In addition to bills responding to COVID-19 and the recent winter storm, Patrick is calling for legislation related to abortion, gun rights and the national anthem at sporting events.
Politics
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Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott sets May 1 special election to fill seat of late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright
Candidates have until March 3 to file, and early voting begins April 19.
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Winter Storm 2021
President Joe Biden to visit Houston on Friday after winter storm
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that Biden would “meet with local leaders to discuss the winter storm, relief efforts, progress toward recovery and the incredible resilience shown by the people of Houston and Texas.”
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Point of Order
Point of Order: The outage and the outrage
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber about the state’s failure to prepare for a brutal winter storm, the fragile electric grid we depend on, and whether the future of energy is bright or bleak.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texans blindsided by massive electric bills await details of Gov. Greg Abbott’s promised relief
Electric bills are likely to rise for everyone, experts and consumer advocates say, but some Texans on variable rate contracts have been hit with immediate, massive price spikes. Lawmakers and the governor have promised to help, but haven’t said how.
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Texas 2020 Elections
Texas Democrats blame lack of in-person campaigning, inefficient voter outreach for 2020 disappointment
Despite an underwhelming performance in the most recent election cycle, Texas Democrats continued to paint an ambitious picture of a “sustainably blue” state in the next 10 years.
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Politics
Susan Wright, GOP activist and wife of late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, moving toward campaign to replace him
She could launch a bid as soon as this week, according to sources close to the Wright family.
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Winter Storm 2021
Analysis: Texas failed in a storm, again. Will we be ready next time?
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott says power is almost fully restored statewide and grocery stores will soon be restocked
Abbott said power should be fully restored across the state Sunday night or Monday.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texans confront outages, food and water needs as feds issue disaster declaration
We’re tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems.