NEWS IN STATE GOVERNMENT
Governor:
Governor Abbott Appoints Adriana Cruz to Executive Director of the Economic Development and Tourism and Eight to the Brazos River Authority Board of Directors: To read more about these and other gubernatorial-appointments from this week, click here.
Lt. Governor:
2019 Interim Charges Released: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has asked committees of the Texas Senate to study 116 charges during the interim before the 2021 legislative session. Click here to read the report and click here to read the full statement from the Lt. Gov.
Health and Human Services:
Medicaid STAR+PLUS Procurement Announcement: Following a competitive procurement, HHSC intends to award contracts to the following managed care organizations in the corresponding service areas for the STAR+PLUS product. Click here to see that list.
HHSC Names New Leader for Procurement and Contracting: Texas Health and Human Services has named Katherine “Kay” Molina its deputy executive commissioner for procurement and contracting services, effective Oct. 24. Click here to read more.
OTHER NEWS
State Headlines:
128 Days Until the 2020 Primary: Click here to view the Texas Tribune’s Candidate Spreadsheet for updates.
Watch: A conversation on Veterans and Workforce Development: The TX Tribune live-streamed their conversation in San Antonio on veterans and workforce development, moderated by Tribune CEO Evan Smith, with panelists Megan Bunce, Richard Delgado Jr., Joseph Kopser and Carrie Sconza. Click here to view the video.
Solar Power and Big Batteries Pose Threat to Natural Gas’s Future: King Coal is a dead man walking, battery storage is on the move, and natural gas’s future in the electricity business could be meteoric. The latest data portends a radical revolution in how the U.S. generates power. In even the most optimistic case for fossil fuels, new technologies can and will slash demand. Subscribers can click here to read the full Houston Chronicle opinion article.
UT Regents Launch Search for Next Medical Branch President: The University of Texas System Board of Regents is on the hunt for the next leader of one of the system’s largest operations. Click here to read the full Statesman article.
Capitol Insiders: Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is Letting the State’s Budget Agency Fall Apart: The Texas Legislative Budget Board is hemorrhaging staff and has been without an executive director for a year. Click here to read the full news article.
Businesses Get Big Break on Electricity Transmission Fees While Consumers Pay More: As temperatures climbed into the triple digits this summer, big commercial and industrial companies shut down production lines, sent employees home and fired up backup generators. Subscribers can click here to read the full Houston Chronicle article.
Analysis: A Race for Speaker of the Texas House? Not so Fast: With Dennis Bonnen not seeking another term, state representatives are once again at the start of a race for Speaker of the Texas House. This could take a while. Click here to read the full Texas Tribune article.
San Antonio State Rep Pushes for Cannabis Legalization: The state representative from South San Antonio made his Canadian pilgrimage to see how an abandoned Hershey’s chocolate factory was transformed into a massive cannabis growing facility that has revitalized the economy of Smiths Falls. Subscribers can click here to read the full San Antonio Express News article.
Vaping Epidemic to Get More Scrutiny in the Texas Senate: Seven states have already taken steps to ban vaping or e-cigarettes and now a key Texas official is calling on lawmakers to take a closer look into the industry as well. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican who leads the Texas Senate, has instructed two committees to look into new potential vaping regulations. Click here to read the full Houston Chronicle article.
National Headlines:
California’s Energy Nightmare Shows Us Why Texas Must Trust the Free Market: Here is the difference between California and Texas: In California, even the public utility, funded by customer fees set by a government agency, can’t do its job. And in Texas, our trust in a free market system has served us well. Multiple emergencies, financial and weather, bear this out. Click here to read the full Dallas Morning News editorial.
Walgreens to Scale Back In-Store Clinics: Drugstore chain looks to shift to outside providers as it pursues chronic-care patients. Click here to read the full Wall Street Journal article.
