The announcement came shortly after the Texas Senate Nominations Committee on Monday voted unanimously in favor of accepting Will McAdams’ nomination to serve on the PUC board.
Shawn Mulcahy
Shawn Mulcahy was a coronavirus reporting fellow in 2020 and a contract politics reporter in 2021. Shawn received his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and his master’s degree at Northwestern University. He worked as an investigative reporter for Northwestern’s Medill Investigative Lab and has written stories for The Washington Post about abuse and neglect in nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic. He’s also worked as a reporter, producer and host for WFSU Public Media, an NPR and PBS member station.
Posted in
Politics
Advocates back Gov. Greg Abbott’s call for greater oversight at migrant shelters. But they question his timing and motivations.
Abbott largely remained silent despite reports of widespread abuse in migrant shelters during former President Donald Trump’s administration.
Posted in
State Government
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues in effort to force Biden administration to deport more people convicted of crimes
The suit is the latest in a series of legal challenges Paxton has brought against the Biden administration since January.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott publicly slammed Facebook. Privately, he’s courting the social media giant to build a second data center in Texas.
The effort comes as Abbott and some Texas legislators are pushing a proposal to punish social media companies for “canceling conservative speech.”
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Senate approves bill to stop social media companies from banning Texans for political views
Some experts have raised doubts whether the bill will hold up in court.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Sweeping legislation to overhaul state’s electricity market in response to winter storm heads to Texas House after Senate’s unanimous approval
Senate Bill 3 would require all power generators, transmission lines, natural gas facilities and pipelines to make upgrades for extreme weather. Its prospects are uncertain in the House, which is scheduled to take up a series of related, standalone bills on Tuesday.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
At least 111 people died in Texas during winter storm, most from hypothermia
The newly revised number is nearly twice the 57 that state health officials estimated last week and will likely continue to grow.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas’ natural gas and power generators would have to prepare for extreme temperatures under bill Senate committee approved
The wide-ranging proposal includes a number of reforms that have been floating around the state Capitol since last month’s deadly winter storm left millions without electricity during freezing temperatures.
Posted in
Economy
Texas’ last Public Utility Commission member resigns at Gov. Greg Abbott’s request
Arthur D’Andrea was the only remaining member of the three-seat commission that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, water and sewer utilities.
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Point of Order
Point of Order: Former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus explains why he voted for Joe Biden last year
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to former speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus about life as a civilian, what he’d do about repricing electricity, the conservative case for expanding Medicaid, why he didn’t vote for Donald Trump — twice — and whether he’ll run for something again.
