Speaker open to resort-style casinos in state

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, told The Dallas Morning News and other media outlets that he is open to bringing resort-style casinos to Texas. But don’t expect to find slot machines in 7-Eleven stores if casino gambling is legalized. 

What to expect in legislative session

The 2023 Texas legislative session opened Jan. 10, with property taxes, gun control and the power grid expected to be among the top issues on the agenda.

The Texas Standard talked to political journalists Niki Griswold of the Austin American-Statesman and James Barragàn of the Texas Tribune to see what might be upcoming. 

Editor’s Note: This is an early holiday edition of Capital Highlights. It will be updated on Sunday as events dictate. Happy New Year, everyone!

Feds investigating meltdown at Southwest Airlines

Massive flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines during the Christmas holiday week are prompting the federal government to look into why thousands of travelers were left stranded across the country, along with huge piles of luggage in airports served by the beleaguered airline.

Note: This is an early holiday edition of Capital Highlights. It will be updated on Sunday as events dictate. Merry Christmas to all!

Winter storm called ‘once in a generation’

An arctic storm that swept through the state bringing low temperatures and high winds also affected roughly two-thirds of the country’s population, according to the National Weather Service, bringing the coldest Christmas in decades to parts of the country.

Most Texas pregnancy deaths preventable

A long-awaited state report concludes most pregnancy-related deaths in Texas in 2019 were preventable and disproportionately affected Black women. 

Retiring senator named Secretary of State

Patrick lays out legislative priorities

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick outlined his goals for the upcoming legislative session, calling them “general concepts,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

By JIM PUMARLO
Consultant

Changes urged in funding community colleges

A report submitted to state leaders ahead of the 88th legislative session’s opening in January urges lawmakers to develop “an innovative new model” to fund community colleges.

NOTE TO EDITORS: This is an early bulldog edition of Capital Highlights for papers with early holiday deadlines. It will be updated on Sunday as events warrant.

Legislators begin filing bills ahead of session

Texas legislators are off to the races, filing more than 850 bills on Monday, the first day of filing season for the 88th session, which begins Jan. 10.