From studying a gene that is mutated in many human cancers to learning more about an age-old volcano on the Moon, SMU professors and students kept making international headlines in 2023. Here are some of the highlights.
By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Collaboration. As home to more than 4,700 companies engaged in energy production, transmission, exploration, supply, and technology, Houston has long claimed the title of "The Energy Capital of the World." Oil and gas have been at the economic heart of the city and surrounding region since the massive Spindletop oil find in 1901 ushered in rapid expansion of the industry and led to Texas dominance in the energy field in the 1940s. But, with the ever-growing focus on renewable energy, the Houston region wants to be known by another moniker: "The Energy Transition Capital of the World." "This is the industry that is going to have to lead the transition to a low-carbon world," says Peter Beard, SVP regional workforce development at the Greater Houston Partnership. .
Three weeks remain in the 2023 Texas legislative session with a bill under consideration that could ultimately throw out future election results in the state s most populated county. Harris County, home of Houston and almost 5 million residents, is the target of two Senate bills that would eliminate the elections administrator position there and return all election duties to the county tax assessor-collector and county clerk. It comes on the heels of S.B. .
New lawsuits are likely coming in Texas as LGBTQ+ people working for the state are now being targeted in dress code regulations. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has issued an order to his employees to dress "in a manner consistent with their biological gender" as part of a dress code and grooming policy. Brian Klosterboer, attorney for the ACLU of Texas, said the new policy violates Title Seven, which bans employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as well the First Amendment s right to free expression and the Equal Protection Clause. .
Massachusetts lawmakers in Congress have reintroduced legislation which would allow people to sue police officers and other state and local government officials. The Ending Qualified Immunity Act would eliminate the doctrine created by the Supreme Court, which protects police officers from individual liability for violating a person s constitutional rights. Rep. .