delivery activities and thwarts Harris County plans to accept in-person drop off of marked mail ballots at multiple locations.
Harris County's election budget will increase nearly seven fold to provide vote-by-mail applications to all voters, drive-thru voting, new outreach, and extra COVID-19 safety precautions for this year.
A resolution from Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis launched a “Vision Zero” initiative with the goal of eliminating all traffic-related fatalities by 2030.
The use of personal recognizance bonds for violent offenders, which has led to over 50 deaths in Harris County, became a flash-point in a commissioners court meeting.
