The panel of three lawmakers and two residents will also look at disaster preparedness.

At the annual conference of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, two Republican lawmakers described how government officials fail to meet transparency requirements.

Lawmakers hope to hammer out a program to replace the embattled Chapter 313 program before the legislative session ends Monday.

Senate Bill 7 would limit how much electricity customers could end up paying if the state opts to use performance credits, which would give the money to power generators in hopes they’ll add more power to the state grid.

The two chambers have 10 days to cut a deal before the end of the legislative session, and they are miles apart on some of the very foundations of a corporate tax-abatement bill considered to be a priority for Republican state leaders.

During the floor debate for a plan to replace the expired Chapter 313 program, House members added that the new version of the incentive must require companies to pay higher wages and create stiffer penalties for noncompliance.

Members considered more than 50 amendments to the proposed map during debate that began Tuesday and ended early Wednesday. Some of the biggest changes focused on Dallas and Harris counties.

The draft, which will need a stamp of approval from the full chamber before it can head to the Senate for consideration, is likely to continue to change before the Legislature sends it to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for a signature.

The Texas Legislature is in the midst of its third special session, which is dedicated to redrawing political maps based on the latest census data that showed people of color fueled 95% of Texas’ population growth over the past decade.

Adam Foltz, now on the Texas payroll, played a key role in Wisconsin's redistricting last decade. A federal court threw out some of the maps and called the effort Foltz was involved in "an all but shameful attempt to hide the redistricting process from public scrutiny."

It’s 150 people, that’s what the rules are.”The coronavirus requirements were part of a broad resolution setting rules for the House during the Legislature’s 2021 session. Members may also remove masks during a committee hearing if protected by a barrier and socially distanced from others. Every senator will be required to test negative for the virus before entering the upper chamber or attending a committee hearing. “That is the people's House,” said Hunter, one of the House members spearheading the rules proposal. “Would Rep. Stickland — I mean Rep. Slaton — yield to a question?” Leach asked.