Watch: New Texas senators discuss plans to address COVID-19’s impact on health, businesses
Texas Tribune
Tags: Meet the New Texas Senators
Three new state senators who jumped from the Texas House to their current positions share one priority for this legislative session: minimizing the impact of COVID-19 on Texans.
Sens. César Blanco, D-El Paso; Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio; and Drew Springer, R-Muenster; were all elected to the Senate during the pandemic. Despite having wide-ranging platforms, from Gutierrez introducing a bill to legalize marijuana use to Blanco filing multiple bills related to the sale of guns, all agreed that they’ve had to adapt their focuses to Texans’ urgent needs related to the pandemic.
Dan Patrick asks Texas to revise coronavirus vaccine distribution plan
Alex Samuels
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is asking the state to refine its vaccine rollout program, a move he says will help give Texans a clearer idea as to when they can reasonably expect to receive their injections of the coronavirus vaccine.
His request comes as distribution of the vaccine in Texas has been beset with miscommunication and technical issues that have created confusion for patients and providers, even as Texas outpaces other states in administering the vaccine.
Texans in phases 1A and 1B of the vaccine rollout which includes front-line health care workers, residents of long-term care facilities, Texans who are 65 years and older and those who are at least 16 with certain chronic medical conditions are already eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
State Sen. César Blanco of El Paso talks priorities as leaders unveil budget plans
AUSTIN, Texas The Texas Tribune held interviews Friday with three new members of the Texas Senate: César Blanco, D-El Paso; Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio; and Drew Springer, R-Muenster. Tribune politics reporter Alex Samuels moderated the discussion.
The new state senators all former members of the Texas House discussed their priorities as they head to the Texas state Capitol for a challenging legislative session.
(You can watch the entire discussion in the video player above.)
It comes as leaders in the state House and Senate have each proposed budgets that spend $119.7 billion in general revenue for the next two fiscal years, signifying notable agreement on the top lines as lawmakers try to draft a state spending plan while they confront the coronavirus pandemic.