It is unclear who would be helped or hurt — and by how much — if lawmakers try to revise electricity market prices charged during the winter storm.
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
Texas Legislature 2021
Electricity repricing bill hits wall in House, marking first major schism with Senate this session
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the House “stood for big business” after Speaker Dade Phelan signaled skepticism about reversing billions of dollars in charges for wholesale electricity during last month’s winter storm.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Senate scrambles to advance bill that would force ERCOT to reprice energy charges from winter storm
Senate Bill 2142, sponsored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, had not even been filed when the day started Monday, but lawmakers suspended their rules to hastily push it through the Senate.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues Austin to stop it from imposing a local mask order
Texas’ mask mandate was lifted this week, and Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered that “no jurisdiction” can implement a local one if coronavirus hospitalizations don’t meet a certain metric.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texans 50 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine starting March 15
Before the Wednesday announcement, already between 10 million and 13 million people — more than one-third of Texas’ population — were eligible, according to state health officials.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott backs bill to stop social media companies from banning Texans for political views
Senate Bill 12 would prohibit social media companies — including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube — from blocking, banning, demonetizing or otherwise discriminating against a user based on their viewpoint or their location within Texas.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Debate ramps up at Texas Legislature over governor’s emergency powers during pandemic
Gov. Greg Abbott is well aware that some lawmakers, particularly in his own party, are interested in reining in his authority. However, it remains to be seen how much power Abbott is willing to relinquish.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Three of Gov. Greg Abbott’s four coronavirus medical advisers say they weren’t directly consulted before he lifted mask mandate
One adviser said he thinks it’s too soon for the state to stop requiring masks in public.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
Texas utility regulator to investigate indexed retail electric providers following massive electric bills
While these plans are allowed under state law, the Texas Public Utility Commission said that “an influx of complaints into our Customer Protection Division has caused concerns that questionable business practices might be exacerbating the situation.”
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
After Texans died during winter storm, Harris and Travis counties launch investigations into power outages
Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee said operators should have been prepared after 2011’s hard freeze. Travis County District Attorney José Garza told local media that his office will determine whether criminal charges should be filed against any person or entity.
