So close... #txlege
— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 14, 2021
(Artwork by @Posey_ATX) pic.twitter.com/oRqbNuyEk9
“Long in tooth and soul. Longing for another win. Lurch into the fray. Weapon out and belly in.” - @Tool #txlege
— Joe Moody (@moodyforelpaso) May 14, 2021
I can't help but love a Speaker pro tem that quotes Tool. For those of you who need a refresher on last week, here's Bob Garrett at the DMN.
What has the Texas Legislature checked off its list of conservative priority bills? W/just over 2 wks left, I catch you up on GOP bills targeting:
— Bob Garrett (@RobertTGarrett) May 14, 2021
Elections
Guns
Abortion
Transgender children
Taxpayer-paid lobbying
That, abbreviated, is EGATT!#txlege https://t.co/Xbhg93iTi5
There's also an eventful and ominous week ahead.
📣📣Y'all- keep an eye on these bills.📣📣
— Chingona Power (she/her) (@DmShredder) May 16, 2021
Aimed at stifling the voices of educators in teaching their content, students when expressing their gender identity, and silencing districts when at odds with TEA, HB3979, SB29, and SB1365, respectively, need to be SHUT DOWN. pic.twitter.com/FXgWJZAy7p
Update: @DanPatrick just sent two of these House bills to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee.
— Jolie McCullough (@jsmccullou) May 14, 2021
HB 829 (on officer disciplinary schedules) and HB 830 (barring arrests for fine-only traffic offenses).
He also moved some other CJ bills that had been idling. #txlege https://t.co/oDXPCxZIGB
Rick Casey at the San Antonio Report calls the anti-trans bills in the Lege the real child abuse. And Houstonia Magazine clarifies what the new booze-to-go law will mean.
Come to Texas, our rehab is now Alcohol to Go... c/o https://t.co/7usmDlsXZ8 and #txlege and where DUI is applauded. So y'all know - it's open carry and open container season all year round. https://t.co/13psZWPRr2 pic.twitter.com/QmagrvtEob
— LawsInTexas (@lawsintexasusa) May 13, 2021
In criminal and social justice news, Houston turned out on Saturday afternoon at Discovery Green to stand up for Palestinians in Gaza.
Houston’s #FreePalestine rally pic.twitter.com/RUY34kbkv1
— 🇵🇸 ♥️ ṘḕḊ ṠṏṆjḀ ♥️👽 (@ssotwelltx) May 15, 2021
— 🇵🇸 ♥️ ṘḕḊ ṠṏṆjḀ ♥️👽 (@ssotwelltx) May 16, 2021
By some accounts, the newspaper of record was nowhere in sight.
Everyone who sees this should end their membership to the @HoustonChron until they take Palestinian youth organizers’ press releases seriously. pic.twitter.com/1ccw0kwrHX
— Uyiosa “Unbow Your Head” Elegon (@uyive_) May 17, 2021
Dallas and Austin held marches as well.
#FreePalaestine Protest in Dallas pic.twitter.com/tvmRo9tPtd
— 알리~ 😜 (@AllyElizabeth98) May 15, 2021
March at Texas Capitol raises awareness of Israel-Palestine unrest https://t.co/ANHpXadCv2
— KVUE News (@KVUE) May 16, 2021
Back to the Lege again for more.
Ending 'Qualified Immunity' For Police Was Key To Texas' George Floyd Act. It Went Nowhere In The Legislature #txlege https://t.co/BojDIDtNRD
— Andrew Schneider (@ASchneider_HPM) May 17, 2021
"The law is very deficient and the serial harassers go from place to place and are not stopped:" How a Texas cop with sexual misconduct allegations kept getting hired. @James_Barragan has the story. #txlege #txpolice #police #sexualmisconduct #harassment https://t.co/WLAupqHrY1
— John Gravois (@Grav1) May 14, 2021
Reformers get elected and suddenly the absolute prosecutorial discretion we were told for decades was sacrosanct when it was a one-way upward ratchet comes under fire. Seeing it at the #txlege on #HB1925. https://t.co/dbZgumMyru
— Grits for Breakfast (@Grits4Breakfast) May 14, 2021
Smugglers are exploiting the policy confusion at the border to manipulate vulnerable migrants into making the journey north, adding to the sustained influx at the border: https://t.co/AX1lwH37hN Some needed clarity from the incomparable @lomikriel
— Jeremy Schwartz (@JinATX) May 14, 2021
And some environmental updates (and action items).
🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️Texas lawmakers move to raise penalties on owners of Teslas and other electric vehicles | Texas wants to tax EV drivers because they don’t pay taxes on gas. The people who sponsored the Senate Bill have received donations from gas utility companies. https://t.co/cnJS0tQZUQ
— Laffy (@GottaLaff) May 15, 2021
I just joined with @JoltInitiative and @texrising for the #GenteFirstPledge: Texans Over Fossil Fuel Bailouts, because we need investment in the health of our communities, not more bailouts for the fossil fuel industry. Join us: https://t.co/XGq2tcucoF https://t.co/XGq2tcucoF
— Pro Leftist Movement (@ProMovement1) May 16, 2021
Tell @FERC: Protect us from "CP2 LNG" -- a new fracked gas terminal that puts the Gulf Coast at risk. #stopcp2lng https://t.co/PAcCBwCGdg
— XR Houston (@XR_HOUSTON) May 14, 2021
With a sports report ...
WITH 16 SECONDS LEFT SAM HOUSTON TAKES THE LEAD 😱😱😱😱😱
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) May 16, 2021
📺 @ABC#FCSChampionship x @BearkatsFB pic.twitter.com/ak3nIwrrCv
Tim Duncan thanks Gregg Popovich for the impact he had on his life, on and off the court. #20HoopClass pic.twitter.com/guhsWazCk9
— NBA (@NBA) May 15, 2021
More on COVID, the dropping of masks, some politics news (Matthew McConaghey, George Pee Bush), Republicans behaving badly (the usual suspects: Ted Cruz, Louie Gohmert, and Dan Crenshaw, back from his eye surgery on the Sunday Talking Heads) and a few other things coming later. Closing with these.
Sanford Nowlin at the San Antonio Current informs us of a saga involving Cruz, Joe Biden, and Chick-Fil-a dipping sauce.
The Houston Art Car Parade was stationary this year due to lingering cornavirus protocols, but that didn't mean everybody missed out.
The Suffers and Los Skarnales close out the Art Car Experience this weekend. https://t.co/r48uAEmzp1
— Houston Press (@HoustonPress) May 16, 2021
