Speculation that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick might want to be governor someday underestimates his current advantages over the current occupant of that office, Gov. Greg Abbott.
Texas Legislature 2021
The 87th Texas Legislature approved hundreds of new laws during its regular session that ended in May 2021, including a near-total ban on abortions. Lawmakers then returned to Austin for three special sessions aimed at passing additional conservative priorities. Although House Democrats fled the state for weeks, lawmakers eventually passed new voting restrictions. They also approved new political maps and a proposed constitutional amendment that could lower property tax bills.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers push bill to make it easier to sue abortion providers and harder for new anti-abortion laws to be blocked by courts
The provisions are packaged in one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s priority measures, dubbed the “heartbeat bill.” Senate Bill 8 would ban abortions as early as six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
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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
Analysis: Texas leaders’ closely watched breakfast club
One way to check the political mood when the Texas Legislature is meeting is to watch the state’s top three leaders — and how their Wednesday breakfasts are going.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Racist clauses in property deeds can’t be enforced, but still exist. A Texas bill would make it easier to remove them.
Housing advocates say they appreciate the measure, but want to see more legislative action to overcome racial inequalities in the housing market.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Slate of Texas legislation limiting abortion, including so-called “heartbeat bill,” heads to Senate
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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Higher education officials urge Legislature to invest in colleges and universities after pandemic takes toll on students and economy
As the Legislature grapples with a struggling pandemic economy and the impact of an unprecedented winter storm, higher education advocates are vying for lawmakers’ attention, trying to make the case for more investment in colleges and universities.
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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.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott formally opens Texas GOP bid to clamp down on local efforts expanding voting access
Texas has some of the strictest voting rules, but Republican lawmakers are now hoping to outlaw efforts by local officials in places like Harris County intended to widen access for voters, including drive-thru voting and extended early voting hours.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick focuses scorn on Public Utility Commission after winter storm, testing Gov. Greg Abbott
Abbott has previously directed much of the blame for the storm’s power outages on the state’s electrical grid operator.