Top lawmakers back lifting camp safety law
Top Texas legislators are pushing to waive a new state law that requires camps to install broadband fiber optics in order to legally operate this summer, The Dallas Morning News reported. Scores of camps are struggling to meet the deadline. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows released a statement last week saying they support lifting the law.
High gas prices eating into Texans’ budgets
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Texas has risen from $2.55 in early February to $3.91 as of Sunday, according to AAA. Diesel prices hover around $5 a gallon. The average Texan now spends $233 a month on gasoline, according to a study reported in The Texas Tribune.
Patrick warns GOP could lose state House majority
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned last week that the GOP risks losing its majority in the state House this November and urged party unity behind the winner of the May runoff between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Without that unity, Patrick said that state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, could win, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Early voting begins Feb. 17
Early voting in the March 3 primary begins Monday, Feb. 17 and concludes on Friday, Feb. 27. A full slate of contested races will be on the ballots in both Republican and Democratic primaries. The deadline to request a mail ballot is Feb. 20, according to votetexas.gov.
Power grid holds up during wintry blast
The electricity grid that covers most of Texas was holding up as of Sunday during the latest winter storm, although localized power outages were reported in Deep East Texas and far West Texas.
Deadline to register for March primary nears
Crockett, Talarico to face off in Democratic primary
Trio of judges to rule on congressional map
The same plaintiffs who are challenging the state’s 2021 congressional map are asking a panel of three federal judges to block using the new GOP-approved districts from being used in the March midterms. The Texas Tribune reported this is the first legal test for the redrawn districts, which are intended to increase the Texas congressional seats held by Republicans by five.
Second special session gaveled to a close
The second special session of the Texas Legislature ended last Thursday with a new congressional map, flood relief and safety measures but a stalemate on whether to ban or regulate THC. The Dallas Morning News reported that lawmakers approved most of the legislative priorities Gov. Greg Abbott listed for the special session.
House bill proposes new standardized test
A Texas House bill would eliminate the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness test and replace it with a test comparing students’ performance to one another rather than state-set standards, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
House Bill 4 would also create benchmark tests to measure students’ academic performance throughout the year.
