INSIDER
Second victim dies after deadly Texas DPS office crash in Brenham
Read full article: Second victim dies after deadly Texas DPS office crash in BrenhamThe Texas DPS - Southeast Texas region confirmed on a social media post the victim killed was Bobby Huff, 78. He was one of six hospitalized, they said, but the only one who succumbed to his injuries.
Deadly Texas DPS office crash: What we know about accused driver Clenard Parker
Read full article: Deadly Texas DPS office crash: What we know about accused driver Clenard ParkerClenard Parker was identified as the alleged driver of a stolen 18-wheeler that crashed into the Brenham Department of Public Safety office.
Texas lawmakers again try to prohibit private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccines
Read full article: Texas lawmakers again try to prohibit private businesses from requiring COVID-19 vaccinesA Senate panel on Tuesday advanced such a measure. The debate centered largely around the safety of the vaccine and whether doctors’ offices and health care facilities should be exempt.
Texas’ open records law is 50 years old — and routinely flouted
Read full article: Texas’ open records law is 50 years old — and routinely floutedAt the annual conference of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, two Republican lawmakers described how government officials fail to meet transparency requirements.
Senate Republicans say House managers failed to meet high burden of proof
Read full article: Senate Republicans say House managers failed to meet high burden of proofDemocrats, however, said their GOP colleagues “caved” to outside pressure in voting to acquit and return Ken Paxton to his job as attorney general.
Texas Legislature passes bill to offer new moms a year of Medicaid coverage
Read full article: Texas Legislature passes bill to offer new moms a year of Medicaid coverageThe Texas House and Senate voted for the proposal, capping a yearslong effort to extend coverage for low-income moms. Medicaid covers half of all births in Texas, and coverage currently expires after two months.
More Texans would qualify for food stamps under a bill heading to Gov. Greg Abbott
Read full article: More Texans would qualify for food stamps under a bill heading to Gov. Greg AbbottThe value of a household’s vehicles disqualified nearly 55,000 people seeking federal food assistance in 2022. House Bill 1287 increases the threshold of car values that lead to SNAP applicants being denied aid.
After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workers
Read full article: After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workersThe legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.
Texas Senate OKs extending postpartum Medicaid — with an anti-abortion amendment
Read full article: Texas Senate OKs extending postpartum Medicaid — with an anti-abortion amendmentNew moms will be able to keep their health insurance for a full year under a proposal the Senate passed Sunday. A last-minute anti-abortion amendment means the bill will go back to the House.
Watch: Texas immigrants ‘shocked’ by bill that would have prevented them from buying homes
Read full article: Watch: Texas immigrants ‘shocked’ by bill that would have prevented them from buying homesInitially, Senate Bill 147 would have prevented legal Texas residents from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from buying land. Pushback from immigrant groups persuaded senators to soften the proposal.
Texas Senate passes bill limiting farmland sales to China, other countries
Read full article: Texas Senate passes bill limiting farmland sales to China, other countriesThe amended bill is a dramatically watered-down version of an earlier proposal that sought to ban land and home purchases by citizens of China and three other countries.
Texas Senate approves $15 million bill to expand local mental health treatment options for children and families
Read full article: Texas Senate approves $15 million bill to expand local mental health treatment options for children and familiesThe proposal would offer hospitals and nonprofits grant funding to expand child and family mental health services.
Texas senators, facing criticism, soften proposed ban on Chinese purchases of land
Read full article: Texas senators, facing criticism, soften proposed ban on Chinese purchases of landThe measure, endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, originally would have banned citizens of China, Iran, Russia or North Korea from buying land in Texas. Under a new version considered Thursday, the ban wouldn’t apply to dual citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Lawyers representing children in federal foster care lawsuit rebuked for hiring lobbyists
Read full article: Lawyers representing children in federal foster care lawsuit rebuked for hiring lobbyistsTexas lawmakers and a federal judge say attorneys in the case against the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services should not hire lobbyists using funds won in court.
Sports-betting advocates return to Capitol with narrower bill, new Republican author
Read full article: Sports-betting advocates return to Capitol with narrower bill, new Republican authorThe Texas Sports Betting Alliance threw its weight behind new legislation Monday to let voters decided whether to legalize online sports betting.
Wanna bet? Texas Legislature to reconsider legalizing casinos and sports betting
Read full article: Wanna bet? Texas Legislature to reconsider legalizing casinos and sports bettingGiven the stiff headwinds to getting any expansion in gambling passed, sports betting and casino advocates may be competing against each other, rather than working in tandem.
Bill to ban Chinese citizens and government from buying Texas land gains steam among Republicans
Read full article: Bill to ban Chinese citizens and government from buying Texas land gains steam among RepublicansSen. Lois Kolkhorst filed a bill that would ban citizens, governments and entities from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia from purchasing land in the state, part of what she and other Republicans have said will help stem foreign influence in Texas.
Texas warns Austin restaurants that their liquor licenses could be revoked for requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinations
Read full article: Texas warns Austin restaurants that their liquor licenses could be revoked for requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinationsSenate Bill 968, signed into law in June, allows the TABC and other agencies to revoke businesses' state licenses if they make vaccine proof a requirement of getting service.
“I am frightened by what is coming”: Texas hospitals could soon be overwhelmed by COVID-19 caseload, officials say
Read full article: “I am frightened by what is coming”: Texas hospitals could soon be overwhelmed by COVID-19 caseload, officials sayThe number of COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals is rising too fast for hospitals to keep up with, hospital leaders told state lawmakers Tuesday.
Gov. Greg Abbott plans to sign bill to punish businesses that require proof of COVID-19 vaccination
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott plans to sign bill to punish businesses that require proof of COVID-19 vaccinationAbbott's signature will mean that businesses that require so-called "vaccine passports" can't get state contracts and could lose state licenses or operating permits.
Texas lawmakers responded to the pandemic by limiting what the government can do in response to a pandemic
Read full article: Texas lawmakers responded to the pandemic by limiting what the government can do in response to a pandemicLawmakers didn’t succeed in curtailing the governor's power during a disaster, but they did pass bills that prohibit so-called vaccine passports and ban the mandatory closure of churches and gun stores.
Texas could give landowners more say in eminent domain negotiations under bill sent to Greg Abbott’s desk
Read full article: Texas could give landowners more say in eminent domain negotiations under bill sent to Greg Abbott’s deskAfter failing last session, lawmakers finalized a bill — described as a “delicate compromise” — that provides new protections for landowners in negotiating with companies attempting to seize their land through eminent domain.
Texas lawmakers split over how long to extend Medicaid health coverage for new mothers
Read full article: Texas lawmakers split over how long to extend Medicaid health coverage for new mothersMaternal health advocates said the bill — originally pitched as a one-year extension — could reduce the state’s maternal mortality rate and offer vital help to mothers grappling with conditions like postpartum depression or health complications in the months after giving birth.
Not much help for special needs Texans who need electricity to live - so what is next?
Read full article: Not much help for special needs Texans who need electricity to live - so what is next?For those who rely on machines to live, losing electricity can be an emergency situation. That registry lets local government and electrical providers know if there is a critical power need at a home. Senator Kolkhorst explains why that just wouldn’t work. “We have to make these changes and I just want everyone listening to know - it starts with a reliable grid,” Senator Kolkhorst said. There are more than 75 bills related to electricity filed and up for discussion… including one from Senator Kolkhorst related to electric rate charges.