INSIDER
Texas Ethics Commission blocks lobbying loophole that former state Rep. Chris Paddie used
Read full article: Texas Ethics Commission blocks lobbying loophole that former state Rep. Chris Paddie usedA 2019 law says a former lawmaker cannot register to lobby until two years after they last used campaign funds to donate to another politician. Paddie, R-Marshall, sought to get around that earlier this year by reimbursing his campaign account with personal money.
“Pugilist Patrick on full display”: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick takes aim at two Republicans who crossed him
Read full article: “Pugilist Patrick on full display”: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick takes aim at two Republicans who crossed himPatrick has made no qualms in the past about bending arms or using public pressure to get other state officials — including Gov. Greg Abbott — to go along with his plans.
Law to crack down on lobbyists ensnares two former Texas House members
Read full article: Law to crack down on lobbyists ensnares two former Texas House membersThe law says a former member of the Legislature cannot engage in activities that require them to register as a lobbyist if they have made a political contribution using campaign funds in the past two years.
State Rep. Jim Murphy, chair of House GOP Caucus, won’t seek reelection
Read full article: State Rep. Jim Murphy, chair of House GOP Caucus, won’t seek reelectionMurphy, who represented House District 133 from 2007-09 and again since 2011, chairs the House GOP Caucus and the House Higher Education Committee.
State Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of powerful state affairs committee, says he won’t run for reelection
Read full article: State Rep. Chris Paddie, chair of powerful state affairs committee, says he won’t run for reelectionThe news comes less than a month after Paddie, who has represented House District 9 since 2013, announced he would run for reelection.
Energy industry showers Gov. Greg Abbott, other Texas politicians with campaign cash after they passed power grid bills
Read full article: Energy industry showers Gov. Greg Abbott, other Texas politicians with campaign cash after they passed power grid billsFor some energy experts, the increase in donations for the officials at the close of the session looks like a reward for not passing more stringent regulations and raises questions about whether lawmakers let the oil, gas and the broader energy industry off easy for its massive failures.
Texas governor says power grid fixed; experts cite problems
Read full article: Texas governor says power grid fixed; experts cite problemsTexas Gov. Greg Abbott says new power grid reform “fix all the flaws” that caused February’s deadly winter blackout that left more than 4 million people without power and heat.
Texas’ fix after blackout doesn’t dwell on climate change
Read full article: Texas’ fix after blackout doesn’t dwell on climate changeTexas’ biggest fix to February’s deadly winter blackout that left more than 4 million people without power puts more focus on projections by the state’s climatologist but does not dwell on climate change after a deep freeze buckled the state’s unprepared electric grid.
Texas House wants to go further than Senate to protect state’s main power grid as time to agree on bills winds down
Read full article: Texas House wants to go further than Senate to protect state’s main power grid as time to agree on bills winds downThe Texas House could take up its proposal to better prepare for extreme weather as soon as Sunday. The chambers have a little more than a week to wrap up remaining work.
Texas lawmakers want to prevent another power crisis. But the legislation doesn’t go far enough to do that, critics say
Read full article: Texas lawmakers want to prevent another power crisis. But the legislation doesn’t go far enough to do that, critics sayLawmakers are trying to prevent another power grid failure like the one that occurred during last month’s deadly winter storm. (Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune)Both the Texas Senate and House have written bills that attempt to prevent another massive power failure in extreme temperatures. House Bill 11, sponsored by State Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall, was part of a package of bills that the lower chamber preliminarily approved Tuesday. “It doesn’t go far enough to truly protect Texans from the next winter weather calamity,” Jacoby said during a committee hearing on the bill on March 18. “Under this definition of an extreme weather emergency, these mandates would not apply,” Jacoby said during the committee meeting.
Texas power crisis prompts Texas House panel to advance several bills, including one requiring plants to prep for extreme weather
Read full article: Texas power crisis prompts Texas House panel to advance several bills, including one requiring plants to prep for extreme weatherSeveral bills responding to Texas’ February power outages — including one mandating that power plants prepare facilities for extreme weather and another reforming the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board — were advanced by the Texas House State Affairs Committee on Thursday. The bill to mandate weatherization of power plants, House Bill 11, would give authority to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which regulates the electric industry, to develop and enforce standards to prepare power plants for extreme weather. AdThe power outages last month began largely due to power plants tripping offline in extreme cold temperatures — most plants in Texas are not built to withstand such conditions. House Bill 12 would direct a study and implementation of a statewide emergency alert system for power outages. The body would maintain records of facilities critical to maintaining fuel service to power plants during emergencies.
Trent Ashby and Chris Paddie become first two Republicans to file for Texas House speaker
Read full article: Trent Ashby and Chris Paddie become first two Republicans to file for Texas House speakerState Rep. Trent Ashby, R-Lufkin, and state Rep. Chris Paddie, R-Marshall. Credit: Illustration by Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneTwo Republicans declared their candidacies for speaker of the Texas House on Thursday, becoming the first from their party to enter the race. State Reps. Trent Ashby of Lufkin and Chris Paddie of Marshall join two Democrats in seeking the gavel: Senfronia Thompson of Houston and Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio. Candidates are vying to replace Republican House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, who will retire after serving one term thanks to a political scandal last year. Thompson, the longest-serving woman and Black person in the history of the Texas Legislature, filed Friday to run for the gavel.