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The Lege This Week: Bitterness and Brinkmanship Amid the theatrics that consumed the final full week of session, lawmakers still haven’t finalized much of their already-lackluster winter storm response. The Texas State Capitol Building during the 87th Legislative Session at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. Matthew Busch Amid the theatrics that consumed the final full week of session, lawmakers still haven’t finalized much of their already-lackluster winter storm response. The Texas State Capitol Building during the 87th Legislative Session at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, ...

People held candles at Yates High School in Houston last year during a vigil for George Floyd, who died one year ago Tuesday. Only one narrow piece of Texas’ George Floyd Act has passed out of both the House and Senate during a legislative session that ends Monday. Credit: Contributor Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. A year ago, longtime Houston resident George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised his death would not be in vain. Weeks after the B...

Narrowly targeted pieces of Texas’ George Floyd Act — like restricting chokeholds and requiring officers to provide first aid — are expected to pass. But the Act itself and many other related reforms have failed to progress during the legislative session that ends Monday.

May 10, 2021 Guest Submission The George Floyd Act addresses qualified immunity by creating a cause of action for deprivation of rights; requires corroboration for the testimony of undercover police officers; adds a duty to intervene and to render aid; prohibits chokeholds and limits lethal force to imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death. It also ends arrests for many non-jailable fine-only violations and mandates creation of a progressive disciplinary matrix establishing different disciplinary actions for policy violations and violations of law by police. The law would call for...

AP Photo/Eric Gay In a middle-of-the-night vote, HB6 was passed, moving the election reform legislation out of the House Elections Committee in the Texas House of Representatives. The bill now moves to the House Calendars Committee. A decision will be made by that committee on whether or not the bill goes to a full House vote. The vote was taken after hours of debate at 3:00 a.m Friday. There is little doubt that the bill will move to a full House vote. This is a top legislative priority with Governor Abbott and other Republican leaders. The vote to move the legislation out of the Elections C...