Here’s what’s on Texas Standard for Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021.
The Latest On Texas Voting Bill
Texas House Democrats ended their walkout to Washington without having won passage of federal legislation that would have overridden GOP-backed efforts to change state voting laws. With just two weeks to go in the state’s second special session, the Republican voting bill is already back on the fast track. Joining us to talk about what’s next for this special session is Bret Jaspers, political reporter for KERA North Texas.
New Laws Part 2: Permitless Carry
Starting Sept. 1, anyone who legally owns a gun will be allowed to carry it in public without a license in Texas. It’s one of more than 650 new laws that take effect next month. As part of our series exploring new laws set to take effect, Houston Public Media’s Florian Martin reports on what “constitutional carry” could look like and how it may change Texas.
Public Utility Commission Securitization
The Public Utility Commission of Texas holds hearings this week on what to do with billions of dollars of power company debt incurred during February’s winter storm and blackout. As Mose Buchele of KUT Austin reports, the result may be higher bills for ratepayers across the state.
When we talk about losses associated with COVID-19, the first that come to mind are people. Around 54,000 Texans have died. There are also economic losses, which will likely affect generations of Texans. Waco-based economist Ray Perryman is president and CEO of The Perryman Group. His latest report is titled “Masked! The Hidden and Preventable Losses to the Texas Economy Associated with Inadequate Protective Measures for COVID-19.” He’ll go over his findings with us today.
Throughout the pandemic we’ve been taking questions from listeners and posing them to Dr. Fred Campbell, an associate professor of medicine at the Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. Do your listeners have questions of their own? Share them or see previous questions.
The Sounds Of Texas: Alan Ramirez, The Pastor Who Feeds The Homeless
Alan Ramirez is a pastor, husband, father of four and friend to people who are homeless. He feeds people in need at the Esperanza Community, where around 200 people experiencing homelessness live.
Lubbock Parents’ COVID-19 Guidelines
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding mask requirements across Texas as counties, cities and school districts buck Gov. Greg Abbott’s order banning mask mandates. Lubbock’s school district isn’t fighting the order. But as Kaysie Ellingson of Texas Tech Public Media reports, some parents are pleading with one local district to at least encourage masks on campus.
Want a COVID-19 vaccination card? They’re free – just like the vaccinations they document. But despite the relative lack of vaccine mandates in Texas, cases are popping up of people buying fake COVID vaccination cards. Joining us with more is Kevin Krause, federal courts reporter for The Dallas Morning News.
All this plus the Texas News Roundup, and Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
