Tag Archives: Jane Nelson

Secretaries of State and AI

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope our SOS is ready for this. A false call from a secretary of state telling poll workers they aren’t needed on Election Day. A fake video of a state election director shredding ballots before they’re counted. An … Continue reading →

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SOS releases 2022 Harris County election audit

Posted on October 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

They sure know how to time these things. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s office on Thursday released preliminary findings from its audit of Harris County’s November 2022 election, the latest analysis of an election that has been the subject … Continue reading →

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Farewell, ERIC

Posted on July 22, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Into the unknown… The Texas secretary of state submitted its exit notice Thursday to a national coalition that is one of the best tools to combat voter fraud, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Votebeat. The withdrawal from the … Continue reading →

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What might come after ERIC

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

An interesting report from TPM. The Alan Vera Memorial Act both forces the state to leave ERIC, and also to find a replacement vendor — one that can do what ERIC does with a start-up cost of $100,000 or less, … Continue reading →

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A tale of two elections bills

Posted on May 28, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The good news. Texas lawmakers have voted to reverse an expensive state law requiring election officials to replace all their current vote-counting equipment with technology that doesn’t exist. An unprecedented mandate the Legislature passed in 2021, without fully realizing its … Continue reading →

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There’s nothing like ERIC

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Be careful what you seek to destroy, Republicans. With some Texas Republicans pushing the state to abandon one its best tools for preventing voter fraud — a coalition of states that share voting roll data to weed out duplicate and … Continue reading →

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Founder of that voter roll maintenance program that election denialists hate has stepped down

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure this will calm everyone down and restore the faith everyone once had in this program. Right? David Becker, an election law advocate who helped create the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), is vacating his position on its board … Continue reading →

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Abbott to nominate Jane Nelson as next SOS

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

That was quick. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he will nominate retiring state Sen. Jane Nelson to be secretary of state. The announcement comes one day after John Scott said he would step down from the role at the end … Continue reading →

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The only constant is change

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This DMN story is about the wave of changes to the various legislative caucuses in North Dallas, but if you pull the lens back just a little, you can see how universal it is. Proponents of term limits complain that … Continue reading →

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Fraudit funding

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bullshit all the way down. GOP leaders on Friday approved shifting $4 million in emergency funds for the Texas secretary of state’s office to create an “Election Audit Division” at the agency, which will spearhead county election audits as … Continue reading →

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Big XII visits the Lege

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something to do, anyway. As the University of Texas prepares for a jump from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, state lawmakers are working to determine how the move will affect the rest of the state — and … Continue reading →

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UT and OU make it officially official

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Smell ya later, Big XII. After a week of speculation, the University of Texas at Austin announced Tuesday that alongside the University of Oklahoma it has asked to join the Southeastern Conference starting July 1, 2025. The news came a … Continue reading →

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Sen. Jane Nelson to retire

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More changes coming. State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, announced Monday she is not running for reelection. Nelson has been the top budget writer in the Senate and is the most senior Republican in the chamber. “It has been a … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry passes the Senate

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We didn’t really think this was going to fail, did we? The Republican-led effort to allow Texans to carry handguns without any kind of license cleared what is likely its biggest remaining hurdle in the Capitol on Wednesday, when the … Continue reading →

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Where are the stimulus funds for the schools?

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ridiculous. For more than a year, the federal government has been pumping billions of dollars into school districts across the country to help them meet the demands of the pandemic. Most states have used that pot of stimulus funds as … Continue reading →

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Republicans will never hold Ken Paxton accountable for anything

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t be a chump and expect them to. Texas lawmakers are preparing to arm Attorney General Ken Paxton with $43 million to fight Google in court. A key committee in the State Senate on Wednesday amended its proposed budget for … Continue reading →

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So how did Paxton’s budget grilling go?

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton violated his budget authority when he transferred $40 million of taxpayer money to cover pay raises for some members of his staff without approval of the Legislature or the governor, triggering an angry response … Continue reading →

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Will the Lege cut Ken Paxton’s budget?

