The latest Bob Hall news from The Texas Tribune.
A bill headed for Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk may not go into effect until 2027. Election administrators say the changes could create staffing challenges. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/89785397d30a980560a01b5a0261df44/1021%20Early%20Voting%20Ft%20Bend%20AM%20TT%2009.jpg)
Much of the debate focused on the tense relationship between cities and the Texas Legislature. The bill is head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/306b5227c065c2a5a822d91a1b1dfcad/1124%20Gun%20Buyback%20SB%20TT%2023.jpg)
Senate Bill 3070 would allow the Texas Lottery’s games to continue under a new department, abolish the agency and create restrictions on ticket purchases. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/42a471b3d43093b8a8cb5d67677eb5b1/0220%20Winners%20Corner%20LS%20TT%2005.jpg)
A key Senate critic threw a lifeline to the Texas Lottery when he proposed moving its oversight to a new agency instead of eliminating it entirely. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/97ba8cf96101b66de11b464a7eeda04e/0505%20Lottery%20File%20LW%20TT%2001.jpg)
After years of claiming that companies selling lottery tickets online could not be regulated, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to ban the practice. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6322defa827e80bcb15c7e0947886f30/0429%20Lottery%20Commission%20LW%2005.JPG)
Election administrators say letting people cast a ballot at any polling site is more convenient for voters and cheaper for local governments. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ea0166cd0e73e8b18da5a56ccc5bddbb/0906%20Bob%20Hall%20BD%20TT%2001.jpg)
Lawmakers voted unanimously to reverse the 2021 provision that would have decertified equipment that counties use to count votes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/96f441f806ba1e2ea757c01c68384c2c/Hays%20County%20Election%20Test%20EL%20TT%2025.jpg)
Currently, more than 80% of Texas voters can vote anywhere in their home county, a model that originated in Lubbock County. If lawmakers approve new legislation, that would change. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/573d13c412543228bdef7f62ec3fa403/1108%20Lubbock%20Election%20Day%20MR%20TT%2020.jpg)
The Senate advanced a bill that could create such high financial risks for doctors and health insurers that they’d stop providing or covering gender-affirming care — even for adults. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/4add41ffbb888b311bf2427b893c9681/0331%20SATX%20Trans%20Rally%20BY%20TT%2032.jpg)
Voters in nearly 100 counties — mostly rural — can vote at any polling site in their county. The sponsor, without offering evidence, said the practice was not secure despite years of successful elections in Texas with the system. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bad69f4fbff4df1945f494f99fb726e3/1108%20Bracketvill%20Uvalde%20Polling%20EL%20TT%2011.jpg)
The original provision was part of the state’s major overhaul to election laws in 2021. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b0c8afcc5129b5f31f9660d64c0ab93a/ATX%20Early%20Voting%20Day%20Two%20MG%20TT%2021.jpg)
In previously unreleased interviews, police who responded to the Robb Elementary shooting told investigators they were cowed by the shooter’s military-style rifle. This drove their decision to wait for a Border Patrol SWAT team to engage him, which took more than an hour. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/f1981927d116ea767afff0c9785a81b3/Suspect%20gun%20photo%202.jpg)
Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans have expressed support for legalizing fentanyl test strips, which help users identify whether the drugs they are planning on taking contain the deadly synthetic opioid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1983c5762af3a6413b220cdbdbe6bd3e/Harm%20Reduction%20EL%2042.JPG)
GOP bills that sought to restrict or punish transition-related health care, like puberty blockers, missed key deadlines. But LGBTQ advocates say the mere specter that such measures could become law does mental health damage to transgender people. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ac31cac631c8dd567edea69302283e8b/House%20Floor%20May%2023%20JV%20TT%2002.jpg)
In a period of sagging vaccination rates — particularly among staunch conservatives — state Sen. Bob Hall used his platform to promulgate debunked anti-vaccine conspiracies and push claims that have largely been eschewed by the medical community. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/522ff73e57530bed02d5bf5e4d0c6f3c/0003_Bob_Hall_Juan_Figueroa_May_5_TT.jpg)
Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martinez said Texas has filed more anti-LGBTQ bills this session than any other state legislature. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0846f35846de73579189f71ed1cf36d8/Protect%20Trans%20Kids%20Rally%20SF%20TT%2042.jpg)
The legislative session that began in January has been driven by the coronavirus pandemic and the response to last month’s power crisis. But abortion-related measures dominated a Senate State Affairs committee hearing Monday, and lawmakers advanced all of the proposals. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1d8a6d44bcb4602f26a92afaa2ceed93/Womens%20Health%20Clinic%20CR%20TT%2004.jpg)
But an amendment to the bill could keep the devices in place until cities' contracts with vendors expire. Camera proponents say they make intersections safer, but critics say they undermine due process. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/48df4c0a7dec492b1642baab947b6965/01_Red_Light_Cameras_ATX_MG_TT.jpg)
Lawmakers in both chambers and parties want to fix the controversial Driver Responsibility Program, but the program funds state trauma centers. Where will they find $144 million to fill the gap? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/aaac0d0542b6402a224b75af4357aab4/TXTrib_PeacefulStreets_013.jpg)
State Rep. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale, is launching a primary challenge to state Sen. Bob Hall of Edgewood. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2017/05/19/Cindy_Burkett_MKC_TT.jpg)