#texas #redistricting #texasgop pic.twitter.com/SH9DzfhJbt
— John Branch (@Branchtoon) October 4, 2021
ICYMI: It was a busy weekend for the #txlege. The Texas House approved a Senate amendment to #HB25, a bill that restricts transgender athletes participation in school sports. The bill is now headed for governor approval https://t.co/QOK87EwDGG
— Allyson Waller (@allyson_renee7) October 18, 2021
Social workers warn Texas' abortion ban is causing psychological harm to sexual assault survivors.
— Rebecca Marques (@_RebeccaMarques) October 18, 2021
Thinking about this and the fact that #hb25 also passed this session. All the harm that lawmakers in #txlege knowingly inflicted on folks this year. https://t.co/538Q9RDWis
“Shortly before Texas' new abortion law went into effect, the SAFE Alliance, a nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual abuse, was counseling a 12-year-old girl who had been repeatedly raped by her father.”
Any minute now, Governor Strangelove is going to eliminate all rape in Texas. He told us so. And he always speaks the truth.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issues an executive order banning vaccine mandates by private businesses for employees and customers.https://t.co/Cs2j9eYy5V pic.twitter.com/DnbuWrvqM1
— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) October 13, 2021
Current Status of #txlege bills.
— Mark P. Jones (@MarkPJonesTX) October 18, 2021
39 hours until the end of the 3rd Special Session.
Passed H & S#HB25 Transgender UIL Athletes
In Conf. Comm.#SB1 Property Tax Relief#SB8 Federal COVID $ Distribution
Passed by H w/Amends, Now In S#SB5 Dog Tethering#SB52 Higher Ed Rev Bonds
After taking a General Strike break at the end of last week, I have more than enough for a very long post. I'd rather not subject either you or me to that, so let's just hit the highlights. Or lowlights and lowlifes, if you prefer.
Early voting begins today in #Texas for eight constitutional amendments, multiple local elections, and a special runoff in #HD118. Check out ATPE's @TeachTheVote guide to the constitutional amendments: https://t.co/5OjcAU2JUR #txed #txlege #txedvote pic.twitter.com/UXaMawx1yL
— ATPE (@OfficialATPE) October 18, 2021
Conference cmte report for the proposed map for Texas' 38 Congressional Districts, #SB6, is out. It was signed by all 9 Rs on the cmte & wasn't signed by the 1 D on it, @Senfronia4Texas.
— RA News (@RANewsTX) October 18, 2021
Here's an interactive viewer of the map: https://t.co/c0iSNsCZre #txlege (h/t @by_jmiller) pic.twitter.com/GZOwe9gg5b
Conference committee report for congressional map keeps @RepAlGreen and @JacksonLeeTX18 unpaired, also keeps @RepGonzalez in #TX34 (open Vela seat) instead of his current #TX15 https://t.co/5yCLmGpCEo #SB6 #txlege
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) October 18, 2021
NEW from @rossramsey: You won’t hear much about turning Texas blue in 2022. Thanks to redistricting, it’s pretty much impossible https://t.co/xnkXaBLOt1 #txlege
— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) October 18, 2021
Yes. Well, Texas Democrats in the Lege could have honored the general strike, or perhaps thrown some other wrench in the gears, but I feel certain they did not have the stomach for a fourth special session. They all -- mostly -- want you to re-elect them next year anyway. To keep fighting. Something.
My personal general strike extends to voting in this current election. I see no point in weighing in on constitutional amendments. Similarly, I won't be voting n next spring's Democratic primary. They can choose who they like and I'll choose whether to vote for any of them in the fall.
There is -- as I have come to understand -- a messsage being sent to government's leaders in not voting. And that message ranges from "FU" to "IDGAF".
Ted Cruz pitches Rockets job to Kyrie Irving over vaccines; Twitter responds with ridicule https://t.co/fHYjOo1jof
— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) October 16, 2021
I'll move on while I still have the will, or the interest, to provide these news updates. Documenting the atrocities is hard.NEW: Texas Republicans want to use billions in federal pandemic relief to send checks to homeowners just ahead of next year’s November elections.
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) October 15, 2021
Not all households would benefit. Excluded from that relief are millions of renters. https://t.co/5gEw2AN3FQ #TXlege
Environmental developments:
To Address The City’s Wildfire Risk, Austin Firefighters Look To California https://t.co/7ZJ1FgV5rZ 8/8
— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) October 16, 2021
In the Rio Grande Valley, a century-old, leaky canal system delivers water to a $500 million farm industry and low-slung, growing cities.
