James Barragan, The Texas Tribune

State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, sits at his desk on the House floor at the state Capitol in Austin on April 25.

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State Rep. Bryan Slaton resigns ahead of expulsion vote over inappropriate relationship with aide

Slaton faced the prospect of becoming the first Texas House member to be expelled since 1927.

Advocates for Senate Bill 868, a bill filed this legislative session that would decriminalize fentanyl test strips, on the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin on Feb. 15. Delegates from El Paso, Laredo, West Texas, San Antonio, Austin and Houston gave speeches to call for increased harm reduction measures in response to a spike in fentanyl-related deaths statewide.

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Texas House advances bill decriminalizing fentanyl test strips

James Barragan, The Texas Tribune

The bill would take fentanyl test strips off the state’s “drug paraphernalia” list, meaning it would no longer be a crime to carry them.

State Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, on the House floor during a session at the state Capitol on April 26, 2021.

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Two GOP Texas House members call for Rep. Bryan Slaton to resign

James Barragan, The Texas Tribune

The resignation calls by Reps. Briscoe Cain and Steve Toth are noteworthy. The two are members of the staunchly conservative Texas House Freedom Caucus, which takes positions that usually align with Slaton’s.