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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Early voting in Texas is smashing records.

As of Monday, Oct. 26, more than seven million Texans, and more than one million in Harris County, have voted in person or by mail.

After prompting from Gov. Greg Abbott, the Texas State Board of Social Workers voted unanimously last week to remove protections regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and disability status from the official code of conduct. The move sent shockwaves through the industry, which is preparing to fight back.

In September, a disturbing report came out about alleged forced hysterectomies on women in custody at the Irwin County Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Georgia. A nurse named Dawn Wooten filed a whistleblower complaint about the practices at the privately run facility.

Advocates for immigrants say they still have not found the parents of 545 minors who were separated from their families starting three years ago during President Trump's immigration crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Houston City Council approved a property tax rate on Wednesday that will increase taxes beyond the 3.5 percent limit set by the Texas Legislature in 2019.

The Texas State Board of Social Workers last week voted unanimously to remove disability, sexual orientation and gender identity from the nondiscrimination clause of its code of conduct.

This week, there's backlash.

Texas advocacy groups and lawmakers are demanding that health officials reverse their decision, which was based solely on a recommendation of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and criticizing the board for proceeding without seeking input from social workers.