Monthly Archives: August 2021

Harris County gets its restraining order against Abbott

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Step one. A judge in Travis County on Friday granted Harris County a temporary restraining order, blocking Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local COVID-19 restrictions. The decision by Judge Jan Soifer of the 345th Civil District Court provides legal cover … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Still no quorum, and no Dem legislators rounded up yet

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And I’m still not sure what exactly will happen when and if a law enforcement officer stumbles across one of the wayward legislators. The hunt for missing Democratic Texas House members escalated late Thursday and Friday, as the sergeant-at-arms and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Still no quorum, and no Dem legislators rounded up yet

Census data is out

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready, there’s about to be a whole lot more legislative activity. Setting the stage for what is expected to be a bruising battle over political representation, the results of the 2020 census released Thursday showed that Texas’ explosive growth … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Alvarado’s filibuster ends

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was a strong effort, and she deserves credit for it. After 15 hours of speaking nearly nonstop against the GOP’s priority elections bill, State Sen. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat, concluded her filibuster on Thursday morning. “Voter suppression anywhere … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Harris County sues Abbott and issues a mask mandate

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Quite the busy day yesterday. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday issued a mandatory mask order for Harris County schools and daycares, joining the chorus of elected officials in the Texas’ larges cities in defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s order … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

The charter referendum will be in 2023

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So be it. The organizations and residents who petitioned the city to give City Council members more power will have to wait until 2023 to vote on the measure, after the council declined to put it on this year’s ballot. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2023, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fort Bend joins the lawsuit parade

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Come on in, the water’s fine. As the Delta variant drives a pandemic surge, Fort Bend County officials on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning local government from implementing public health mandates. “I’ll do all … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, School days, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Alvarado filibuster

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wear comfortable shoes, Senator. The GOP voting restrictions push that left the Texas House scrambling to round up absent Democrats also shut down work in the Texas Senate on Wednesday evening as state Sen. Carol Alvarado launched into a filibuster … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

A legislator’s view of the mask-ban mandate

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. John Turner pens an op-ed that sums up the arguments for defying Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates. The governor’s attempted ban on local decision-making is set out in his most recent executive order of July 29. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Texas blog roundup for the week of August 9

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas Progressive Alliance is way out of patience with anti-vaxxers as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged , | Comments Off on Texas blog roundup for the week of August 9

Abbott flails about on the COVID surge

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He remains committed to the bit. Gov. Greg Abbott announced new moves Monday to fight the coronavirus pandemic as it rages again in Texas, including asking hospitals to again put off certain elective procedures to free up space for COVID-19 … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Supreme Court tosses no-arrest order

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Things just got more interesting. House Democrats who refuse to show up for the Legislature could soon be detained by law enforcement and brought back to the state Capitol, after the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday voided a state district … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

More lawsuits against Abbott’s ban on mask mandates

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Dallas County: Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins filed a legal challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on local mask mandates Monday, the North Texas official said on Twitter. Jenkins said he’s asking for a court to rule that Abbott’s prohibition on … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Judges in Harris County implement mask mandate

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s what all the responsible public officials are doing. State judges in Harris County voted unanimously Tuesday to implement a mask mandate in courthouses that will supersede Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on such mandates, according to three judges who participated … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Overflow COVID tents

Posted on August 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is fine. Harris Health System’s intensive care units are nearly full as the delta variant sends more COVID-19 patients into hospitals, prompting the safety-net health system for the county’s indigent communities to construct tents for triaging patients. As of Monday afternoon, Lyndon … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Supreme Court upholds Abbott’s power grab

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. The Texas Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from several Democratic House members and state employees asking the justices to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott’s veto of legislative funding in the upcoming two-year state budget. Abbott vetoed the funding … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

You can’t arrest the quorum-busters, at least not yet

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to know. A state district judge in Travis County issued an order blocking the arrest of House Democrats who have broken quorum by leaving the state, paving the way for those who remain outside of Texas to return home … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dallas ISD to require masks

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good for them. Starting Tuesday, Dallas ISD will require students and teachers to wear masks at its campuses, defying Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that bars districts from issuing mask mandates. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announced the change during a Monday morning … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dissension in the ranks

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

sigh Some of the Texas House Democrats who are still in Washington, D.C., did not hold back Monday as they watched more of their colleagues return to Austin and bring the chamber within single digits of a quorum. “You all … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The next special elections

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s one now scheduled in HD10, to replace new Congressman Jake Ellzey. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that Aug. 31 will be the date of the special election to replace former state Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Waxahachie, now a member of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott goes back on the attack against trans kids and their families

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bullies are cowards. Gov. Greg Abbott delivered Friday on a recent promise to use his political weight to try to halt medical interventions for transgender children, which are considered standard of care for adults. He wants state officials to redefine … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

A timeline of the blackout

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. A new report from University of Texas at Austin energy experts lays much of the blame for power outages during the state’s deadly February freeze on the failure of natural gas producers to fully weatherize their facilities.” The … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Weekend link dump for August 8

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“In the early 20th century, a famous anti-vaxxer exposed himself to smallpox. What happened next offers a COVID cautionary tale.” “Every time there is another data breach, we are asked to change our password at the breached entity. But the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog stuff | Tagged | 1 Comment

Special Session 2.0: Still no quorum yet

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how long that lasts. Texas Democrats on Saturday blocked a quorum in the House for the third time this year as the Legislature kicked off its second special legislative session called to pass the GOP elections bill, among … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

There needs to be more defiance of Greg Abbott and his no-mandates mandate

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I find a bit of a pattern in this story and wonder if there may be something to it. School districts, local officials and hospitals are pushing back on Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order barring mask and vaccine mandates, setting … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Sheriff Gonzalez approved by Senate committee

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We are one step closer to needing a new Sheriff. The Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday advanced the nominations of two Texans tapped by President Joe Biden to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Census Bureau. While San … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sheriff Gonzalez approved by Senate committee

The nursing shortage

Posted on August 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just gonna leave this here. A nursing shortage and a high volume of patients prompted Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital on Sunday night to declare an “internal disaster” in the emergency room, where wait times swelled to 24 hours, Harris Health … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Meet the new special session

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same as the old special session, at least at first. It appears likely that not enough Democrats will show up for the Texas House to conduct business when a second special legislative session convenes Saturday. Some of the more than … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

HISD to consider mask mandate

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This would be a big deal, for all the obvious reasons. Houston ISD Superintendent Millard House II said Thursday he plans to bring a mask mandate for ratification to the district’s board meeting next week, setting the stage for the … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Another lawsuit filed against Abbott’s migrant transport order

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bring them on. Immigrant rights groups backed by the American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit against Texas Governor Greg Abbott over his executive order restricting the transportation of migrants, claiming it goes against federal law and amounts to racial profiling at the … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The PAC-20?

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one possible outcome for the left behind members of the Big XII. According to multiple reports, the commissioners of the Pac-12 and Big 12 met Tuesday to discuss how the conferences might benefit from working together or maybe even … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who favors a vaccine mandate?

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of people, apparently. Don’t expect it to make much difference, though. Most Texans support measures requiring all eligible people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a recent survey. More than 65 percent of Texans said they would … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Who favors a vaccine mandate?

Special session 2.0 coming right up

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that the second special legislative session will begin at noon Saturday — and with an expanded agenda. The 17-item agenda still includes well-known Abbott priorities like the election bill that caused … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Back to Code Red

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty much inevitable at this point. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Thursday returned the county to the highest COVID-19 threat level and urged unvaccinated residents to stay home and avoid unnecessary contact with others. At a news conference, Hidalgo … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment