Katya Bandouil
Texas Newsroom Legislative FellowKatya Bandouil is a 2021 legislative fellow for The Texas Newsroom. She has interned at Austin Monthly, Austin Woman, and the Texas Capitol. Katya is also the social media editor at the University of Texas at Austin's student publication, The Daily Texan. Katya is studying international relations, journalism, and French. She is expected to graduate in 2021.
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The bill would ban abortions after six weeks and allow any person to file a civil lawsuit against an abortion provider or people who help someone get an abortion. -
The bill is designed to get more Texans — especially people of color — registered as potential donors. University of Houston senior Yusuf Khan testified in favor of the measure earlier this legislative session, detailing his mother's experience with the bone marrow registry.
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The proposed bills would make camping in unapproved public places a Class C misdemeanor, punishable with a $500 fine. Some critics say the legislation would be harmful to individuals experiencing homelessness.
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Speaker Dade Phelan initially announced that HB 14, authored by State Rep. Craig Goldman, R- Fort Worth, would require gas pipeline operators to weatherize their infrastructure to help ensure reliability during an extreme weather event. But the version introduced three days later would only create a Texas Electricity Supply Chain Mapping Committee.
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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on the Texas Public Utilities Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to amend the pricing that came with the power outages from the storm.
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As the governor prepares to open “Texas 100%” this Wednesday and end the statewide mask mandate, many of the state’s biggest cities say they will not go along fully. But leaders in the state’s rural areas are welcoming the changes.
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The first hearings are set to take place Thursday.
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State Sen. Carol Alvarado of Houston released a letter urging the Public Utility Commission of Texas to approve only residents of Texas to fill ERCOT board vacancies. North Texas State Rep. Jeff Leach is filing a bill requiring ERCOT board be residents of Texas.
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These protections would prevent businesses from being sued in COVID-19-related lawsuits. According to a lawsuit tracker by Hunton Andrews Kurth law firm, there have been 621 COVID-19 related complaints filed in Texas since March 2020.
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“We hope that he talks about the things that are actually going to affect people’s day to day lives,” said a Texas Democratic party spokesperson.
