Legalizing voter intimidation

Published by the Dallas Voice on May 14, 2021

"Beckley, who also signed the letter to the U.S. attorney general, said she was frustrated this session with the amount of time she spent defending trans kids and preventing voter suppression. As a result, she said, there was no time left for fixing the power grid, doing anything about the pandemic or talking about the number of kids lost to the education system since the shutdown."

Op-Ed: The voter fraud myth behind Republican ‘election integrity’ bills

Published by Texas Signal on May 12, 2021

"Over the course of the 87th Texas Legislative Session, Democrats have been working overtime to protect our voter rights. Texas Republicans have introduced many “election integrity” bills, but these bills merely limit early voting and increase penalties for election related errors, among other restrictive measures. However, there is a lack of evidence proving the existence of widespread voter fraud."

Exchange Over ‘Purity’ of Vote Puts Texas G.O.P. Firebrand in Spotlight

Published by the New York Times on May 12, 2021

"Representative Michelle Beckley, a Democrat who represents a North Texas district that was in Republican control for decades, sat next to Mr. Cain on the House floor during the last session and said she normally had a friendly relationship with him, despite their partisan differences."

Beckley's vote center bill still alive after 11th-hour moves

Published by Denton Record-Chronicle on May 8, 2021

"Texas Rep. Michelle Beckley’s bill that would clear the way for Denton County to create vote centers has been attached to two other elections bills — Senate Bill 7 and House Bill 6 — in a move she hopes gives House Bill 661 a greater chance of success."

For Briscoe Cain's Next Act, Watch This Bill Disappear (Along With Your Right to Vote)

Published by the Austin Chronicle on May 7, 2021

"Cain's move was not to smooth out differences in the bills' contents, but to end-run around the process; he argued that because HB 6 had already been laid out, Elections could immediately vote out SB 7 without hearing from the public. This was strongly opposed both by Dems – "This is absolute crap," Rep. Michelle Beckley, D-Carrollton, said – and by Rep. Travis Clardy, R-Nacogdoches, leaving Cain without the votes he needed on the 5-4 panel."

Bill to allow vote centers in Denton County faces uphill battle

Published by Denton Record-Chronicle on May 6, 2021

"HB 661 was voted out of committee on a 7-2 vote, but we were trying to get it into Local and Consent, but Rep. Valoree Swanson [R] and Rep. Mike Schofield [R] blocked it. The House Local and Consent Calendar is the fastest way to get the bill with local impact to the House Floor. It’s basically a different calendar that all the local bills go on, and it is the path of least resistance to going to the House Floor."

Public Hearing Scheduled on Rep. Michelle Beckley's Vote Centers for Denton County Bill

Published by 5 NBC DFW on May 3, 2021

"There is no reason why voters need to be inconvenienced on Election Day, especially when every day during early voting, voters are allowed to vote anywhere in Denton County," Beckley said. "Dallas, Collin, and Tarrant Counties all have vote centers, and Denton County should be no different."

House votes to ban school vouchers, cap attorney general spending as part of its proposed $246 billion state budget

Published by the Texas Tribune on April 22, 2021

"House members filed nearly 240 proposed tweaks to the massive spending plan and spent hours taking votes on controversial issues ranging from Medicaid expansion to school vouchers."

$2 million spent investigating Texas election fraud with little result

Published by the Dallas Voice on March 24, 2021

"Rep. Michelle Beckley, D-Carrollton, issued a statement about the first meeting of the House Committee on Elections, which is looking into election fraud. After spending more than $2 million, Attorney General Ken Paxton has come up with little evidence of election fraud since 2015 with no cases pending from the 2020 election."

Texas Congressman Says ERCOT Ignored Warnings from Energy Company Ahead of Storm

Published at Spectrum News on February 24, 2021

"Representative of Texas State House District 65 Michelle Beckley revived House Bill 1986, which was first introduced in 2011 by Sylvester Turner, who is now the mayor of Houston. The bill aimed to ensure that ERCOT had adequate reserve power to prevent blackout conditions. "

Rep. Michelle Beckley Files HB 1519, a bill that will allow all alcohol to be delivered across the state

Published at EIN News on February 10, 2021

"Representative Michelle Beckley has filed HB 1519: Relating to the delivery of alcoholic beverages from an alcoholic beverage retailer to an ultimate consumer."

With no requirement in place, 39 Texas House members sign COVID-19 testing pledge 

Published at KXAN on February 8, 2021

"While free COVID-19 tests are offered to lawmakers and the public at the Texas Capitol, they aren’t required to enter. The Senate, not the House, requires lawmakers to provide a negative test to reach the floor."

Texas House member tests positive for coronavirus during first week of legislative session

Published at The Texas Tribune on January 15, 2021

"A Texas House member tested positive for the coronavirus after being on the chamber floor for three straight days, giving lawmakers an early indication of the dangers of governing during the pandemic."

Mariachi band, outdoor ceremony for lawmakers worried Texas session could be ‘superspreader’ event

Published by KXAN on January 11, 2021

"AUSTIN (KXAN) — Two Democratic members of the Texas House said Monday they do not plan to attend the first day of the legislative session, concerned “the ceremony may become a COVID-19 Superspreader Event.” Instead, while their colleagues were in the Texas House, they held a ceremony outside in downtown Austin. A mariachi band kicked off the festivities."

Two Texas Legislators Say They'll Skip Session's Opening day, Calling it a 'Superspreader Event'

Published by Kera News on January 11, 2021

"Michelle Beckley and Ana-Maria Ramos, both Democrats who represent areas in North Texas, will be sworn in via alternative means instead."