Point of Order with Evan Smith

Point of Order with Evan Smith

Host Evan Smith takes you inside, behind and underneath the politics and issues of the Texas Legislature — the turning of gears and the pulling of strings that power government in a state like no other. Point of Order features newsmaker interviews with elected officials of both parties and other key members of the Capitol community, plus candidates and campaign pros with their noses pressed against the glass.

Episodes

The Long Goodbye

May 28, 2021 • 55 mins
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.
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Party of One

May 25, 2021 • 50 mins
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.
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The Kid Stays in the Picture

May 18, 2021 • 38 mins
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.
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Big Man on Campus

May 11, 2021 • 44 mins
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.
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Tested

May 4, 2021 • 48 mins
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.
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Mind the Gap

April 27, 2021 • 47 mins
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.
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Not Throwing Away Our Shot

April 20, 2021 • 48 mins
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.
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King of The Road

April 13, 2021 • 51 mins
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.
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Left Out

April 6, 2021 • 48 mins
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.
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Florida Man

March 30, 2021 • 43 mins
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.
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Regular Joe

March 23, 2021 • 50 mins
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.
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Unmasked

March 9, 2021 • 44 mins
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.
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Higher ed’s gap year

March 2, 2021 • 48 mins
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.
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The outage and the outrage

February 23, 2021 • 44 mins
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.
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The Disconnect

February 16, 2021 • 47 mins
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.
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Bending toward justice

February 9, 2021 • 41 mins
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.
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The State of COVID-19

February 2, 2021 • 46 mins
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.
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Back to School

January 26, 2021 • 45 mins
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.
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The Queen’s Gambit

January 19, 2021 • 41 mins
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.
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Are You Phelan It?

January 12, 2021 • 36 mins
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.
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