The latest Texas Legislature news from The Texas Tribune.
The Brazos River Authority appointee, Darren Yancy, faced questions from Democratic senators Monday about his social media activity targeting President Joe Biden and former U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. Full Story
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Shelly Botkin's departure comes a week after the commission's chair, DeAnn Walker, also stepped down. Full Story
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Although much of the attention is focused in the lack of infrastructure in rural areas, large numbers of urban residents also don't have broadband subscriptions. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday also said he wants lawmakers to prioritize correcting any ERCOT-related billing errors, including inaccurately high electricity charges. That came after the Public Utility Commission said it will not fix ERCOT's $16 billion power billing mistake. Full Story
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State Rep. Craig Goldman and state Sen. José Menéndez talk with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith about the Texas Legislature's next steps following the February winter storm and the impact on the energy industry. Full Story
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Abbott's announcement Tuesday that he was fully reopening Texas capped a nearly yearlong stretch of the most intraparty dissent he has seen in his time as governor. Full Story
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Given Texas' history, it would be unusual if, at the very least, some redistricting plans didn’t end up in federal court. Here’s how you can get involved in the redistricting process and help work toward fair and equal districts for your community. Full Story
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In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Renu Khator, the president of the University of Houston, about a difficult 12 months of disruption and dislocation for the more than 47,000 students on her campus — and what state lawmakers can do to help. Full Story
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The judge opted against issuing an injunction that would block the federal ban on evictions, instead signaling that he expected the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to withdraw its moratorium. Full Story
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Lawmakers grilled public regulators and energy grid officials about how power outages happened and why Texans weren't given more warnings about the danger. Full Story
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For lack of heat and water, people died last week — in the great state of Texas and in their own homes — who would be alive right now, had the state taken heed of recommendations made after past winter storms and blackouts. Full Story
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David Spiller, a Jacksboro attorney and school board member, faced fellow Republican Craig Carter for the seat previously held by Springer, who is now in the state Senate. Full Story
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Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers. Full Story
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State leaders will start an investigation this week to figure out why utilities in Texas were outmatched by a weeklong winter storm. They did the same thing 10 years ago, and we still weren't ready. Full Story
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Abbott said power should be fully restored across the state Sunday night or Monday. Full Story
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Abbott will be joined by emergency officials for his update from Austin. Many Texans remain without power, and water access has been disrupted for millions across the state. Full Story
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The Texas government's failures in the face of a winter storm have been very hard on Texans, and could do lasting damage to the state's reputation. Full Story
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Texas officials knew winter storms could leave the state’s power grid vulnerable, but they left the choice to prepare for harsh weather up to the power companies — many of which opted against the costly upgrades. That, plus a deregulated energy market largely isolated from the rest of the country’s power grid, left the state alone to deal with the crisis, experts said. Full Story
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ERCOT's CEO and president told reporters Wednesday he's optimistic that the state's grid will start to see some of the power it has lost return as temperatures warm up. Full Story
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In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Trent Ashby about his bill to create a state broadband plan — a long-overdue effort to address our digital deficiency at a time when school, work and health care have all moved online. Full Story