Legislating is a social enterprise. It draws crowds of Texans who want to testify, to be heard, to sightsee and to watch government in action. And it’s tailor made for spreading a contagious disease.
Joe Deshotel
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas House member Joe Deshotel tests positive for coronavirus, forcing other state lawmakers into quarantine
State Rep. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont, told The Texas Tribune he tested positive Thursday — three days after lawmakers gaveled in for this year’s legislative session
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson readies 2021 lobbying blitz to bring casinos to Texas
Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands has built a stable of high-powered lobbyists for the session, which starts in January, and the company acknowledged Tuesday that it is serious about bringing casinos to Texas.
Posted in
Environment
Texans still don’t know if they qualify for FEMA aid after Imelda. But some say the potential help may not be worth the wait.
For people affected by Imelda to get FEMA aid, there have to be at least 800 flooded homes that weren’t insured — and it could be weeks before Texans know if that threshold is met.
Posted in
Environment
Tropical Storm Imelda left 5 dead in Texas and many flooded. Will FEMA aid come next?
While Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for Tropical Storm Imelda, it does not qualify individuals for financial assistance. That will have to come from FEMA.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: March 4, 2015
Senate budget writers in the middle of what they are describing as “Tax Relief Week” expressed remorse en masse at having created the business margins tax in 2006.
Posted in
Energy
Liveblog: Environment at The Texas Tribune Festival
We’re liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival’s Environment track. The sessions include panels on the state’s water needs, the Texas coast, agriculture in the state and Texas’ battles with the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Posted in
Public Education
TribLive: A Conversation With Southeast Texas Lawmakers
Full video of my 2/19 TribLive conversation at Lamar University in Beaumont with state Reps. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont; Allan Ritter, R-Nederland; and James White, R-Woodville.
Posted in
Health care
The Brief: Feb. 19, 2014
News reports on Tuesday evening that the famously tough-on-immigration lite guv candidate Dan Patrick employed undocumented immigrants at his sports bar in the 1980s had a couple of his rivals condemning him and Patrick complaining of dirty politics.
Posted in
Politics
The Brief: Feb. 7, 2014
The rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric in the GOP lieutenant governor’s race — and personified by state Sen. Dan Patrick — is angering several Hispanic party leaders to the point where one of them is considering voting for a Democrat in the general election.