On Tuesday, the Texas Legislature will meet in person for the first time in months. Despite concerns over Coronavirus the government has decided to reopen the capitol with some precautions. Now Governor Greg Abbot and will oversee a session of the Republican controlled legislature. With a new house speaker and many new members of congress, the session is expected to be somewhat chaotic. Nonetheless they will still try to address Texas' most pressing issues. This article will take a look at what those issues are and the government's attitude towards them.
Coronavirus
As of right now, Texas has experienced just shy of two million total cases of the Coronavirus. Vaccines are beginning to be rolled out but the process has been bumpy. As Texas is experiencing an increase in cases, debates over whether or not to roll back or increase restrictions will be held. Inside the capitol however, Covid testing and social distancing will be required. Also up for debate will be the possibility of limiting Governor Abbot's power to make restrictions.
Education
According to the Dallas Morning News, last session congress "added $2 billion for educator pay raises and poured $5 billion into lowering property taxes over the two-year cycle." This is a significant boost for education funding which educators are fighting to keep. However, the pademic has seen enrollment in universities drop significantly along with their funding. Whether or not it is worth continuing to invest heavily in education programs during a time of economic hardship will be discussed.
Police Reform/Funding
In the aftermath of the George Floyd Protests of 2020, there is a public push to change Policing. the use of chokeholds in restraining has been banned but there is still pressure to go further in reforming policing tactics, including community outreach programs and body cameras. Most controversially, there is the issue of whether or not to "Defund the Police" to make some of these . So far Governor Abbot has made it clear that he does not want to cut local police funding. The republican congress will likely agree with him.
Marijuana
2020 was quite a year for the legalization of marijuana. It is now fully legal (including recreational use) in 15 states and most states have now made medicinal marijuana legal. Only Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina have kept it fully illegal. So far there are not any foreseen propositions to make marijuana recreationally legal in Texas. However, bills that would decriminalize small amounts as well as approve the use of marijuana from those suffering from PTSD have been proposed and may be on the agenda again soon.
Bibliography
“CDC COVID Data Tracker.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days.
Garrett, Robert, and James Barragán. “Pandemic. Recession. Political Strife: The Texas Legislature's Toughest 2021 Challenges.” Dallas News, 12 Jan. 2021, www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2021/01/10/pandemic-recession-political-strife-the-texas-legislatures-toughest-2021-challenges/.
“Map of Marijuana Legality by State.” DISA Global Solutions, 10 Nov. 2020, disa.com/map-of-marijuana-legality-by-state.
