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Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What has been proposed at the Texas special legislative session on flooding crisis
What has been proposed at the Texas special legislative session on flooding crisis Texas lawmakers gathered this week for a special legislative session to discuss emergency procedures and early warning systems following the deadly July 4 flash floods. Gov. Greg Abbott called the special session in the wake of the flooding, which killed more than 130 people in Hill Country. "We must ensure better preparation in the future," Abbott said in a statement. Eric Gay/AP - PHOTO: Texas State Rep. Rep. Tony Tinderholt pins a green ribbon to his lapel in support on flood victims as the House calls a Special Session, July 21, 2025, in Austin, Texas. House Bill 165, filed on Tuesday, aims to create a model guide for local officials to follow regarding disaster response and recovery. Aspects of response such as contracting for debris removal; obtaining federal disaster funding; determining availability and construction of short-term and long-term housing and obtaining assistance from volunteer organizations were addressed in the bill. ADVERTISEMENT The session began Monday with a call to order, followed by a prayer led by Texas Department of Public Safety Major Ron Joy, in which he asked for "grace and mercy" for the victims of the devastating flooding. "Give comfort for those grieving and mourning the loss," Joy said. "Provide strength for those families still waiting on an answer. Restore those who have lost so much your hand of protection for the first responders and volunteers conducting the search and recovery missions and give wisdom to our leaders to help prepare for future disasters." MORE: Texas flooding: Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for flood emergency planning The special session is intended to address preparedness and recovery in the event of future flooding, Abbott said on Sunday. It will look at flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding and natural disaster preparations and recovery. Eric Gay/AP - PHOTO: Texas State Rep. Cecil Bell, Jr., (C), and other house member stand for the pledge as the House calls a Special Session, July 21, 2025, in Austin, Texas. In addition, legislation to provide relief funding to those recovering from the storms will be discussed, according to a proclamation by Abbott, which was read by a clerk during the legislative session. ADVERTISEMENT The deadly flooding over the Fourth of July weekend killed at least 135 people, including dozens of girls at Camp Mystic, along the Guadalupe River, according to officials. Several people are still missing. MORE: These are the factors that contributed to the extreme Texas flooding The special legislative session is scheduled to reconvene on Wednesday and expected to last for 30 days. The session will also address a congressional redistricting plan, which could create more seats for Republicans, as well as a second attempt at regulating THC, the psychoactive compound found marijuana.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Analysis: The 2025 Texas House, from right to left
The Texas House's roll-call votes during this year's regular legislative session allow us to once again rank the chambers's members from the conservative to liberal ends of the House's ideological spectrum — in relation to each other. The 88 members of the Republican House delegation hold a wide range of ideological positions. The conservative end of the Texas House GOP caucus is anchored by Mike Olcott of Fort Worth, Briscoe Cain of Deer Park, Steve Toth of Conroe, David Lowe of North Richland Hills, Brian Harrison of Midlothian, and Nate Schatzline of Fort Worth. The other end of the GOP caucus ideological spectrum is anchored by Ryan Guillen of Rio Grande City, Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, Ken King of Canadian, John Lujan of San Antonio, Stan Lambert of Abilene, and Dade Phelan of Beaumont. The speaker of the House, Republican Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, by custom does not ordinarily vote and is not included in the analysis here. Within the Republican delegation, three distinct blocs of representatives appear in the data. At the most conservative end of the House GOP ideological spectrum is a group of 17 representatives ranging from Olcott and Cain to Mitch Little of Lewisville and Matt Morgan of Richmond. As a group, these 17 representatives are significantly more conservative than more than two-thirds of their fellow Republican legislators. Olcott is significantly more conservative than all 86 of his fellow Republicans and Cain than 84 of 86, while Little and Morgan are both significantly more conservative than 60 of 86. At the least conservative end of the House GOP ideological spectrum is a group of 17 representatives ranging from Guillen and Geren to Brad Buckley of Salado and Pat Curry of Waco. As a group, these 17 representatives are significantly less conservative than more than two-thirds of their fellow Republican legislators. Guillen is significantly less conservative than 76 of 86 of his fellow Republicans and Geren is significantly less conservative than 73 of 86, while Buckley is significantly less conservative than 64 of 86 and Curry is significantly less conservative than 61 of 86. Although Guillen is the least conservative Republican, he still has a voting record that is significantly more conservative than that of the most conservative Democrat. The majority of House Republicans — 53 out of 87 members — occupy a middle ground between these two ideological poles, ranging from Brooks Landgraf of Odessa to Valoree Swanson of Spring. Cole Hefner of Mount Pleasant is the median member of the Republican Caucus, with half of the GOP representatives more conservative, and half less conservative, than