Monthly Archives: May 2011

Firefighters avoid layoffs

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The city and the firefighters’ union reach an agreement on the deadline for sending layoff notices to cut HFD’s budget by $17.7 million but not require any layoffs. The agreement’s components include program cuts and fees for services that are … Continue reading →

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Forensic Science Commission bill approved, but not improved, by the Senate

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know what happened with the bill to more clearly define the mission of the Forensic Science Commission, but it seems to have gone off track. Senate Bill 1658 would let the Texas Forensic Science Commission launch an investigation … Continue reading →

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HB602 clears Senate committee

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

One more step forward for microbreweries and their ability to let customers bring their product home after a tour, as HB602 gets voted out of the Senate Business & Commerce Committee. HB 602 is a compromise – it still bans … Continue reading →

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Texas blog roundup for the week of May 16

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance salutes the final voyage of the “Endeavour” as it brings you this week’s roundup.

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“Sanctuary cities” bill gutted in committee

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Didn’t see this coming. In a surprise move that could effectively kill HB 12, the sanctuary cities bill that Gov. Rick Perry declared an emergency item, a Senate committee today replaced the immigration language with a homeland security bill by … Continue reading →

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House punts on budget bills till tomorrow

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

After getting off to a slow start, budget negotiators realized they were going nowhere fast and put a merciful end to things for the day. The House has punted to Thursday any floor consideration of the “non-tax revenue” bill and … Continue reading →

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Senate approves modified Senate map

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: The Texas Senate approved new political districts that protect all of the Republican and all but one of the Democratic incumbents in that body, but stalled on a House redistricting map already approved in the House. […] … Continue reading →

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Astros sold

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With everything else that’s been going on I’ve only been peripherally aware of the ongoing sale of the Astros to a new owner, which is now official. Jim Crane stood behind the microphone Monday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, in … Continue reading →

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TxDOT gets more high speed rail money

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Still not much, but every little bit counts. The Texas Department of Transportation will receive $15 million to begin engineering and environmental work on a high-speed rail link between Houston and Dallas, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced [last week]. … Continue reading →

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The state takes a stand against fish fraud

Posted on May 18, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rest easy, fellow Texans. The scourge of fishing fraud has been dealt a heavy blow by the Legislature. Fraudulent fishermen better reel it in. The Senate passed a bill [last week] to make cheating in a fishing tournament up to … Continue reading →

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Two more for At Large #2

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Open Council seats always draw a crowd, and when there’s only one of them for the At Large positions, it’s usually a big crowd. There were already several entrants in the At Large #2 sweepstakes, and as of today there … Continue reading →

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Combs raises revenue estimate

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like Sen. Ogden and his fellow dreamers got their wish. Comptroller Susan Combs added $1.2 billion to her estimate of state revenues, making that much more money available to budget writers who are scrambling for cash. She said the … Continue reading →

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Senate passes supplemental appropriation with extra rainy day funds

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I hadn’t realized that the Senate hadn’t gotten around to passing a bill to close the deficit from the last biennium, since the House had done that a long time ago amid a huge debate about using Rainy … Continue reading →

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More city layoffs

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How high will it get? More than 600 city employees have received layoff notices this month as the city sheds payroll in a budget crisis. The count is mounting daily as city leaders orchestrate a department-by-department approach to telling their … Continue reading →

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I presume making it a capital offense will be next

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Republicans tackle another pressing problem. It’s already a felony for individuals to knowingly vote or try to vote if they are ineligible from doing so for any number or reasons, including being a non-citizen or illegal immigrant. But Republican … Continue reading →

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Death from above, Senate version

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate has approved the “pork chopper” bill, with some amendments. State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, said there are more than 2 million feral hogs across the state. They used to be mostly a problem for rural landowners, but … Continue reading →

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Check your Metro Q card

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Your Metro Q card may be set to expire at the end of the month. Here’s some information about that, via press release: Is your METRO Q® Fare Card expiring?  Flip it over to the back and check the serial … Continue reading →

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HISD approves tougher teacher evaluation plan

