1/ Hundreds of thousands of Texans face eviction for non-payment over the next few months. In Texas, individual judges have to decide whether to uphold the eviction moratorium.
This is one family’s journey facing eviction.
2/ After spending more than 40 years in the oil fields, Larry Havens got sick and couldn’t work anymore. Rent was the highest bill he was paying, and when he fell behind Havens thought he could catch up. He couldn’t.
3/ Havens and his wife Amy Clark faced being evicted out of the trailer they’ve been living in since last year.
4/ The pandemic is also still affecting Texans: while daily confirmed new cases and hospitalizations are far below their winter peaks, both numbers are climbing fast.
5/5 Havens and Amy Clark were allowed to pursue rent assistance through the Texas Eviction Diversion Program. They will not be evicted while they wait for the assistance to go through.
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BREAKING: Texas House Democrats plan to flee the state in move that could block voting restrictions bill, bring Legislature to a halt bit.ly/3xFP4w8
The GOP is moving to ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting options, enhance access for partisan poll watchers and prohibit local election officials from proactively distributing applications to request mail-in ballots. bit.ly/3e7kEeE
Ultimately, Democrats lack the votes to keep the Republican-controlled Legislature from passing new voting restrictions, along with the other conservative priorities on Gov. Greg Abbott’s 11-item agenda for the special legislative session. bit.ly/3r97cvR
Breaking: Texas GOP Chairman Allen West announced that he is running for governor, challenging fellow Republican Greg Abbott. bit.ly/3dHnDtX
Since his election as Texas GOP chair in July of last year when he soundly beat then-incumbent James Dickey, West has criticized Abbott's coronavirus response and sought to push the governor's legislative agenda further to the right. bit.ly/3hwNlT7
Abbott has mostly ignored West's attacks.
But the governor has increasingly catered to his right flank in recent months as he has appeared to try to tamp down on potential vulnerabilities ahead of his #TX2022 reelection campaign. bit.ly/3ymx6ii
Authors say Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin canceled book event examining slavery’s role in Battle of the Alamo after Texas GOP leaders complained bit.ly/3wijfIe
Authors of the book titled “Forget the Alamo,” and the publisher Penguin Random House say the cancellation of the event, which had 300 RSVPs, amounts to censorship from Republican elected leaders, and an overreaction to the book’s examination of racism in Texas history.
“The Bullock was receiving increased pressure on social media about hosting the event, as well as to the museum’s board of directors (Gov. Abbott being one of them) and decided to pull out as a co-host all together,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.
House Bill 1468 was designed so Texas students could continue remote learning with the state footing the bill.
It stalled at the last #TXlege session, leaving plans for school next year up in the air — including for students with disabilities. bit.ly/2UQ9hAM
There are many reasons why disabled students might not want to return to in-person school. Authors of a recent study found Texas school reopenings may have led to at least 43,000 additional COVID-19 cases and 800 additional fatalities within the first two months.
In addition to COVID-19 concerns, students with mobility issues found it easier to be at home when their schools aren’t built for students like them. Autistic students might have trouble wearing masks for long periods of time.
The For the People Act aims to set up automatic voter registration, expand early voting, ensure more transparency in political donations and limit partisan drawing of congressional districts, among other things. Republicans are expected to block it today. cnbc.com/2021/06/22/sen…
2/ Vice President Kamala Harris recently pointed to Texas Republicans’ push for sweeping new voting restrictions as a key illustration of the need to restore federal oversight of elections. bit.ly/3zQRPMv
3/ After drastic changes were made behind closed doors at the end of the 2021 #TXlege session, Texas Republicans' Senate Bill 7 included provisions to limit early voting hours, curtail local voting options and further tighten voting by mail. bit.ly/2UuMcDF
1/ Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation called the Safe Outdoor Dogs Act.
It would have made it illegal to chain up dogs and leave them without drinkable water, adequate shade or shelter.
It also called for a ban on tethering dogs with heavy chains. bit.ly/3gNpj5G
2/ Abbott said Texas already has the statutes in place to protect dogs from animal cruelty, and the penalties seemed excessive.
“Texas is no place for this kind of micro-managing and over-criminalization,” he said in a veto statement. bit.ly/3gNpj5G
3/ Activists that lobby in support of animal rights say they are devastated by the veto.
The executive director of Texas Humane Legislation Network said the bill would have "clarified the vague language that makes the statute completely unenforceable." bit.ly/3gNpj5G