Hefner. The 62-member Democratic House caucus also reflects a wide range of ideological positions on the left. The Democratic delegation is anchored at its liberal end by Christina Morales of Houston, Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, Ana-Maria Ramos of Richardson, Terry Meza of Irving, Jessica González of Dallas, and Vikki Goodwin of Austin. The Democratic delegation is anchored at its least liberal end by Terry Canales of Edinburg, Richard Peña Raymond of Laredo, Sergio Muñoz Jr. of Palmview, Armando 'Mando' Martinez of Weslaco, Eddie Morales Jr. of Eagle Pass, and Philip Cortez of San Antonio. As with their Republican colleagues, three distinct blocs of Democratic legislators also appear in the data. At the most liberal end of the Democratic ideological spectrum, six representatives stand out. They range from Morales and Reynolds, each of whom is significantly more liberal than 56 of their 61 fellow Democrats, to González who is significantly more liberal than 48 of 61 and Goodwin who is significantly more liberal than 45 of 61. At the other end of the Democratic ideological spectrum are 11 Democrats who are significantly less liberal than more than two-thirds of their fellow Democrats. They range from Canales who is significantly less liberal than 60 of his 61 fellow Democrats and Peña Raymond who is significantly less liberal than 59 of 61 to Harold Dutton Jr. of Houston and Bobby Guerra of Mission, each of whom is significantly less liberal than 42 of 61. Although Canales is the most conservative Democrat, he still has a voting record that is significantly more liberal than that of the least conservative Republican. The majority of House Democrats —45 out of of 62 members — occupy a middle ground between these two ideological poles, ranging from Maria Luisa Flores of Austin to Suleman Lalani of Sugar Land. The median House Democrats in 2025, who represent the absolute center of the Democratic House caucus, are Diego Bernal of San Antonio and Sheryl Cole of Austin. Political scientists have for decades used roll-call votes cast by members of the U.S. Congress to map their location on the Liberal-Conservative scale along which most legislative politics now takes place. This ranking of the Texas House members, which has been conducted biennially since 2011, does the same thing, by drawing on the 2,666 non-lopsided roll-call votes taken during the 2025 regular session of the Texas Legislature. Non-lopsided votes are those where at least 2.5% of the representatives who cast a vote are on the losing side. Unlike in analyses prior to December of 2023, information from votes on bills located on the House Local & Consent Calendar are not included in this analysis for the reasons cited in the 2023 post special session ranking. As with previous rankings conducted in 2023 (post special session), 2023, 2021 (post special session), 2021, 2019, 2017 (post special session), 2017, 2015, 2013 and 2011, this one uses a Bayesian estimation procedure belonging to the family of methodological approaches that represent the political science discipline's gold standard for roll-call vote analysis. State representatives are ranked from most liberal to most conservative (relative to each other) based on their Liberal-Conservative Scores, with the 95% credible interval (CI) for this point estimate also provided. If two legislators' CIs overlap, their positions on the ideological spectrum might be statistically equivalent, even if their Lib-Con Scores are different. In no case in 2025 did the CI of a House Republican overlap with that of a House Democrat, indicating that every Republican is significantly more conservative than every Democrat, and every Democrat is significantly more liberal than every Republican. Mark P. Jones is the Political Science Fellow at Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Disclosure: James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy and Rice University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. : A previous version of this story listed the wrong hometown for Rep. Nate Schatzline. He is from Fort Worth.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. President Trump endorses Texas House Speaker Rep. Burrows of Lubbock for re-election
U.S. President Donald Trump offered his endorsement for Texas House Speaker and Lubbock Republican State Rep. Dustin Burrows in his presumed upcoming bid for re-election in 2026. In a social media post on Wednesday night, Burrows, who represents HD 83, announced that he has received the President's endorsement, sharing an image showing Trump's statement supporting him. Others are reading: Who is Dustin Burrows? What you need to know about the Texas House Speaker "President Trump's bold leadership and America First agenda have inspired conservative leaders at every level, and as Speaker, I was proud to lead the House this session in delivering on that vision—fighting for school choice, empowering parents, and standing firm for law and order," Burrows stated in his social media post. Also in the social media post was attached President Trump's letter addressed to Burrows, which read: "Thank you for your recent Vote in favor of the tremendous School Choice Bill, SB-2. Thanks to the dedication of Lone Star State Legislators like you, Texas can now empower parents to choose the school that is BEST for their child, a Gigantic Victory for Texas families! | very much appreciate your support, and never forget!" Trump also noted that the letter serves as notice the speaker has the president's "complete and total endorsement in the upcoming re-election." Burrows was originally elected to serve as state representative for HD 83 back in 2015. His district is located in the South Plains, covering 11 counties, with the major city of Lubbock partially within its boundaries. In late 2024, Burrows ran in a hotly contested Texas House Speakership, which he ultimately