AT THE CAPITOL
News from the 88th legislative session
QUOTE OF NOTE
Paxton impeachment trial to begin Sept. 5 in Senate After two days of discussions behind closed doors, the Texas Senate set a Sept. 5 start date for the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton and adopted rules governing the proceedings. BY HANNAH NORTON A TIMELINE OF THE IMPEACHMENT OF ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON
Sign up for our newsletter at communityimpact.com for daily updates throughout the session. SUBSCRIBE TODAY have set aside in a 1,030-page budget, which will fund a variety of state programs for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. $321B NUMBER TO KNOW That’s how much Texas lawmakers PETER LAKE, OUTGOING CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS. LAKE RESIGNED JUNE 2. “TODAY OUR GRID IS MORE RELIABLE THAN EVER. TOGETHER WE’VE OVERCOME SOMETIMES SEEMINGLY INSURMOUNTABLE CHALLENGES AND DELIVERED ON OUR PROMISE TO TEXANS THAT WE’D KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.”
FEB. 10 Paxton enters into a $3.3 million settlement agreement with four former employees who said they were wrongfully fired in 2020. FEB. 21 Paxton asks the Texas Legislature to fund his settlement with taxpayer money. MARCH 8-20 House General Investigating Committee opens an investigation into Paxton and the proposed settlement. MAY 24 Attorneys present material from the investigation during a four-hour committee hearing. MAY 25 The committee unanimously adopts 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton. The articles and a full transcript of the hearing are shared with House lawmakers. MAY 31 Gov. Greg Abbott appoints former Secretary of State John Scott to serve as interim attorney general. MAY 27 After four hours of debate, Texas House votes 121-23 to impeach Paxton. He is immediately suspended from office. SEPT. 5 The impeachment trial is scheduled to begin in the Texas Senate. State senators will serve as jurors and determine if Paxton is guilty of 16 individual charges. JUNE 21 After two days of deliberations, the Texas Senate adopts 31 rules governing the impeachment trial.
The 31 state senators will serve as jurors, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will preside over the court, similar to a judge. Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, the attorney general’s wife, must be present for the trial, but is not allowed to participate or vote, according to a resolution adopted in a 25-3 vote June 21. The attorney general is accused of bribery, conspiracy, retaliation against former employees and more. The Texas House adopted 20 articles of impeachment against him with a 121-23 vote on May 27. Paxton was immediately suspended without pay follow- ing the House vote. The Senate will decide whether he will be reinstated or permanently removed from office. Former secretary of state John Scott is serving as interim attorney general in the meantime. Paxton can plead guilty or not guilty to 16 articles of impeachment during the trial. A two-thirds vote is needed to convict him of any charges. Houston attorneys Tony Buzbee and Dan Cogdell will defend the attorney general during the trial. Dick DeG- uerin and Rusty Hardin, who are also based in Houston, will prosecute Paxton on behalf of the House.
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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