Patrick is Mahomie!
Shout out to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback (and native Texan) Patrick Mahomes, who was born in Tyler, played high school football in Whitehouse and quarterbacked at Texas Tech, now named Super Bowl LIV MVP! On Sunday he led Kansas City back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and to its second-ever Lombardi Trophy and its first in 50 years in a 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers. What a game and what a guy — Patrick is Mahomie!
Upcoming Legislative Hearings at the Texas Capitol
As the new year progresses, the legislative committee hearing schedule is ramping up – Texas House and Senate committees are setting meetings in Austin and around the state in order to consider interim charges assigned to each committee last fall. Legislators will hear from constituents and interested parties throughout the year and use those findings to craft legislation for the 87th Legislative Session which convenes Tuesday, January 12, 2021.
Several hearings are set to take place at the Texas Capitol in the next couple of weeks, including the House Ways and Means Committee, which meets at 10:00 AM today, Wednesday, February 5th, to consider interim charges relating to tax collection and monitoring the State Auditor’s review of agencies under the committee’s jurisdiction. The Senate Business and Commerce Committee meets this Thursday, February 6th to assess the electricity market in Texas, and the House Higher Education Committee meets next Tuesday, February 11th regarding the implementation of measures passed last session relating to sexual harassment at public and private postsecondary educational institutions, a student loan repayment assistance program for peace officers and hazing.
As always, these legislative hearings are free and open to the public – Texas House and Senate committee schedules can be found here, a map of the Texas Capitol can be found here, and House and Senate interim charges can be found here and here.
Only in Austin…
A visit to the Texas African American History Memorial, located on the southwest corner of the Texas Capitol Grounds, is a wonderful way to observe Black History Month in Austin in February. Officially dedicated in 2016, the 27-foot high, 32-foot wide monument depicts Juneteenth – Emancipation Day, June 19, 1865 – when Union troops arrived in Texas and announced the freedom of slaves in the United States. Other scenes depicted on the memorial include black Texans’ roles in advancing the cattle, cotton and oil industries, as well as major social, political and cultural icons.