“The mile high view of the priority bills underscores the two different Republican parties that coexist in Texas, one on the center-right and one on the right,” said fellow Mark P. Jones of the contrast in Dan Patrick and Dade Phelan’s priority lists.
On The Economist’s latest episode of the Checks and Balance podcast, fellow Mark P. Jones breaks down what the top legislative priorities in Texas are, and what state-level arguments reveal about the future of the Republican agenda.
Recently proposed legislation to restrict Chinese citizens from purchasing property in Texas has prompted protests from the state’s Chinese community. Fellow Mark P. Jones says SB 147 is unlikely to pass in its present “unconstitutional” form.
Lawmakers are filing legislation to bring Las Vegas-style resorts to Texas as casino and sports team owners push to legalize betting in GOP states. Fellow Mark P. Jones said Texas is an "extreme outlier in terms of our complete lack of casino gambling."
Since November, anti-abortion activists hoped to overturn the FDA’s approval of abortion pills. Now, the pill could be banned altogether and end “the use of the principal method by which those medical abortions are carried out,” fellow Mark P. Jones said.