Tag Archives: bathroom bill
Never Say Sine Die: Legislature Returns to Ideological Special Session Agenda
As if the regular session wasn’t terrible enough, Governor Greg Abbott has called lawmakers back for another 30 days of hell.
If your town suddenly seems emptied of crooks, scoundrels and liars, it’s probably because state lawmakers are trickling back into Austin for a very special l...Read More
Worst. Legislature. Ever. How Did We Get Here?
The Republican Party of Texas, hostage to its own overreach and gerrymandered districts, will never fix itself.
Grind with me for a moment the gears of imagination, and consider a state not unlike our own — let’s call it Rexas — which has demonstrated an unusual deg...Read More
Special Session Edition: Dan Patrick Locks the Legislature in a Bathroom Stall
Dan Patrick is forcing a special session to get his bathroom bill passed.
Sometimes the right questions to ask at the Texas Legislature are the simple ones, like: Dear god, what’s happening? And, Dear god, why is this happening? And...Read More
Bathroom Wars Prove Dan Patrick’s Dominance over Texas Legislature
More than ever, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is pulling the strings at the Capitol.
There was something very peculiar about the proceedings of the Texas House Sunday night, even amid a session that has scored high in casual cruelty and procedur...Read More
In Passing ‘Bathroom Bill,’ Joe Straus’ House ‘Rolled’ By Dan Patrick
“We are being rolled by the Senate, and trans children are part of that bargain,” said Representative Celia Israel.
In the final days of the 85th Texas Legislature, the House bent to the will of Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick by approving a version of the anti-transgender ba...Read More
This Week: As Legislature Hits Home Stretch, Dan Patrick Focuses on Bathrooms
A "Donald Trump-style temper tantrum" is how one Democrat described Patrick's stunt.
Keep up with the Observer’s sharp reporting on the Legislature and throughout Texas with this weekly newsletter. Lieutenant Governor and Chief of Bathroom...Read More
Dan Patrick Is Holding the Legislature Hostage Over ‘Bathroom Bill,’ Property Tax Reform
The lieutenant governor said Wednesday he is prepared to force a special session if those two bills aren’t passed.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said Wednesday he will force a special session unless the House passes versions of the anti-transgender bathroom bill and a prop...Read More
Overnight Hearing on House ‘Bathroom Bill’ Draws 95 Percent Opposition
Beginning at 11:40 p.m., lawmakers heard more than five hours of heartfelt testimony on HB 2899.
Lawmakers on the House State Affairs Committee didn’t begin considering the chamber’s so-called bathroom bill until nearly midnight Wednesday, after a marat...Read More
‘Bathroom Bill’ Critics: There is No Middle Ground for Human Rights
Beginning late Wednesday night, a House committee heard hours of testimony opposing HB 2899, the House’s version of the “bathroom bill.
Governor Greg Abbott is calling the Texas House’s version of the so-called bathroom bill “a thoughtful proposal.” The author of the bill has touted it as ...Read More
