Texas Legislature 2021

The momentum follows a shake-up in House leadership and comes as the practice is gaining traction in statehouses across the country. Meanwhile, gun control advocates are sounding the alarm about making it easier to carry guns after recent mass shootings. Full Story 

The effort comes as Abbott and some Texas legislators are pushing a proposal to punish social media companies for “canceling conservative speech.” Full Story 

Corporations generally stay out of legislative fights that don’t directly affect their business, but some are weighing in against proposed Republican restrictions to voting laws. Full Story 

New voting restrictions working their way through the Texas Legislature have more to do with the 2018 election cycle than the one in 2020. Full Story 

American Airlines and Dell Technologies on Thursday publicly declared their opposition to Republican legislative proposals that would impose new restrictions on voting. Full Story 

Senate Bill 7 is at the forefront of Texas Republicans’ crusade to further restrict voting in the state after last year’s election. Full Story 

Some say lawmakers should go further to ensure power plants can withstand increased weather due to climate change. And they worry that much of the legislation advancing will be up to the Public Utility Commission to enforce. Full Story 

Some experts have raised doubts whether the bill will hold up in court. Full Story 

The slate of bills must still go to the House for approval. Full Story 

Senate Bill 3 would require all power generators, transmission lines, natural gas facilities and pipelines to make upgrades for extreme weather. Its prospects are uncertain in the House, which is scheduled to take up a series of related, standalone bills on Tuesday. Full Story 

The latest fight over local control in the Texas Legislature is a rerun: Conservative lawmakers want to bar local governments from hiring lobbyists to represent them in Austin. And their effort has more support than before. Full Story 

Senate Bill 7 would make sweeping changes to Texas voting by limiting extended early voting hours, prohibiting drive-thru voting and requiring Texans to provide proof of disability to qualify for mail-in voting. Full Story 

After some early tension, the Legislature's Republican leaders say they are on the same page with the business that remains. Full Story 

A provision that would remove police officers' legal shield against civil lawsuits has been pegged by multiple lawmakers as a sticking point in the Republican-led Legislature. Full Story 

The wide-ranging proposal includes a number of reforms that have been floating around the state Capitol since last month’s deadly winter storm left millions without electricity during freezing temperatures. Full Story 

Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday there is an even greater urgency this legislative session to pass laws expanding gun rights because of Joe Biden’s presidency. Full Story 

The chamber signed off on House Bill 1024 to permanently allow beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in pickup and delivery food orders. The measure still requires approval from the Senate. Full Story 

Texas has seen more mass shootings in the last two years than proven incidents of voter fraud, but legislators are more focused on election law than on gun violence. Full Story 

Democrats moved to delay committee hearings that were set for today on the first major bill in a push by Republican lawmakers to further tighten the state's already restrictive voting rules and raise new barriers for some voters. Full Story 

Fixing immigration and ending hate crimes was hard enough without elected policymakers in Austin and Washington D.C., stoking nativist and racial fears. Full Story