— Suman Naishadham (@SumanNaishadham) October 16, 2021
Texas water planners expect the losses to worsen shortages expected in coming decades. My dispatch from McAllen: https://t.co/1NvZGgglYP
Must read #txwater reading for today. @H2OWonk makes the case on why state policymakers need to focus on water infrastructure. The key equation: population growth + infrastructure decay + extreme weather = need for infrastructure investment. #txlegehttps://t.co/DGhJYfU94f
— Jeremy B. Mazur (@jeremybmazur) October 18, 2021
“Despite the pandemic, the United States built more utility-scale solar power plants in 2020 than any other year, with Texas leading the way.” #txlege #txclimate https://t.co/gP19HHtIH1
— SPEER (@EEpartnership) October 18, 2021
Texans want to reduce methane pollution: 72% support requiring oil and gas companies to slow methane leaks, and 59% are more likely to back a candidate who supports stronger methane regulations. —@ClimateNexus @YaleClimateComm @mason4c #txlege #txenergy https://t.co/p0oFoPQ7Uk
— Public Citizen Texas (@PublicCitizenTX) October 18, 2021
The Axios Dallas newsletter (subscribe here) says that illegal emissions were lower across the state in 2020. But...
... but North Texas saw an increase in unauthorized pollutants, according to a report from the Environmental Integrity Project and Environment Texas.
Why it matters: 2020's pollutant decline was mostly due to pandemic shutdowns of manufacturing and oil and gas production and not due to increased enforcement of environmental protections, the report says.
The Dallas Observer's Jacob Vaughn writes about a west Dallas neighborhood's concerns about yet another concrete plant's pollution. HPM says that Galveston Bay researchers are literally fishing for data on chemical runoff. And the Statesman's op-ed board says that the EPA must save Texas from itself. In more newspaper news, D Magazine says that the DMN should retire its editorial board, and El Paso Matters reports that the El Paso News is now printing the paper in Cuidad Juarez.
A few too many criminal and social injustice updates.
Days ago a migrant was found hanging from a tree in Brooks County. Many have died on the border, but this heinous incident is now a homicide investigation. I spoke with Sheriff Martinez for @TPRNews for an update. https://t.co/YrOePALTFe
— Pablo De La Rosa (@pblodlr) October 9, 2021
Think it's rare that sexual abuse of children results in pregnancy? Seven pregnant 12-year-olds and their caregivers sought help in a recent month at Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, which handles the county's most serious criminal sexual abuse cases. https://t.co/k7tzp8Hbne
— Sharon Grigsby (@SharonFGrigsby) October 15, 2021
What would you do if your ancestors were murdered, buried in the courthouse lawn, and then a confederate statue was built over their bodies? (Thread) /1 @TonyCra13323593 #txlege #BlackLivesMatter #Justice4Weatherford4 #ScarsOfAmerica #DoTheRightThing pic.twitter.com/rPCCLYzW7q
— Shell_Seas (@LivingBlueTX) October 16, 2021
Thank you to @NBCDFW for covering the Texas House hearing on the state's foster care crisis.
— Texans Care for Children (@putkids1st) October 18, 2021
Watch the story here:https://t.co/ecjcZXYcPx #TXlege pic.twitter.com/kQqU05gjdi
Court schedules sentencing for December 9 in US Capitol case of former Houston police officer Tam Pham.
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 17, 2021
Background here: https://t.co/kydztac0NH
BREAKING: Border groups, including RAICES attorneys, just walked out of a meeting with the Biden administration in protest of their recent plans to resume the inhumane #MPP program.
— RAICES (@RAICESTEXAS) October 16, 2021
We will not work with the administration to resume this cruelty against migrants.#EndMPP
A Century Ago, 1 Lawmaker Went After the Most Powerful Cops in #Texas Then They Went After Him https://t.co/xm0um1PsIC #txlege #BLM #BrownLivesMatter #TxEd @esntx2 @AztecMuse @MotherJones #TexasRangers @TXlege #RazaStudies @EthnicStudiesCA @utexascoe @UT_DDCE @LatinoUSA @TxTLEEC pic.twitter.com/wHf34qjQiU
— Angela Valenzuela (@vlnzl) October 16, 2021
One spot of good news here.
Yesterday, a bad bail bill died. SJR 1 would have allowed judges to deny bail in more cases, forcing people to stay in jail for weeks or months before their day in court. Read this statement from Liyah Brown, our Director of Law and Policy for the Criminal Injustice Program. pic.twitter.com/7Nm2k7D9Tm
— Texas Civil Rights Project (@TXCivilRights) October 15, 2021
And a few calm-me-downs.
The wait is over. An all-new Top 50 list, featuring an all-new generation of pitmasters, is here. https://t.co/vP5Uqc0JIE pic.twitter.com/oBBlJyt4LE
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) October 18, 2021
Houston's Billy Preston is the answer to a cool trivia question: who is the only non-Beatle to be credited on a Beatles record? The ‘Get Back’ single was credited to “The Beatles with Billy Preston”, as was its b-side, ‘Don’t Let Me Down’. He later became a star in his own right. pic.twitter.com/wFa3G4Usdu
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) October 17, 2021