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The Electric Reliability Council of Texas urged Texans to cut back on power usage last week when an unusually large number of power plants shut down for unexpected repairs as temperatures soared. ERCOT officials announced Friday that Texans could resume normal levels of electricity use, however. ERCOT came under fire after widespread outages during the winter storm in mid-February, resulting in the CEO being forced out and much of the board replaced. Saturday marked the official first day of summer.
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Abbott vows to expand border ‘barrier’
Gov. Greg Abbott vowed last week at a border security summit to build a barrier to slow the flow of migrants through the state’s southern border. Abbott said details would be forthcoming for the wall, which would be part of a new enforcement plan administered by several state agencies, ranging from the governor’s office to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He said he intends to sign legislation appropriating more than $1 billion for enhanced border security. “While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows,” Abbott said. “The state is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally.” The president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) blasted Abbott’s actions. “Governor Abbott stated that he intends to use Texas state budget dollars not for education, improving our electric grid or for Texas roads and highways,” said Domingo Garcia, LULAC president. “Instead, he says he will continue to build a wall and other barriers along the border with Mexico. This is a huge waste of taxpayer money, and very likely illegal.” LULAC plans to take legal action on grounds that the federal government has authority over immigration and borders, not individual states.
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Population gains, losses in state detailed
The U.S. Census Bureau has released is sub-county population estimates from April 2010 to July 2020. That includes population estimates for the 1,200 incorporated places in Texas. Nine additional Texas towns were incorporated in the past decade, while 13 additional cities surpassed a population of 50,000. The Texas Demographic Center reported that of the 71 Texas cities with populations of more than 50,000, only two lost population — continuing the trend of smaller towns and areas in the state losing population to larger cities. More than 55% of the state’s population growth has been in cities with more than 50,000 residents. Small and mid-sized cities surrounding major metropolitan areas, such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Houston, saw the fastest growth rates, while many of the cities in West Texas and the Panhandle were among the 372 Texas cities that lost population, according to TDC.
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With session over, there’s time to reflect on what happened toward the end of session and the new laws the legislature passed over the past 140 days.
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The Texas Legislature sent a $248 billion two-year state budget to Gov. Greg Abbott after the House approved the measure last Thursday. The 140-day legislative session ended at midnight May 31. Senate Bill 1 is $13.5 billion less than the previous biennial budget, with the difference to be made up from COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government. As previously reported, Abbott plans to allow legislators to decide how to allocate those funds during a special session this fall. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has suggested a special session for this summer to address some of his pet bills, such as limiting the participation of transgender athletes in school sports, banning lobbyists paid with public funds and putting limits on social media’s power to restrict users. The Austin American-Statesman reported that Abbott called Patrick›s proposal “pretty goofy,” however. Only the governor can call a special session and dictate the topics to be addressed.
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The last week of session is coming to a close and the long nights have stretched into the early hours of the following mornings. We’re sprinting to the finish of an unusual session and passing consequential and substantial legislation.
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Texas lawmakers will adjourn the regular session on Monday — Memorial Day — but Gov. Greg Abbott has already indicated he will call a special session in the fall to grapple with redistricting after detailed census results are finally released. Last week, Abbott told lawmakers he would put them in charge of deciding how to spend nearly $16 billion in federal money the state received for COVID-19 recovery efforts. During the first two rounds of stimulus funding, Abbott decided how the money would be spent, which angered some legislators. The special session comes just months before the 2022 primaries, with Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Comptroller Glenn Hegar all planning to seek re-election. That raises the possibility of other topics being added the special session that could appeal to the governor’s base, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Abbott has drawn one primary opponent, former state Sen. Don Huffines.
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Session is drawing to a close. This is the last week for Senate committees to realistically consider bills to vote out of committee. We have until May 26 to vote on any bill on the floor. After that, the Senate can only vote on Conference Committee Reports or concur with House amendments until we adjourn Sine Die on May 31.
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