won. During his speakership tenure, Burrows oversaw the passage of several notable bills impacting school choice, public education funding, teacher salary funding, and the historic water investment bill. Dig Depper: Texas Gov. Abbott adds flood, redistricting to Legislature's special session agenda As previously reported by the Avalanche-Journal, Burrows survived a coup with a majority of the Texas House backing him to keep him as speaker. He is also set to reconvene the House in late July for a special session. This endorsement from Trump also comes as Burrows has not officially announced if he is seeking re-election. Mateo Rosiles is the Government & Public Policy reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Got a news tip for him? Email him: mrosiles@ This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: President Trump backs Texas Rep. Burrows of Lubbock for re-election
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sirens, gauges and flood prevention: What the Texas Legislature could do in response to Hill Country disaster
Texas' elected leaders are promising to address gaps in the state's flood warning and mitigation systems after devastating flash floods killed more than 100 Texans over the July Fourth weekend. Lawmakers will return to Austin July 21 for a special session ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott, who sets the agenda for these 30 day legislative sprints. The governor has promised flood response will be at the top of the list and suggested lawmakers will have wide latitude to consider a 'top to bottom' response. 'We want to make sure that when we end that session, we end it making sure these communities are better, more resilient and have the resources that they need for the next chapter of their lives,' Abbott said at a press conference in Hunt on Tuesday. He added that the House and Senate will form committees as soon as this week. Already, leaders of both chambers are laying out possible solutions. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, called for more sirens to warn people of approaching floodwaters and said the state should chip in the funds for communities that can't afford them. House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock, said his chamber would work with experts to identify and fund solutions like flood gauges, alert systems and escape plans. 'I want to assure you, the Texas House will be organized. We will be ready,' Burrows said Tuesday. 'We stand willing and able to listen to the community and experts and do all that we can to help. As the floodwaters receded in the Hill Country, revealing the devastation from a nearly 30-foot wall of water ripping through towns, summer camps and RV parks, questions are beginning to emerge about when and whether people were warned about the flood risks they faced that weekend. Officials in Kerr County — the epicenter of the flood wreckage — have said the county's size, and the remoteness of its communities, make it difficult to reach people to warn them before a disaster strikes. A decade ago, Kerr County officials considered building an early flood warning system and repeatedly asked the state for help funding the $1 million project. That funding never came, and the project fizzled, the Houston Chronicle reported. Now, after more than 100 people died, including 30 children, and with 161 people missing in Kerr County alone, state leaders are signaling they will approve money for flood-prone areas to install these sorts of warning systems. Patrick said in an interview Monday that sirens 'up and down these flash flood alleys' might have saved lives. 'Absolutely we can fund these,' Patrick said, adding he'd want them in place by next summer. 'If the cities can't afford it, we'll do it.' State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston, said on X on Tuesday that he would file a bill to install these 'old-tech' sirens, saying too many people ignore or silence 'new-tech' phone alerts. 'It's time to go back to what worked and still does in Tornado Alley,' Bettencourt said. The Guadalupe River also needs more flood gauges and a radar rainfall system to better track rising waters, Phil Bedient with Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction, Education, & Evacuation from Disasters Center, said in an op-ed this week. The area also needs a modern flood tracking computer system, like those used in Houston, that would give local officials 'near-instantaneous flood predictions — showing, for instance, whether a hospital or nursing home is likely to be inundated,' Bedient said. In 2016, when Kerr County began its aborted attempts at upgrading its flood warning systems, the county's emergency manager, Tony Leonard, said 'the only warning system is me getting up in the middle of the night and looking at it.' And it's not just rural counties like Kerr. Bedient noted that San Antonio recently had deadly flooding and also needed more gauges, along with better alerts and escape plans. Burrows cited Bedient's op-ed in his post about special session plans, indicating he would consult with him and other experts in crafting a response. Local officials have said they'll welcome the assistance, while encouraging lawmakers to ensure any legislation is tailored to specific areas. 'We need a practical warning system that will work for this area, and the key word there is practical,' Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring told the Tribune, adding that this area had challenges people from other areas might not consider, like lack of cell service, remote campgrounds and terrain that would make evacuations difficult. Other lawmakers are calling to revive House Bill 13, which never got a hearing in the Senate during the regular session. The bill, authored by GOP Rep. Ken King of Canadian after last year's Panhandle wildfires, would have created a new government council to establish emergency response plans and give counties grants for emergency communication equipment. 