The Long Goodbye
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Donna Howard and state Sen. Kel Seliger about sniping and snark on the road to sine die.
May 28, 2021•55 min
Point of Order with Evan Smith
Inside the politics and issues of the Texas Legislature
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Episodes
Party of One
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to San Antonio state Rep. Lyle Larson about his quixotic efforts to move his fellow Republicans to the center on issues like Medicaid expansion, local control and election law — to put the public good ahead of politics and partisanship, he says.
May 25, 2021•51 min
The Kid Stays in the Picture
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Land Commissioner George P. Bush about the state of the state and the issues in play as the 87th session winds down — and about his rumored plans to challenge Ken Paxton in the 2022 GOP primary for Texas attorney general.
May 18, 2021•39 min
Big Man on Campus
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to former state Rep. Pete Gallego about his first year as the president of his alma mater, Sul Ross State University in Alpine, and — coming out of the pandemic — the challenges and opportunities on the road ahead for higher ed.
May 11, 2021•45 min
Tested
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to LaTonya Goffney, the superintendent of Aldine Independent School District, about public education’s disrupted year — pivoting online, learning loss, budget woes, and what it will take to put the whole thing back together by fall.
May 04, 2021•48 min
Mind the Gap
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Elena Marks, the president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, about long-shot efforts to expand Medicaid in the 2021 legislative session.
Apr 27, 2021•47 min
Not Throwing Away Our Shot
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Imelda Garcia, the chair of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Panel, about what it takes to get needles in the arms of Texans — and how long it will really be before we’ve reached herd immunity.
Apr 20, 2021•49 min
King of The Road
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Senate Transportation Chair Robert Nichols about Infrastructure Week and the challenges of getting people and goods from point to point in a fast-growing, rapidly urbanizing state.
Apr 13, 2021•52 min
Left Out
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Chris Turner and Carol Alvarado, the chairs of the Democratic Caucuses of the Texas House and Texas Senate, about a challenging year for their party — from an election that did not produce a comeback for Team Blue to a session in which Republicans appear to be running the table.
Apr 06, 2021•49 min
Florida Man
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Houston’s top cop, Art Acevedo, about why he’s leaving for Miami, "defunding the police," constitutional carry, qualified immunity and what he really thinks of Greg Abbott and Sylvester Turner.
Mar 30, 2021•44 min
Regular Joe
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to former Speaker of the Texas House Joe Straus about life as a civilian, what he’d do about repricing electricity, the conservative case for expanding Medicaid and protecting voting rights, and — just maybe — running for something again.
Mar 23, 2021•50 min
Unmasked
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo about Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to end coronavirus restrictions — including the mask mandate — as well other points of conflict and tension between cities, counties and the state.
Mar 09, 2021•45 min
Higher ed’s gap year
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Renu Khator, the president of the University of Houston, about a difficult 12 months of disruption and dislocation for the more than 47,000 students on her campus — and what state lawmakers can do to help.
Mar 02, 2021•48 min
The outage and the outrage
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber about the state’s failure to prepare for a brutal winter storm, the fragile electric grid we depend on, and whether the future of energy is bright or bleak.
Feb 23, 2021•44 min
The Disconnect
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Trent Ashby about his bill to create a state broadband plan — a long-overdue effort to address our digital deficiency at a time when school, work, and health care have all moved online.
Feb 16, 2021•48 min
Bending toward justice
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Nicole Collier, chairwoman of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, about the George Floyd Act, bail reform, marijuana, public safety funding and other items on the agenda in the 2021 session.
Feb 09, 2021•42 min
The State of COVID-19
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Dr. Peter Hotez, the eminent virologist at Baylor College of Medicine, about mask mandates, vaccine availability, reopening schools and businesses, and the trajectory of the pandemic.
Feb 02, 2021•47 min
Back to School
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Sen. Larry Taylor, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, about whether it’s possible to fully fund House Bill 3, learning loss, broadband access, the STAAR test and what he really thinks of Mike Morath.
Jan 26, 2021•46 min
The Queen’s Gambit
In this episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, recorded on January 15 2021, Evan Smith interviews twenty-five term state Rep. Senfronia Thompson about COVID, race, public ed and that whippersnapper Dade Phelan.
Jan 19, 2021•42 min
Are You Phelan It?
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talk politics, policy, priorities and the pandemic with the Speaker-Presumptive of the Texas House, Dade Phelan.
Jan 12, 2021•36 min
Bleak House
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith and Ross Ramsey discuss the contours of the speaker’s race.
Oct 30, 2020•42 min
Roll credits
In the last episode of our podcast about the 86th Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to House Speaker Pro Tem Joe Moody and Senate President Pro Tem Kirk Watson about what state lawmakers did for us and to us this session — and what they’ll do next. We’d love to know how you discovered the Point of Order, and what you think of our first season. Please take a moment to complete our short survey: texastribune.org/pointoforder
May 30, 2019•52 min
Kum-bye-a
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Reps. Ina Minjarez and Matt Krause about the issues that have divided an otherwise unified House in the last weeks of the session, including abortion and religious liberty. We’d love to know how you discovered the Point of Order, and what you think of our first season. Please take a moment to complete our short survey: texastribune.org/pointoforder
May 23, 2019•55 min
This is us
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state demographer Lloyd Potter about coming changes to our population with profound public policy implications: explosive growth, rapid urbanization, and demographic inevitability. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
May 16, 2019•56 min
Over the rainbow
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Celia Israel, a founding member of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, about sexual orientation, nondiscrimination and public policy — how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
May 10, 2019•49 min
Appraising the House
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Reps. Dade Phelan and Donna Howard about the work done and not done in the lower chamber so far this session — and what’s likely to happen on the last stretch of road to Sine Die. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
May 02, 2019•56 min
Crude Awakening
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Chris Paddie, who chairs the House Energy Resources Committee, about the impact of oil and gas activity on the Texas economy, the downside of the upside, and what the future holds. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
Apr 18, 2019•49 min
The Rollback Pushback
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Austin Mayor Steve Adler about House Bill 2 — a property tax bill the chamber is expected to tackle Thursday — and his strong objections to the precise plans for property tax reform favored by state leaders. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
Apr 11, 2019•56 min
The news about the news
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to Dallas Morning News Editor Mike Wilson and Debbie Hiott, the general manager of Austin public radio station KUT, about the romantic ideal and precarious reality of the Capitol press corps. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
Apr 04, 2019•50 min
Will Texas Finally Go to Pot?
In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Sen. Jose Menéndez about marijuana’s bipartisan moment — how the politics of legalization, decriminalization, medical cannabis and CBD oil make for strange budfellows. If you enjoy Point of Order, tell your friends to subscribe wherever they listen to podcasts. Like what you hear? Drop us a line at podcasts@texastribune.org ....
Mar 28, 2019•41 min
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