Texas Policy 67
Texas voters say the state and country are worse off than a year ago and heading in the wrong direction, UT/TT Poll finds
BY JAMES POLLARD at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 9, 2021 Texas voters are feeling down about the state and national economies and pessimistic about the country’s general direction, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Fifty-five percent of respondents said the national economy is worse than it was a year ago. That figure includes 25%
University of North Texas names health school president Michael Williams sole finalist for system chancellor
BY KATE MCGEE at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 8, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The University of North Texas Board of Regents unanimously approved Michael Williams, current president of the UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth, as the sole finalist
Delta-8 is legal in Texas — for now — after Travis County judge blocks state from criminalizing the cannabis extract
BY KEVIN REYNOLDS at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 8, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Delta-8, the popular cannabis extract that was recently and suddenly outlawed in Texas, is temporarily legal again. State district court Judge Jan Soifer on Monday granted
Unvaccinated Texans make up vast majority of COVID-19 cases and deaths this year, new state data shows
BY KAREN BROOKS HARPER at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 8, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. New data from the Texas health department released Monday proves what health officials have been trying to tell vaccine-hesitant Texans for months: The COVID-19 vaccine dramatically
Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to develop standards to block books with “overtly sexual” content in schools
BY CASSANDRA POLLOCK at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 8, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday told state education officials to develop statewide standards preventing “pornography” and “other obscene content in Texas public schools,” citing two memoirs about
Sara Stapleton Barrera, 2020 primary challenger to state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., announces comeback bid as he retires
BY PATRICK SVITEK at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 6, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Sara Stapleton Barrera, who last year forced longtime state Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, into a primary runoff, has decided to run again now that the incumbent is
Greg Abbott leads Beto O’Rourke by 9 percentage points in hypothetical matchup, UT/TT Poll finds
BY PATRICK SVITEK at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 5, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Gov. Greg Abbott has a comfortable lead over potential Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a new poll from the University of Texas at Austin and The
Texas voters split on whether voting laws should be more strict, UT/TT Poll finds
BY CASSANDRA POLLOCK at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 5, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. About two months after the Texas Legislature approved new voting restrictions into law, roughly a third of the state’s voters believe that voting rules here should be
Vaccination slots filling up as Texas children ages 5-11 receive first COVID-19 vaccines
BY JAMES POLLARD at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 4, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. For months, Pearland realtor Gerald Hatter had been anxiously waiting on news that her 11-year-old daughter Bella Hatter would be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. On Wednesday,
Citing overwhelming demand, Texas Rent Relief Program will stop taking new applications after Friday
BY JOSHUA FECHTER at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 4, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Texas is shutting the door on a massive program to help struggling households make rent and keep the lights on during the COVID-19 pandemic — months before
Justice Department sues Texas over new voting law, targeting restrictions on mail-in ballots and voter assistance
BY CASSANDRA POLLOCK at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 4, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Disabled, elderly and non-English speaking voters risk disenfranchisement under Texas’ new voting law passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice claims
White House says big businesses must mandate vaccines or require testing by Jan. 4, regardless of what states like Texas say
BY MITCHELL FERMAN at The Texas Tribune, NOV. 4, 2021 Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Companies with more than 100 employees will have to ensure their workers are vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested weekly for the virus under
