Senate & House Pass Broadband Expansion Bills
The House last Friday unanimously passed House Bill 5, the broadband access bill, with House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, voting for the legislation.
The Senate version, Senate Bill 5, has also been unanimously passed by the Senate.
The passage of a broadband expansion bill is considered one of the most important policy changes the state—broadband access is necessary to close the higher education digital divide, ensure quality jobs, and prepare our economy for the future.
House Announces Healthcare Priorities
Speaker Dade Phelan and a group of bipartisan House members unveiled the “Healthy Families, Healthy Texas” legislative package for the session. Phelan said the bills are part of the “first wave of health care priorities” for the House
How About These Guns?
Lawmakers are scheduled to debate two measures House Bill 1911 and House Bill 1927, which would eliminate the requirement for Texans to obtain a license to carry handguns — either openly or concealed — so long as they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun.
The bills do not eliminate background checks or waiting periods or remove existing law that prohibits handguns from being taken into places like businesses and schools. Firearms instructors and law enforcement leaders from across Texas gathered in Austin Tuesday morning to voice their opposition to the measures.
Only in Austin…
(Baylor Men’s Basketball team on the Senate floor with Senate members.) The Baylor University Men’s Basketball team was honored on the House and Senate floors this week for winning their first-ever NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Members sneaked in their personal pictures with the entire team during their visit to the Texas Capitol.