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The first draft budget includes a significant cut, but it’s early days. Already under investigation by the FBI and facing calls to resign from both the left and the right, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton now has the Texas Legislature … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick’s budget destruction

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not what you think it is, but it’s still bad. Tucked away in a quiet corner of Texas state government, an arcane team of 100 or so budget nerds has led a private, if stressful, life — running financial … Continue reading →

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In the cloud

Posted on March 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta say, this makes sense. What do a warehouse in North Austin and a building at Angelo State University have in common? They hold trillions of bytes of data about some of Texans’ most sensitive information, including health and education … Continue reading →

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State House mulls big increase in school funding

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a good start. As Texas’ Republican leadership calls for property tax cuts and a school finance overhaul, the Texas House on Monday pitched a bold proposal: Pump roughly $7 billion more state funds into public schools — but only … Continue reading →

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It’s bill-filing season

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some highlights from Day One: House Bill 49, by Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would get rid of daylight saving time in Texas. Some lawmakers have tried to do this in past sessions. House Bill 63, by Rep. … Continue reading →

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The Harvey effect on the state budget

Posted on December 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

You know what the solution to this is, right? Senate leaders warned Tuesday that Hurricane Harvey could put a billion-dollar hole in Texas’ budget, an ever-growing number that could affect how much money is available for other state programs. Only … Continue reading →

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Budget deal reached

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The one bill that must get passed is on its way. After months of private squabbling and public threats of a legislative overtime session, the Texas House and Senate finally compromised to unveil a joint budget late Saturday. Lawmakers, scrounging … Continue reading →

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The first step is admitting you have a problem

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rewire points out an issue that should have been obvious. Earlier this month, about 70 Texas businesses signed a letter condemning a discriminatory bill now circulating in the state legislature that would largely bar transgender people from using public restrooms … Continue reading →

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Senate passes its budget

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the one bill that has to pass. The Texas Senate unanimously approved a two-year budget on Tuesday that would shift nearly $2 billion in public education costs from the state to local taxpayers. The Senate’s $218 billion document now … Continue reading →

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Who loves budget gimmicks?

Posted on March 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate Budget Committee, that’s who. Texas Senate budget writers on Wednesday unanimously approved their two-year budget, which avoided some steep cuts by using an accounting trick to free up $2.5 billion state dollars that were originally slated to go … Continue reading →

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Senate to begin studying school finance changes

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this looks like. Leaders in the Texas Senate are vowing to find ways to overhaul the state’s school finance system, saying a recent Texas Supreme Court decision granted them a prime opportunity to shake up the heavily … Continue reading →

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The fallout from the chubfest

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Cleaning up some loose ends…The campus carry bill that was the subject of much chubbing passed on final reading. The battle over “campus carry” is headed back to the Texas Senate after House lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to legislation … Continue reading →

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Bullet train budget rider battle continues

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The budget rider to derail the high speed train is still under contention as the conference committee completes its work. Tucked in Page 682 of the budget passed by the Senate in April is Rider 48, a provision that would … Continue reading →

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One more shot at killing the high speed rail line

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Never forget that the tricksiest maneuvers in the legislative handbook come in the budget. Texas’ prospects of having the first high-speed train line in the nation hinge on two sentences in a proposed state budget that lawmakers in the House … Continue reading →

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State-run Women’s Health Program continues to be a failure

Posted on March 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Quelle surprise. Thousands fewer women are getting health services through the now state-run Women’s Health Program after Planned Parenthood was barred from being a provider. A report released Monday by the state Health and Human Services Commission showed that almost … Continue reading →

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Trouble in tax cut paradise

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

What if you propose a tax cut but the beneficiaries of it say they’d rather the money went to something else? Major business groups pushed back Friday against a multi­billion-dollar package of tax cuts advancing in the Texas Senate, calling … Continue reading →

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Bill filing deadline has passed

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Believe it or not, we are almost halfway through the legislative session, and we have now passed the point where new bills can be filed. Racing to beat a deadline for filing bills, state lawmakers on Friday submitted hundreds of … Continue reading →

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