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I have some concerns about this. Teachers in the Houston Independent School District next year will face tougher job evaluations that grade them on their students’ test scores under a nationally watched plan that trustees approved Thursday. The 7-2 vote … Continue reading →

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Senate passes Amazon sales tax bill

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas Senate has overwhelmingly passed a measure aimed at tightening the state’s rules on when online businesses must collect sales tax. Senators voted 30-1 [Friday] to pass House Bill 2403, a measure that originated with Rep. John Otto, … Continue reading →

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More redistricting lawsuits filed

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And to think, we don’t even have a Congressional plan yet. A federal lawsuit filed Monday by some Texas House members blasts the use of “inaccurate” 2010 Census data in the remapping of state political jurisdictions. The lawsuit by the … Continue reading →

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Nothing is dead, and nothing is certain

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The deadline for passing House bills on second reading was midnight Friday last week, which means that tons of bills are technically dead, as they can no longer be brought to the House floor for a vote. However, bills can … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for May 15

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Why isn’t there an Ides of May, anyway? Why I love Nancy Pelosi. There’s no possible way that this can end well. All roads lead to bacon. Some humor translates better than others. Jealous? Why should I be jealous? We … Continue reading →

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Accidents down overall in Houston

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I know I said I was done litigating the red light camera question, and I am, I swear it, but I can’t let this pass without comment. Automobile accidents on Houston streets have declined 13 percent in the last five … Continue reading →

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Senate redistricting map approved by committee

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

That didn’t take long. Rejecting pleas to keep most of Travis County in a single Senate district, the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting [Friday] morning approved a plan that will divide the capital city into four senatorial districts. The Republican-dominated … Continue reading →

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From the “Get your government out of my Medicare” files

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be fun. Across the nation, U.S. House Republicans are getting an earful from their constituents about a GOP budget proposal to overhaul Medicare, the federal health care program that insures the elderly. The Republican plan, written by … Continue reading →

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The abandoned buildings of downtown

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I thought this Chron story about the vacant buildings downtown and the nuisances they cause was useful, but it left me with one question: What, if anything, can the city do to force the issue? The city has the occasional … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Here we are now, entertain us

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

So apparently some people don’t much care for Miley Cyrus covering “Smells Like Teen Spirit”: Roy is a hater, while Yglesias is more philosophical. I can’t say I like it, but neither do I fear for the end of civilization. … Continue reading →

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So what happens if there isn’t a school finance deal?

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You may recall that having to change the school finance formula to distribute the billions of cuts to public education is causing problems with the budget. What happens if no changes are made to the formula? The Trib contemplates the … Continue reading →

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Our first campaign drama of 2011

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I’m pretty sure we’d have had some sort of kerfuffle like this by now if we hadn’t had to redraw Council lines, which has pushed the timeline back a bit. Lone Star Strategies has dropped City Council candidate Jenifer Rene … Continue reading →

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Private schools in the UIL

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A bill by Sen. Dan Patrick that would allow private schools to compete in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) passed the Senate last week. Texas is just one of three states in the country — California and Connecticut being the … Continue reading →

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KUHA debuts Monday

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

KTRU is now off the air, but 91.7 on your dial won’t be dead air for much longer. KUHA, the spawn of the KUHF takeover of 91.7, begins broadcasting Monday. KUHA Classical programs will include The Front Row, Exploring Music, … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Songs of the Century, part 1

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I had a lot of fun with the Rolling Stone Top 500 list awhile back, and when I was going through that I also came across the Songs Of The Century, as compiled by the Recording Industry of America and … Continue reading →

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House class size bill fails to pass

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HB400, the House bill that would among other things allow for larger class sizes and furloughs and pay cuts for teachers, failed to pass before the midnight deadline last night. The bill from Rep. Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, would have … Continue reading →

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Sanchez files paperwork to run for Senate

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

And he’s in. Retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who rose from an impoverished childhood in the Rio Grande Valley to become a three-star Army general commanding multinational forces in Iraq, filed the paperwork Wednesday to seek the Democratic nomination for … Continue reading →

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