State Government Reporter

Jeremy Blackman

Jeremy Blackman covers health and politics out of the Chronicle’s Austin bureau. His previous work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Toronto Star, Concord Monitor, PBS NewsHour and Point Reyes Light. He is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley.

Stories By Jeremy Blackman

White House report says Texas must ‘intensify’ COVID-19 response

Trump’s Coronavirus Task Force calls for Texas to significantly reduce maximum occupancy for public and private indoor spaces and to conduct weekly coronavirus testing of teachers, college students, county workers, hospital personnel and others. By Benjamin Wermund and Jeremy Blackman

Abbott issues disaster declaration for Bexar ahead of Beta

San Antonio will likely see precipitation Monday into Tuesday from Tropical Storm Beta as the storm continues through the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. Taylor Pettaway, Jeremy Blackman

Abbott loosens COVID-related businesses restrictions

New round of business reopenings includes restaurants, gyms and nursing homes, as the state continues to see a drop in infections and hospitalizations from the coronavirus. By Jeremy Blackman and Kaitlin Bain

Texas grapples with one of country’s worst outbreaks. How did...

Eight weeks ago, the White House lauded Texas as a model for containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen the economy has unraveled as the state struggles to contain one of the worst outbreaks in the country. By Zach Despart, Jeremy Blackman and Jasper Scherer

Gov. Abbott warns of 5,000 new COVID-19 infections

Texas has hit an all-time high in new coronavirus cases, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday, urging people to take caution and stay indoors whenever possible. By Jeremy Blackman and Jeremy Wallace

Abbott expands Texas reopening for businesses

Expansion includes bars, amusement parks and more. Restaurants can go up to 75% of occupancy, effective June 12. By Jeremy Blackman and Jeremy Wallace

Gov. Abbott says they can reopen at 25 percent capacity

In another round of reopenings, the governor says water parks, adult sports leagues and mall food courts can reopen this weekend. By Jeremy Blackman

En plena reapertura, aumentan los casos y las muertes en Texas

El número de nuevos casos y muertes de COVID-19 reportados la semana pasada fue el mayor desde que comenzó la pandemia, lo que sugiere que las infecciones siguen siendo generalizadas y aún se desconoce mucho sobre el tamaño y la escala del brote... Jeremy Blackman, Stephanie Lamm, Jordan Rubio

Gov. Greg Abbott told Texans on Monday that many of them will soon be allowed out of their homes to shop, dine and take part in other non-essential aspects of daily life. By Jeremy Blackman

Abbott inicia el proceso de reapertura en Texas

El anuncio del gobernador Greg Abbott de que Texas reabrirá negocios lentamente después de un mes de cuarentena se produjo a medida que la tasa de pruebas positivas del COVID-19 ha aumentado más de un 10 por ciento desde marzo, según datos... Jeremy Blackman

Coronavirus has some state agencies curtailing public services

As the nation tries to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, here’s how Texas agencies that the public commonly deals with are responding. By Eric Dexheimer, Taylor Goldenstein and Jeremy Blackman

Voters say yes to more funding for schools

Texas schools could receive hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding after voters on Tuesday approved a measure changing the way the state's public school endowment distributes money. By Jeremy Blackman

Heidi Group denied federal family planning funds

The decision is a blow to the Heidi Group, which lost its Texas contracts last fall after two years of poor performance and more than $1 million in questioned expenditures. It is still being investigated by state health officials. By Jeremy Blackman

New bill: Lawmakers could take away School Land Board’s ability to invest the Permanent School Fund

The bipartisan legislation comes amid mounting scrutiny over the management of the $44 billion Permanent School Fund, run jointly by the land board and the State Board of Education. The two boards are the subject of a yearlong Houston Chronicle... By Jeremy Blackman

Crenshaw beats Democrat Litton in Congressional District 2 By Jeremy Blackman

Fletcher beats Culberson in Houston’s toss-up 7th Congressional District

Lizzie Pannill Fletcher has unseated her incumbent Republican challenger, John Culberson, in a race that was seen as key to vaulting Democrats back to a majority in Congress. “We are at our best when we are working together, and... By Jeremy Blackman

Republican Pete Olson wins re-election in Congressional District 22

U.S. Rep. Pete Olson has held off Democratic challenger Sri Preston Kulkarni to win re-election in the 22nd congressional district, according to the Associated Press. The outcome follows an unusually pitched campaign battle for... By Jeremy Blackman