'Lives depend on early notification, and the ability to reach Texans quickly and clearly is essential to saving lives during fast-moving disasters,' Rep. Drew Darby, a Republican from San Angelo, said in a letter to Abbott Tuesday. Darby's district was also hit by flooding; Rep. Wes Virdell, who represents Kerrville, voted against HB 13, but told The Tribune he would reconsider that vote in light of what happened. In addition to better flood warnings, the special session will also provide lawmakers an opportunity to look at Texas' flood mitigation systems. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Texas Legislature passed three significant bills directing more than a billion dollars to flood control and emergency response. As a result of that legislation, the Texas Water Development Board issued its first statewide flood plan in 2024, to address the needs of nearly 6 million Texans — almost 20% of the state population — living in areas susceptible to flooding. The 265-page report recommended $55 billion worth of projects to further evaluate flood risks, better manage floodplains and mitigate the effects of future flooding. The Flood Infrastructure Fund, created after Harvey, has only committed $669 million to these projects so far. Last session, lawmakers passed a historic $20 billion investment in the state's water infrastructure. But as part of that bill, the Flood Infrastructure Fund will be moved into the larger Texas Water Fund, and some experts worry it will result in less funding for flood mitigation as projects to increase water supply and improve aging infrastructure take precedence. 'Are we going to be putting enough into the water fund to be able to cover all the things that we need?' asked Perry Fowler, the executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. 'While it's still a significant amount, it wasn't as much as everyone hoped for, that we actually need to meet those demands.' The Flood Infrastructure Fund can still receive other funding, separate from the water funding approved during the regular session. Since that money will be rolled out slowly — $1 billion a year until 2047 — Fowler said he hopes legislators will consider allocating more to the state's flood mitigation systems during the special session. 'It's sad when you have to depend on a tragedy to move the needle,' Fowler said. 'But there are a lot of competing interests out there, so sometimes this is what it takes to make progress, unfortunately.' Lawmakers are also expected to provide some short-term relief to help communities across the Hill Country recover from the floods. The economic toll is estimated to be between $18 and $22 billion, Accuweather said, accounting for damage to homes, businesses, tourism losses and the costs of recovery. Abbott has committed to getting local officials what they need, and thanked the federal government for its swift response. President Donald Trump issued a major disaster declaration for the area, allowing people to access grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans for other needs. Lawmakers have previously dipped into the state coffers to help with local disaster recovery, with a large chunk of the $1.7 billion Harvey package reserved for needs like repairing damaged buildings and infrastructure. But people who lost everything in the floods say they need significant assistance to rebuild their lives. Lorena Guillen owns Blue Oak RV Park and Howdy's Restaurant on the same riverfront property in Kerrville. She awoke to a raging torrent and saw RVs getting swept away, including one with a family stuck inside. She is still struggling with trauma as she considers what the future looks like for her business. 'I pay $9,000 a week in payroll, and I have employees who are relying on that income because they lost things too,' she said, standing amid the wreckage Monday. 'I need someone to help me make payroll, help me rebuild, and it's going to cost so much money.' Some experts hope to see lawmakers give cities and counties more tools to limit development in floodplains. Camp Mystic, the Christian girls summer camp that lost at least 27 campers and counselors, and other summer camps in the area, were built in high-risk flood zones. RV parks are often pushed into these areas as well. 'We can't have this race to the bottom where some places are just the Wild West, and they're able to build whatever they want while others are trying to be responsible stewards of safety and lower property damage,' Andrew Rumbach, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute who studies climate risk, told the Tribune this week. Disclosure: Rice University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Shape the future of Texas at the 15th annual , happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin! We bring together Texas' most inspiring thinkers, leaders and innovators to discuss the issues that matter to you. Get tickets now and join us this November. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Coin Geek
24-06-2025
- Business
- Coin Geek
Texas, Arizona make progress on Bitcoin reserve bills
