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The bills now head to the full House for debate. Versions already passed by the Senate are also pending. Each measure will need to be approved by both chambers before becoming law.

Shannon Najmabadi

Texas energy companies push back against Berkshire Hathaway’s $8 billion plan for backup power April 16, 2021

Revenue for 10 emergency power plants would come from a monthly charge on Texans’ power bills. The proposal is just one of several bills lawmakers are considering after February's massive power outages.

Mitchell Ferman

Texas House gives initial approval to "constitutional carry," which would allow people to carry a gun without a license April 15, 2021

House Bill 1927 would nix the requirement for Texas residents to obtain a license to carry handguns if they’re not prohibited by state or federal law from possessing a gun. Texans under current state law must generally be licensed to carry handguns, either openly or concealed.

Cassandra Pollock

Severe weather this summer could cause another Texas power crisis April 15, 2021

The state's grid operator included extreme weather scenarios in its early summer assessment and found that a combination of a severe drought, heat wave and low winds could lead to more power outages. Experts warn this summer could be hot and dry, enhanced by climate change.

Erin Douglas and Mitchell Ferman

Austin ISD risks losing $5 million in state funding if more students don’t attend final weeks of school in person April 15, 2021

Earlier this school year, the Texas Education Agency established guidelines that each school district must follow to qualify for the state’s hold harmless funding. Some districts, like Austin, are now at risk of losing funds.

Duncan Agnew

COVID-19 ravaged Texas nursing homes. Here are the stories behind the numbers. April 15, 2021

Nearly 9,000 Texas nursing home residents have died of COVID-19. This is what the last year of chaos and isolation was like for nursing homes residents and the employees who care for them.

Carla Astudillo and Karen Brooks Harper

STAAR testing adds pressure to final weeks as frantic Texas school year nears end April 15, 2021

In an academic year scrambled by the pandemic and a deadly winter storm, Texas school students face makeup work and rounds of standardized testing. Many parents and teachers say it's unnecessary.

Duncan Agnew

Texas Senate approves bail bill that would keep more people in jail if they can’t post cash bonds April 14, 2021

Senate Bill 21 would require cash bail for people who have ever been convicted of a violent crime.

Jolie McCullough

Transgender students in Texas would be barred from school sports teams matching their gender identity under a bill advanced by state Senate April 14, 2021

The proposal would prohibit students from participating in a sport “that is designated for the biological sex opposite to the student’s biological sex as determined at the student’s birth.”

Shawn Mulcahy

Texans hit hardest by coronavirus are facing another challenge: the pause on the J&J vaccine April 14, 2021

Efforts to vaccinate young people, rural Texans, communities of color and people experiencing homelessness have been impacted by the pause.

Karen Brooks Harper and Mandi Cai

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