Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Biden administration over new COVID-19 vaccination rules for big businesses
The move comes a week after Texas filed a separate lawsuit over new vaccination rules for federal contractors. Full Story
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Mitchell Ferman
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Mitchell Ferman covered energy and the economy from 2020 to 2022, based in Houston. Before joining the Tribune he was a reporter for The Monitor in McAllen, where he covered cross-border trade, politics and the city of McAllen. He also regularly freelanced from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond for The New York Times, Texas Monthly and Reuters, writing about topics including the family separation crisis and unexpected consequences of the border wall. He graduated from the University of Missouri.
Past Contributions
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton walks to a press conference outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 1, 2021. The Supreme Court will hear cases regarding abortion in Texas.]()
Credit: Eric Lee for The Texas Tribune -
White House says big businesses must mandate vaccines or require testing by Jan. 4, regardless of what states like Texas say
The new rules preempt state and local laws, including part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on vaccine mandates. Full Story
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![Maria Diaz receives her vaccine against COVID-19 at a 24-hour vaccination event at Kelly Reeves Athletic Complex on March 6, 2021, in Austin. Family Hospital Systems hosted the drive-thru vaccine event with an 80s theme and equipped to vaccinate 7,000 people.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas bill to block COVID-19 vaccine mandates for employers failed in Legislature after business groups rallied against it
A prohibition on vaccine mandates was one of Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities for the special session, but it did not have enough support in the Legislature. Full Story
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![Diana Phipps pulls up doses of the Pfizer vaccine into syringes at a clinic organized by the Travis County Mobile Vaccine Collaborative at Rodriguez Elementary School on July 28, 2021.
Source diversity info: White Female]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
As Texas GOP wages war on COVID-19 mandates, lawmakers OK bill that would make companies requiring the shot vulnerable to lawsuits
Senate Bill 51 would make any entity, including hospitals, vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits if they mandate vaccinations for all employees. Full Story
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![A COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card sits on a table at a vaccine clinic held in partnership between the Central Texas Food Bank and University of Texas in Austin on July 21, 2021.]()
Credit: Sophie Park/The Texas Tribune -
“It puts a big burden on employers”: Businesses face tough choices after Gov. Greg Abbott bans vaccine mandates
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines say they will continue requiring employee vaccinations despite Abbott’s new order, which has left federal government contractors, nursing homes and other companies caught between conflicting rules from the Biden administration and the state. Full Story
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![Pharmacist Ilana Druker prepares the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Houston Independent School District’s Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center on Jan. 9, 2021, in Houston. HISD partnered with Kroger to administer the COVID-19 Moderna vaccine to educators, police officers and school nurses as part of Phase 1A and 1B of the vaccine rollout.]()
Credit: May-Ying Lam for The Texas Tribune -
Texas senators blast regulator for power grid winterization loophole lawmakers wrote into law
The law says the state's natural gas system won't be required to prepare for extreme weather until 2022 at the earliest and allows companies to opt out of weatherization requirements. Full Story
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![Scenes from McKinney during the winter storm affecting the entire state. The storm brought snow, ice, and freezing temperatures that are causing hazardous driving conditions and electrical outages.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas lawmaker defends new permitless carry law against criticism from gun control advocate
The law that went into effect Sept. 1 allows anyone 21 years or older to carry a handgun in public without need for a permit or training. Full Story
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![Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses the Biennial Revenue Estimate for the 2020-21 biennium at the state capitol in 2019.]()
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Shell’s decision to leave Permian Basin unlikely to impact Texas workforce or climate issues, experts say
More than 175,000 barrels of oil per day in production will shift from one major company to another. Full Story
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![Oil and gas drilling in the Permian Basin in West Texas in 2018.]()
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Shell sells off its oil and gas business in Texas’ Permian Basin, seeking to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels
Texas-based ConocoPhillips bought Shell’s Permian Basin assets for $9.5 billion, its second major purchase in the oil-rich area over the last year. Full Story
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![A drilling rig at sunset operates a couple hundred yards north of Fasken Elementary School on the north side of Midland, on May 13, 2016.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
A Houston day care convinced all its workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Now it requires a shot.
While some national companies are requiring employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, mandates have been the exception for businesses in Texas. Full Story
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![Childcare supervisor Amy Davis takes the temperature of three-year-old Nicholas as he is dropped off by his mother Melissa Hurbs at the Museum District Childcare Center in Houston on Sept. 1, 2021.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune