This Week in the Texas Legislature: Behind Closed Doors texasobserver.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from texasobserver.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Texas legislators weigh partial and total bans on Griddy-type energy plans
Bills are advancing to help protect Texas residential consumers from outrageous energy bills, but critics say the measures scapegoat providers and skirt real market issues.
Ivet Cantu, 45, shows her electricity bill from Griddy energy on an app totaling $3,979.39 after additional charges and fees, outside of her home in Dallas, on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. (Ben Torres / Special Contributor)
6:20 PM on May 19, 2021 CDT
Seeking an end to outrageous electricity bills that hit some Texans after February’s winter storm, the Legislature has advanced bills this session that would limit wholesale index products like those sold by Griddy Energy and other providers.
Texas could neuter cities powers to enact rules around hiring, benefits bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
While the classic Schoolhouse Rock! song
“I’m Just A Bill” only touched on what happens to legislation that doesn’t make it past committee hearings, bills in the Texas Legislature often die throughout the session, barely even making their way to the chamber floors.
Before the session begins, lawmakers file bills that they want to become law. Once it’s filed, a bill is referred to a committee that will host debate and discussion on it.
Committees have a lot of bills to consider. To put that into perspective, this session,
committees in the state House of Representatives. With a legislative session that only lasts five months, some bills are bound to not even be discussed.
Averting crisis: Path to weatherize Texas power plants and some gas wells set under compromise bill
The Legislature’s biggest answer yet to weaknesses exposed by winter storm selectively weatherizes gas infrastructure, creates outage alerts and tightens coordination.
A compromise bill unveiled by Texas House leaders on Tuesday would respond to February s electricity crisis by, among other things, weatherizing power plants – and, selectively, natural gas infrastructure. The bill also would create outage alerts and require grid managers and utility regulators to practice for emergencies.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
5:59 PM on May 18, 2021 CDT
AUSTIN Texas would require weatherization of electrical generating plants and some natural gas wells and related pipelines and compressors under a compromise bill that House leaders unveiled Tuesday.