Veteran lawmaker offers support for Judge Lina Hidalgo, recounts making similar decision
A retired lawmaker offered words of support for Judge Lina Hidalgo during Tuesdayโs Harris County commissionerโs court meeting. This was the first meeting since Hidalgo announced she was taking a leave of absence to seek treatment for clinical depression.
How the quorum break got broken: Texas Democrats splintered during second session break
For House Democrats, the story of the second special session is much different from that of the first one. The excitement of leaving the state had worn off, the media spotlight had dimmed and the pressures to return home were mounting.
Analysis: Texas lawmakers have two contentious voting fights ahead โ if they can stay in the same room
After a standoff that lasted more than a month, the Texas House appears to have enough state representatives in Austin to conduct business. The divisions are deep, relationships are frayed and redistricting lies ahead.
Surgery kept one longtime Democratic lawmaker from fleeing Texas. He fears missing a moment in history more than arrest.
Houston state Rep. Garnet Coleman has been at the forefront of voting and social justice battles for decades and helped lead the 2003 flight of Democratic legislators to Oklahoma. Not being with his colleagues who went to Washington, D.C., has been agonizing, he says.
Amid a pandemic with unequal impact, a proposal for a new Office of Health Equity died in the Texas Senate
Democratic lawmakers wanted to replace a defunded agency by creating a new office that would look at health inequities across the state. But after Republicans pulled it into ongoing debates about transgender rights and critical race theory, the bill died in the Senate.
Mayor Turner, other officials encourage people, especially communities of color, to set aside reluctance, get COVID vaccine
Giuseppe Colasurdo, president of UTHealth, opened the news conference asking people to have patience when it comes to getting the vaccine. That group includes those over 65 and people 16 and older dealing with certain health issues. Turner emphasized the importance of getting the vaccine and how impactful it is for leaders to set an example for the communities. Many people in communities of color, and other communities, are reluctant to get the vaccine, Turner said. Coleman said he wants people who have health issues to see him getting the vaccine and feel encouraged to get it.
Five years later: The death of Sandra Bland continues to demand police reform from local and state officials across Texas
Despite criticism from those who said the bill doesnt address systemic racism, the Sandra Bland Act was monumental, Coleman said. You file the bill you want to pass, Coleman said. This time around, activism for police reform is much more sophisticated and focused on city officials, Coleman said. He argued that the process is easier on the local level compared to passing similar standards on the state level. In June, Turner also appointed a 45-member task force for policing reform in Houston.
The Texas lawmakers who led the Sandra Bland Act are pushing to reinstate the police reforms stripped from their original bill
But by the time the Legislature passed it, most of the sweeping provisions related to policing had been stripped out. Many provisions were removed from the bill after law enforcement opposition. Those measures stalled the bills progress because of opposition from law enforcement groups and lawmakers concerned about unfunded mandates. The version of the Sandra Bland Act signed into law by Gov. Abbott did not, however, mention any specific proposals, and has not addressed the policing aspects that faced harsh opposition by law enforcement and how, if at all, that will change in 2021.