Texas Republicans in the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce were giddy with excitement Tuesday afternoon over Senate Bill 14, a massive deregulation bill that would prohibit local governments from passing or enforcing laws that create basic protections for...
[molongui_author_box]
MOVE Texas launches ad campaign against Abbott’s ‘election integrity’ bills
MOVE Texas, a nonpartisan voter registration group, announced Monday they would be launching a six-figure ad campaign against Senate Bill 7 and House Bill 6, Gov. Greg Abbott’s pick for “election integrity” legislation to pass this session. “As Texas struggles...
Rep. Filemon Vela says he won’t seek reelection
Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Brownsville) will not be seeking re-election, a spokesperson for the lawmaker confirmed to Axios on Monday. Filemon has represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected in 2020 with a 13.5 percent margin over his Republican opponent. ...
Republican bail reform bill poses threat to poor Texans, activists
Members of the Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence held their first hearing this week over Senate Bill 21, a controversial bail reform bill backed by Republicans. The purpose of the bill according to its author Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) is to prevent repeat...
Five Texas lawmakers back renewed push for Medicare for All
Five members of Congress from Texas are among the 112 co-sponsors backing the renewed push for Medicare for All in the U.S. House. Congressional Progressive Caucus Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) reintroduced the legislation for a single-payer national healthcare system on...
‘Life support for the bail bond industry:’ Experts sound alarm on SB 21
The Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence is hearing testimony on Thursday over Senate Bill 21, a sweeping piece of legislation that would hamper bail reform efforts in Texas sought after by some local governments and civil rights groups. The bill, authored by...
Democrats continue to criticize Abbott for voter suppression bills
Democrats and local elected officials continue to sound the alarm on a series of sweeping voter suppression bills being backed by Gov. Greg Abbott. “We don’t have voter fraud in Texas but we did have massive systemwide grid failure, statewide power outages, bursted...
Harris County residents protest governor’s phony push for election integrity
Protesters gathered outside state Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s Houston area office on Monday to protest the arrival of Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference backing GOP legislation that would prevent local counties from expanding voting methods. “Whether it’s the...
Lessons from Harvey survivors for Texans recovering from the snowstorm
As Texans continue to recover from the snowstorm and electrical grid failure, thousands are now looking to the government for help repairing their homes and restoring normalcy to their lives. It will not be easy, survivors of Hurricane Harvey tell the Signal. Juanita...
Abbott bans low-income Medicaid patients from Planned Parenthood
A state court ruled on Wednesday that an order by Gov. Greg Abbott excluding Planned Parenthood from Texas’s Medicaid program could go through. A Travis County judge blocked the attempt by Abbott in February. More than 8,000 low-income Texans depend on...