October 19, 2021
Bills intended to block any Texas entity, including hospitals and private businesses, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees failed to pass the Texas Legislature before lawmakers adjourned the third special legislative session. Signs that the legislation was in trouble came …
October 15, 2021
As Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican Texas leaders wage a war against vaccination mandates meant to curb COVID-19, a state Senate committee on Oct. 14 advanced legislation that would make any entity, including hospitals, vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits if …
October 13, 2021
Companies doing business in Texas now face new and complicated challenges after Gov. Greg Abbott this week banned COVID-19 vaccine mandates for all entities in the state — including private businesses — for employees or customers. The ramifications for businesses …
September 29, 2021
In a committee hearing on Sept. 28, Texas state senators were furious that natural gas companies won’t have to better prepare their facilities for extreme weather before this winter and rebuked the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s massive …
April 16, 2021
An $8.3 billion idea by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy to build 10 new natural gas power plants across the state for emergency use turned into formal legislation on April 15, when the proposal was introduced during a state Senate …
January 26, 2021
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he is pushing state lawmakers to protect individuals and companies that opened businesses during the pandemic against coronavirus-related lawsuits. While the governor did not provide specifics about what protections he wants businesses to have, he …
June 30, 2020
Hoping to block Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision ordering Texas bars to close due to a rise in coronavirus cases, more than 30 bar owners filed a lawsuit on June 29 challenging Abbott’s emergency order. The lawsuit, first reported by the …
June 8, 2020
More hurricanes and tropical storms than usual could make landfall in the United States this summer, forecasters predict. That is sending Texans and officials who are increasingly facing severe weather events scrambling to prepare for another natural disaster while they …
May 27, 2020
The state’s April jobless rate was 12.8% — Texas’ worst monthly tally on record. That number, included in the Labor Department’s monthly report released on May 22, is the government’s clearest and most comprehensive look at the economic devastation in …
May 6, 2020
After overseeing the state’s energy sector through one of Texas’ largest oil booms in recent years, the Texas Railroad Commission has suddenly found itself in the middle of two global crises that have delivered devastating reversals of fortune to the …