With the 87th Texas Legislative session underway, those of us advocating for the approximately 146,000 state employees were—like other groups—looking for a way to make the case for funding their needs. Then a winter storm brought brutally low temperatures, shaking our power grid and cutting off water for many. You may have heard about it. Remarkably but unsurprisingly, our state employees who deliver the vital basic services necessary to keep the state up and running put their personal lives on hold to help the people of Texas. They showed up despite their own families being without power or water at home, then ...