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The race for digital asset reserves is heating up in the United States, with a growing number of state-level bills being launched, debated, and signed into law. On June 20, the governor of the U.S. state of Texas signed Senate Bill (SB) 21 into law, making it the third state to sign a Bitcoin reserve bill into law—joining New Hampshire and Arizona—and the first to commit public funds and establish a separate structure for Bitcoin holdings. This move came a day after Arizona's state senate passed a bill to establish a fund that would be administered by the state to store and manage seized digital assets. If signed into law, it would add to a bill already signed by the state's governor last month focused on unclaimed digital assets. Texas reserve bill becomes law Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the SB 21 Strategic Bitcoin Reserve bill into law on Friday. The bill allows for the establishment of a Bitcoin reserve managed by the State Comptroller of Public Accounts and investing in select digital assets. The bill was passed a month ago by the Texas House of Representatives, which voted overwhelmingly in favor. The legislation allows the comptroller to invest in any digital asset with a market cap above $500 billion over the previous 12-month period. The only asset that currently fits this description is BTC. According to the bill, 'bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies can serve as a hedge against inflation and economic volatility.' The legislation also states that establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve 'serves the public purpose of providing enhanced financial security to residents of this state and providing a mechanism to receive donations of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.' In terms of this latter point, the legislation specifies that digital assets may enter the reserve through multiple routes, namely: a money transfer or deposit, a gift, grant, or donation, an investment gain, derived from a fork, or via airdrop. The comptroller will be guided in administration by an advisory committee of three digital asset investment professionals, and a public report detailing the fund's holdings and performance will be issued every two years. Abbott's signing into law of SB 21 means Texas is now the third state to approve a Bitcoin reserve law, after New Hampshire and Arizona, the latter of whose legislature was also busy progressing another related bill last week, this time focused on forfeit assets. Arizona's Senate passes Bitcoin reserve bill In a 16-14 vote on June 19, the Arizona Senate revived House Bill (HB) 2324, which would establish a reserve fund to store and manage seized digital assets. The bill had previously failed a final reading in the Arizona House of Representatives in May and was returned to the Senate for amendments, according to its fact sheet. Now, after approval in the Senate, it once again goes to the House for a vote. If passed by the House and subsequently signed into law by the state's Governor, Katie Hobbs, HB 2324 will join legislation signed into law in May—named HB 2749—that allowed for the establishment of a reserve fund for unclaimed digital assets. The bill revived by the state senate on Thursday would build on the previous legislation by authorizing the State Treasurer to establish the 'Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund' to manage digital assets seized through criminal asset forfeiture. It would also allow the state government to invest, reinvest, and divest funds in digital assets or exchange-traded funds containing digital assets. The legislation specifies that the first $300,000 of any forfeited digital assets would be deposited in the Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund. The remaining balance beyond that amount would be split along the following lines: 50% to the Anti-Racketeering Revolving Fund, 25% to the state's General Fund, and 25% to the newly established Bitcoin and Digital Assets Reserve Fund. The bill also notes that digital assets lawfully seized for forfeiture must be secured by 'gaining access to a private key, passphrase or other access mechanism, securing a digital wallet through blockchain technology or transferring the digital asset to a state-approved secure digital wallet or platform.' In addition, any digital assets sold must be done so through state-approved digital asset exchanges or 'other secure platforms' to ensure accurate valuation and transparency. In April, two other pieces of digital asset reserve legislation were passed by the Arizona House: SB 1025, a proposal to amend Arizona's statutes to authorize up to 10% of the state's treasury and retirement funds to be invested in BTC and other digital assets; and SB 1373, to establish a state-level strategic digital assets reserve and allow Arizona to hold digital assets obtained through seizures or legislative allocations. However, Governor Hobbs vetoed SB 1025 on May 2, citing concerns that 'retirement funds are not the place for the state to try untested investments like virtual currency.' Ten days later, she also vetoed SB 1373, arguing that 'current volatility in cryptocurrency markets does not make a prudent fit for general fund dollars.' A federal policy Bills to facilitate digital asset reserves have already been proposed in six more states, according to legislation tracker Bitcoin Laws, including in North Carolina, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Illinois. This nationwide trend tows the party line set down by U.S. President Donald Trump since his inauguration in January. Since taking office for the second time, Trump has followed through on his vocal support for all things digital asset, installing crypto advocates in key regulatory positions, while defunding other regulators, and reversing so-called crypto-debanking measures. The icing on the cake came on March 7, when Trump officially announced the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve through an executive order titled 'Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset Stockpile.' The order introduced the idea of a strategic reserve exclusively for bitcoin and a 'Digital Asset Stockpile' to be comprised of various cryptocurrencies. Since then, Trump's digital asset activities in the memecoin space have drawn many headlines and much criticism—primarily from democratic quarters—over the potential for conflict of interest and corruption. Watch: Bitcoin for practical use on CoinGeek Weekly Livestream with Brendan Lee title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
