Texas

After hours of debate and multiple attempts to kill the legislation from Democrats, Texas is one step closer to banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices in public colleges and universities Friday. In a 83 to 60 vote, the Texas House gave preliminary approval to one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick ’s legislative priorities that would prohibit such offices, programs and any required diversity training. In an attempt to stop a deluge of amendments from Democrats opposing Senate Bill 17 , lawmakers approved an amendment offered by the bill’s sponsor, Seguin Republican John Kuempel , that requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to conduct an annual study into the impact of banning DEI offices, allows universities to make “reasonable efforts” to re-assign employees in DEI offices to new positions with similar pay, and shifts the day the bill goes into effect back by three months to Jan. 1. The coordinating board is the state agency that oversees higher … [Read more...] about A ban on Texas public universities’ diversity offices inches closer to becoming law

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 After several years of work and some controversy, Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley found validation in his efforts to construct the Texas 249 toll road through a portion of Montgomery County after the effort was named project of the year by the American Public Works Association in October. The 3.6-mile, $76 million project will compete on the national level with the APWA in 2022. Marcel Khouw, president of the American Public Works Association Southeast Branch, presented the award for the group’s largest category for projects over $75 million to Riley during the commissioners’ court meeting Tuesday. The APWA is a nonprofit, international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to providing high quality public works goods and services. APWA serves its members by promoting professional … [Read more...] about Montgomery County’s Texas 249 toll road project lauded by association

Charli Collier has spent her last season in college basketball adjusting to a new coach, to a coronavirus-safe form of training, to disrupted classes and to conferring with her teammates over video calls. All the while, she coped with the expectation that she would become the top pick in the next W.N.B.A. draft. “We had the pandemic, had the whole canceling of the term, and then — boom — coaching change, and that just really shook my whole world,” Collier, a 6-foot-5 junior center for Texas, said in a phone interview on Thursday. Her sixth-seeded team will face Maryland, a No. 2 seed, in a round-of-16 N.C.A.A tournament game on Sunday. At one point this season, Collier said, she thought about leaving school. But she stuck around, knowing she had adapted to much more difficult situations before. Not so much on the court, of course. When Collier first picked up a ball at age 5, it clicked, she said. She started facing off against her younger brother, Casey, and her father, … [Read more...] about Charli Collier of Texas Honors Her Father’s Memory With Resilience

The head of a Texas House panel was aghast Tuesday after investigators laid out wide-ranging corruption allegations against scandal-soaked Attorney General Ken Paxton, calling them “alarming to hear.” “It curls my mustache,” said Rep. Andrew Murr, a fellow Republican, who no doubt was already familiar with the accusations that have swirled around Paxton for years. Paxton, a staunch conservative in his third term as the state’s top prosecutor, now finds himself facing possible impeachment proceedings—on top of an ongoing FBI investigation and a long-stalled indictment. His response has been to attack House Speaker Dade Phelan, accusing him on Tuesday—when word of the probe emerged—of drinking on the job. On Wednesday, after the litany of allegations was unveiled during a three-hour hearing, Paxton claimed Phelan, a Republican, is a “liberal” who wants to “sabotage my work.” The investigators led the House committee through years of alleged misconduct that they believe broke … [Read more...] about Details of Texas AG Ken Paxton’s Scandal Shocks House Panel’s Conscience

The Texas House General Investigating Committee voted unanimously on Thursday in favor of 20 articles of impeachment against the state’s attorney general. A vote on the floor of the Texas House to impeach Ken Paxton could occur by the weekend and would result, if approved by a majority vote, in his suspension as attorney general pending a trial in the Texas Senate. The General Investigating Committee, composed of three Republicans and two Democrats voted unanimously to refer 20 articles of impeachment (attached below) to the House of Representatives for a vote on the floor, the Texas Tribune reported . The articles include allegations that include the misapplication of public resources, bribery, and obstruction of justice. Rep. Andrew Murr, R – Junction, speaks during a House General Investigating Committee hearing about Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday May 24, 2023. (Jay Janner /Austin American-Statesman via AP) Members of the … [Read more...] about Texas House Committee Votes Unanimously for 20 Articles of Impeachment Against AG Ken Paxton

Photo: Nick Wagner/AP Texas attorney general Ken Paxton is facing impeachment as a Republican-led state house committee filed more than a dozen charges over allegations of workplace retaliation and misuse of his office to benefit a personal friend. The Texas Tribune reports that a panel voted unanimously on Thursday to file articles of impeachment against Paxton to the full chamber. If charged by the House, he will be suspended from his position pending a full trial in the Senate under Texas law, which would allow the governor to appoint an interim replacement. The 20 articles of impeachment laid out numerous charges including constitutional bribery, disregard of official duty, misapplication of public resources, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. The house committee heard three hours of testimony the day prior from investigators looking into the various claims made against Paxton. Paxton has been accused of retaliation by four former employees who … [Read more...] about Texas AG Ken Paxton Is Being Impeached Over Everything From Retaliation to Bribery