During Harrison’s Tenure as HHS Chief of Staff, Agency Formed “Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion”
A state representative who claims to be exposing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in state government served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Health and Human Services as the agency formed an “Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” State Representative Brian Harrison served as Chief of Staff at the Department […]
Weekend Newsbrief: 3-2-25
The Texas Voice will feature the Weekend Newsbrief through the end of the legislative session to provide updates on issues we have previously written about and highlight interesting items that we haven’t devoted full-length articles to. Harris County Taxpayers Foot Lina Hidalgo’s Legal Bills, Pay for More Murals Harris County Commissioners Court met Thursday and […]
New Chief Justice Delivers State of the Judiciary Address
Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock delivered his first State of the Judiciary Address to a joint session of the Texas Legislature yesterday, stressing the importance of a qualified and adequately compensated judiciary that will uphold the rule of law. Blacklock, who has served on the Texas Supreme Court since 2018, was appointed Chief Justice […]
Fact Check: Has the Legislature Been Taking Long Vacations?
Some commentators, often citing inflammatory speeches made by State Representative Brian Harrison, have accused lawmakers of taking long vacations at this point in the legislative session and, therefore, not doing any work. Is this really the case? Since the legislative session began on January 14, the Texas Senate has originated resolutions that grant the legislature […]
School Choice Advocates Laud HB 3
Leaders in the Texas House of Representatives unveiled a package of priority legislation related to education yesterday, including a bill to create an Education Savings Account program that school choice advocates lauded. House Bill 3, filed by State Representative Brad Buckley, would create a universal school choice program with initial funding of $1 billion from […]
Paxton Testimony Raises Questions About High-Dollar Legal Contracts
In recent testimony before the Texas Senate Finance Committee, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton testified that his office needed to hire outside lawyers to sue tech giants such as Meta and other large businesses under contingent-fee contracts because his office did not have the necessary appropriations to undertake the litigation. However, this was not the […]
House Committee Assignments Bode Well for Conservative Priorities
Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced committee assignments for the Texas House yesterday, with his appointments signaling a desire to unify Republican lawmakers around conservative policy priorities. Under House rules passed earlier this session, a Republican will chair all standing committees of the Texas House. Additionally, Burrows appointed Republican majorities to all committees. Of the […]
Bail Reform Bills Set for Hearing
A package of bills related to setting bail for accused criminals will be heard tomorrow (February 12) in the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee. Governor Abbott designated Bail reform as an emergency item in his recent State of the State address, allowing lawmakers to pass bills regarding the subject during the first 60 days of the […]
Harris County Green Lights Litigation Against Trump Administration
Officials in Harris County voted yesterday to give Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee broad authority to take legal action against the Trump administration at taxpayer expense. By a vote of 3-1, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved a motion authorizing Menefee “to initiate any legal action, intervene in existing litigation, file amicus briefing, and file public […]
“Building a Stronger Texas”: Abbott Announces Emergency Items at State of the State Address
Speaking behind a podium emblazoned with the words “Building a Stronger Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott delivered his State of the State address Sunday night. During his speech, Abbott announced seven emergency items: property tax relief, water infrastructure, teacher pay raises, expanding career training, school choice, bail reform, and the creation of the Texas Cyber Command. By designating these subjects as emergency items, […]