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Friday, April 18, 2025

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Special Agent of HSI-ICE: 'China is providing Mexican drug cartels with fentanyl used to poison Americans'

China recently denied allegations by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that illegal fentanyl trafficking has been occurring between the two nations.

By Austin News Report | Apr 20, 2023

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Energy analyst fears Texas consumers will be 'stuck paying higher bills for years'

Texas lawmakers' recent response to February's widespread power outages due to the winter storm included making adjustments to the state's power grid that analysts say will begin to solve some of the problems identified by the storm, according to a Texas Tribune report.

By Timothy Stuckey | Jun 15, 2021

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Life:Powered policy director: Chapter 313 abatements won't 'go away quietly'

By Juliette Fairley | Jun 5, 2021

Chapter 313 tax abatements are set to expire on Dec. 31, 2022, as the Texas Senate has rejected House Bill 4242, but experts say wind and solar farm advocates won’t fade away without a fight.

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'The sad truth': Energy director says renewable sources might not keep electricity on across Texas

By John Sammon | May 29, 2021

Energy Alliance Policy Director Bill Peacock said renewable energy sources including wind power might not be enough to keep Texans' electric power on this summer, and he faulted the state’s reliance on "green energy" when coal power and nuclear could meet the state's demand.

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Texans Care for Children group backs two bills to 'keep kids safe with their families' and out of foster care

By John Breslin | May 26, 2021

Texas lacks an adequate number of foster homes to serve older youth, rural children and those with complex needs, according to Texans Care for Children.

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Slaton proposes bill to foster equal competition in energy sector

By Timothy Stuckey | May 7, 2021

In February, state Rep. Bryan Slaton (R–Royse City) introduced legislation aimed at ensuring equal competition in the Texas energy sector by eliminating special tax breaks for solar facilities in the state, according to Texas Scorecard.

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Peacock on House plan: 'Weatherization should be paid for by generators, not taxpayers or consumers'

By Andy Nghiem | May 6, 2021

The Texas House passed a bill earlier this week with a vote of 126-18 to spend $2 billion to weatherize power plants that failed during last February’s extreme winter storms.

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Texas House committee OKs bill to end arrests for non-jailable offenses

By Christina Heath | Apr 23, 2021

A Texas House committee passed House Bill 830 (HB 830) last week, which bans arrests for Class C misdemeanor traffic violations, which are non-jailable offenses.

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Renewable energy companies testify against Senate Bill 1278

By Timothy Stuckey | Apr 21, 2021

Several renewable energy companies and groups registered and testified against Texas Senate Bill 1278, a measure that will require renewable energy companies to pay for the costs they impose on the market when they fail to produce the expected levels of energy.

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Study: $71 million spent on green energy lobbying in Texas since 2015

By Timothy Stuckey | Apr 14, 2021

Green energy companies have spent more than $71 million to lobby Texas legislators since 2015, according to a recent study by Transparency USA based on Texas Ethics Commission reports.

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'Big win for women's health' as Texas receives $13 million settlement from Boston Scientific Corp.

By Andy Nghiem | Apr 4, 2021

Texas will receive $13 million in a lawsuit settlement with med­ical device man­u­fac­tur­er Boston Sci­en­tif­ic Corp.

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In wake of winter storm, Hancock files bill to ensure Texas grid reliability

By Bree Gonzales | Apr 2, 2021

Chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee state Sen. Kelly Hancock has introduced a bill that would promote ancillary services back-up generation for intermittent resources.

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Center for Families and Children director: 'No one-size-fits-all model' in state for foster care

By Mary Lou Lang | Mar 24, 2021

A recent university report shows that Texas' move to a community-based child foster care system needs improvement, and one analyst said the paper provides detailed recommendations for changes.

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Texas attorney general backs 'complete authority' for PUC to roll back $16 billion in storm-driven power bills

By Karen Kidd | Mar 23, 2021

Attorney General Ken Paxton's opinion last week, siding with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and, apparently, against Gov. Greg Abbott over how to deal with $16 billion in huge electric bills from last month's extreme weather crisis, has tossed the debate back into the state's Public Utility Commission's (PUC) lap.

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Austin Justice Coalition hopes 2021 will be the year for criminal justice reform

By T.H. Lawrence | Mar 22, 2021

Chas Moore has seen the statistics and examined the reports but the executive director of the Austin Justice Coalition has even stronger evidence that Texas law enforcement officers engage in more interactions and arrest a higher percentage of people of color.

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Report: DFPS 'unable or unwilling' to share information for mandated evaluation

By Karen Kidd | Mar 20, 2021

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) is "unable or unwilling" to provide necessary information in a legislative-mandated report released earlier this month, according to the study, which the department's head criticized.

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Exelon challenges PUC's orders to reset electric prices to $9,000 M/wh during storm

By Mary Lou Lang | Mar 19, 2021

An energy provider is challenging the legal authority of the Public Utility Commission of Texas orders to reset electric prices to $9,000/Mwh during the February winter storm.

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Rep. Thompson: Texas George Floyd Act advocates in ‘thick of it’

By Tamara Browning | Mar 19, 2021

Bills in the Texas Legislature that, in part, call for banning arrests for non-jailable, fine-only violations are being promoted by those who have long advocated the of ending jail bookings for Class C misdemeanors.

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Right on Crime analyst: Arrests on fine-only crimes counterproductive

By T.H. Lawrence | Mar 18, 2021

The punishment doesn’t fit the crime, says Derek Cohen, policy director of Right on Crime and Citizens Defense at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

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Texas House balks at Senate's fast-track bill to roll back $16 billion in post-storm electric bills

By Karen Kidd | Mar 18, 2021

The Texas House is in no hurry to rubber-stamp legislation rushed through the Senate on Monday to reverse $16 billion in huge electric bills sent out following last month's extreme weather crisis.