Bill filing deadline has us like…
Friday, March 8, was the 60th day of session, which means it was the last day for legislators to file their bills. House members filed 4,627 bills, while the Senate has 2,447 up for consideration, a 9% increase from 2017. While some bills are sillier than others (I’m looking at you, HCR 122!), we’ve surely got our work cut out for us.
The UT community mourns Bill Powers
Bill Powers, who was UT’s President from 2006 – 2015, passed away on Sunday at the age of 72. Powers, who wasn’t afraid to clash with state leaders such as Gov. Rick Perry in defense of “the soul of the university,” brought plenty of change to the university during his tenure and was a popular campus figure. To read more about Powers’ life, click here.
San Antonio special election: Results
Democrat Ray Lopez (right), a former San Antonio city councilman, has won the House district 125 seat in San Antonio. He will be joining the House committees on Defense & Veterans’ Affairs and Juvenile Justice & Family Issues.
Only in Austin…
March 8 kicked off this year’s SXSW Festival, which is a conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences. This year, many hopefuls for the 2020 presidential nomination are in attendance, including Julian Castro and Elizabeth Warren. Democratic rising star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (pictured with Bill Nye the Science Guy) was also in attendance.