By Sahar Chmais Employees at firms with 14 or fewer employees currently cannot file a sexual harassment claim with the Texas Workforce Commission. This may soon change if Senate Bill 45 gets signed by Governor Greg Abbott. Under the current law, legal protections against sexual harassment in the wor...

By Sahar Chmais In a rare occurrence, Hays County Commissioners were in sync on a decision opposing the language of a bill that would affect groundwater conservation rules in Hays County. Constituents have sent letters to County Judge Ruben Becerra and commissioners Lon Shell, Walt Smith and Debbie ...

Staff Report District 45 Rep. Erin Zwiener laid out House Bill 2344 and House Bill 2350 before the House Public Education Committee and House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday. HB 2344 would allow school districts to implement a writing portfolio in order to fulfill the writing component of req...

By Sahar Chmais In a tougher than normal budget year, State Rep. (D-45) Erin Zwiener has been appointed as the vice chair of the appropriations subcommittee Article 3, handling the education budget for PreK-12 and university students. This time-consuming position is not her only role – Zwiener is al...

Staff Report Following Governor Greg Abbott's  Executive Order (GA-34) to lift the mask mandate in Texas, Hays County officials encourage residents to continue practicing safety precautions as COVID-19 has not disappeared. Effective on Wednesday, March 10, all businesses of any type may open to 100%...

By Sahar Chmais  District 45 Representative Erin Zwiener has filed six additional legislation pieces which would affect a spectrum of residents.  In the new bills, Zwiener offers an alternative writing assessment for Texas students, an incentive for nature-based infrastructure projects and a request...

By Sahar Chmais From questions on whether taking the COVID-19 vaccine will alter a person’s DNA to new masking suggestions, two moderators with four doctors brought forth some answers. Hays County representatives are making an effort to keep residents connected and updated on COVID-19 information. D...

By Megan Wehring KYLE — With the 87th Legislative Session slated to convene next month, Texas House Representative for District 45 Erin Zwiener filed House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 12 on Monday to designate the city of Kyle as the official Pie Capital of Texas. “Everybody celebrates Texas Pie Com...

By Anita Miller During their League of Women Voters candidate forum on Oct. 6, District 45 State Rep. Erin Zwiener, a Democrat, pointed to her record during her first legislative term and what she would do if re-elected. Republican Carrie Isaac, challenging Zwiener for the seat, relied on themes of ...

The Hays Free Press/News-Dispatch asked our two candidates for State Representative District 45, Carrie Isaac and Erin Zwiener. Carrie Isaac did not respond to the questionnaire. Erin Zwiener State Rep. #45 Q: How would you rate the state’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis? A: The state’s handling of...