A video of a Senate hearing shows two state senators challenging the Texas Association of Business (TAB) president about his dire warnings of economic destruction if the “bathroom bill” is passed. One of the senators accused the TAB official of spreading “absolutely fake news.”
The transgender bathroom battle is being hit straight-on in the Lone Star State. A state senator has pre-filed a bill which she says “seeks to put an end to a controversy that began in Washington D.C.”
The Texas Legislature may be looking into ways of providing paper backups to electronic voting machines after claims of machine errors in the 2016 election cycle.
HOUSTON, Texas – Texans turned out in record numbers on the first day of early voting for the 2016 General Election. Harris County led the way with over 67,000 ballots cast.
The Texas Senate Health and Human Services committee began their investigation on aborted baby body part sales and questioned witnesses at the state Capitol for over four hours on Wednesday. The committee met to examine the business practices and regulatory structure of Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, and to investigate whether state or federal laws were broken with regard to the donation and/or sale of fetal tissue.
Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 483 into law last Friday, allowing the State to set up a gold depository and bring its $1 billion in gold bullion back to Texas. The gold, which is part of the University of Texas’ endowment fund, is currently stored in a vault located in the basement of HSBC in New York City.
The Texas Senate passed a bill on Tuesday which would protect the rights of certain religious organizations and pastors to refuse participation in marriage ceremonies which violate their sincerely-held religious beliefs. The Governor said he will sign a bill that offers such protection to pastors and ministers.
The Texas State Senate has voted in favor a bill that would ban insurance coverage for abortion. The ban applies to private health insurance plans, including qualified plans offered through health benefit exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”).
The Texas State Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would give Texas law enforcement officers jurisdiction to enforce federal laws intended to – in the words of the bill’s author – “stop illegal alien criminals at the border.”
The Texas Senate takes up the issue of repealing in-state tuition benefits for the children of illegal immigrants living in the Lone Star State. DREAMers and their supporters were on the Texas Capitol steps early this morning in preparation for lobbying legislators on S.B. 1819. They are in Austin to speak to the Texas Senate’s Sub-Committee on Border Security. The sub-committee is part of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Military Installations. The bill would remove in-state tuition eligibility for certain children who came to America illegally.
The remains of yet another illegal immigrant was found in Brooks County, eighty miles from the Texas-Mexico border. This unidentified immigrant is unique in that he has distinctive gold dental work, including a gold star on his front tooth. The remains
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R) has referred two bills expanding the open carry of guns to committee, a crucial step needed before the legislation can reach the floor for debate and a vote. The move was announced Monday afternoon, a week after Patrick had made comments in an interview casting doubt about whether there was sufficient support for a bill allowing the open carry of handguns this session.
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hegar released the Biennium Review Estimate (BRE) on Monday in Austin. He predicted Texas will have $113 billion available for general purpose spending during the 2016-17 biennium. This represents a 9.5 percent increase over the 2014-15 biennium. The new Comptroller predicted a moderate growth rate during the coming two years.
