Category Archives: That’s our Lege

House passes redistricting bill

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I was going to put this as the last item in the earlier post, but I didn’t want to change that post’s title and I also didn’t want to gloss over that this happened. We knew it was going to … Continue reading →

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Beto scores a win against Paxton

Posted on August 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nice. An El Paso judge this week temporarily stopped Attorney General Ken Paxton from prosecuting former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s political group, Powered by People, after Paxton moved to block the organization from financially supporting Texas Democrats who left the … Continue reading →

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And they’re back

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Quorum time again. Texas House Democrats announced they would return to Austin Monday, ending a two-week walkout over a GOP mid-decade redistricting plan and paving the way for the map’s passage. “We killed the corrupt special session, withstood unprecedented surveillance … Continue reading →

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The “Faux Faculty Senate”

Posted on August 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I love this bit of resistance, as I deplore the reason for it. In response to Texas’ crackdown on faculty governance, two University of Houston professors are pushing back by creating their own “Faux Faculty Senate” to give faculty a … Continue reading →

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The private school grift is gearing up

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What happens when you spend a billion taxpayer dollars with no oversight and no accountability? We’re about to find out. For about eight years, a Houston private school has followed a unique pattern when appointing members to its governing board: … Continue reading →

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Special Session 2: [Insert dumb sequel name here]

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As promised/threatened. With the Texas House still frozen by Democrats’ absence from the state, Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday called a second special session to begin less than two hours after the Legislature gaveled out the first overtime round. The … Continue reading →

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The end (of the quorum break) is near

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And getting nearer. The House Democrats who fled Texas to block GOP redistricting appear likely to return in the coming days, according to a press release they issued Thursday. The caucus said its members will return if Republicans follow through … Continue reading →

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Everything happens on Tuesday

Posted on August 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember when I said yesterday that there was still no quorum and not much had happened? That was then, this is now. The Supreme Court will take its sweet time in deciding on those quo warranto filings to expel … Continue reading →

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Still no quorum

Posted on August 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sitting here waiting for the Supreme Court to take up those ridiculous quo warranto actions by Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton and have been hesitant to start writing something for fear that I’ll have to trash it and start … Continue reading →

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Comparing the districts

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

As I write this on Sunday, there’s a lot we don’t know about how this saga ends. I feel confident saying that at some point there will be a quorum and a new map will be passed. Beyond that is … Continue reading →

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A win for cottage foods

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nice to know that at least one good thing came out of the regular session. Bee Boyd slid on a baking mitt, fittingly decorated with bees, before pulling open the oven door. They took a quick glance at the puffy, … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 5 roundup: Help an ideological enemy out?

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 4 roundup: So what is the FBI doing?

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Nobody knows. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn announced that the FBI has granted his request to investigate and locate the Texas Democratic lawmakers who left the state in an attempt to stop the passage of new GOP-favored congressional maps. A spokesperson … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 3 roundup: Of course there’s a bomb threat

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose something like this was inevitable. Texas House Democrats in Illinois to block GOP redistricting were evacuated from their hotel Wednesday morning due to a bomb threat, lawmakers and local police said. A press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. … Continue reading →

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The Operation Lone Star boondoggle

Posted on August 7, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Money, money, money… Maverick County Attorney Jaime Iracheta works in a freshly refurbished, wood-paneled office with a matching desk and leather couch set. He holds meetings in a video-equipped conference room and drives to work in a heavy-duty Chevy Silverado … Continue reading →

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Quorum break Day 2 roundup: Paxton hauls out a big threat

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

He seems destined to fail, but we’re going to go through the motions anyway, I guess. Attorney General Ken Paxton will ask for a court ruling declaring vacant the seats of any lawmakers who are not back to work by … Continue reading →

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State House Dems break quorum

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s on. Texas Democratic lawmakers fled the state Sunday in a bid to block passage of a new congressional map designed to give the GOP five additional seats in the U.S. House next year, raising the stakes in what’s poised … Continue reading →

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Hill Country flood hearings

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Brutal. Kerr County’s emergency management coordinator acknowledged Thursday that he was ill and asleep when rain inundated the Hill Country community early July 4. Will Thomas told lawmakers during a legislative hearing in Kerrville that his wife woke him at … Continue reading →

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A Q&A on redistricting

Posted on August 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

From Bolts Magazine: The Texas legislature began meeting in a special session last week to adopt a new congressional map that will, they hope, provide additional seats to the GOP in next year’s midterms. On Wednesday, Republicans released a draft … Continue reading →

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Friday redistricting roundup

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take a moment and pour one out for the real victims of the proposed Congressional redistricting, Texas’ Republican Congressional incumbents. Democrats aren’t the only ones who won’t be happy with the way Texas Republicans on Wednesday proposed redrawing the … Continue reading →

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And just like that we have a map

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That sure was fast. Good thing all those hearings are over. Texas GOP lawmakers released their first draft of the state’s new congressional map Wednesday, proposing revamped district lines that attempt to flip five Democratic seats in next year’s midterm … Continue reading →

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Senate again passes THC ban

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

What are we even doing here? The Texas Senate on Wednesday preliminarily approved its second attempt to ban hemp-derived THC, setting up a showdown with the House, where hemp industry members say they’ll be getting more support. Senate Bill 5 … Continue reading →

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Redistricting roundup

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait for maps, we can ponder whether or not there will be a quorum break. As Republicans in Texas move full steam ahead with a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, Democrats are privately mulling their options, … Continue reading →

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The Lege goes to Kerrville

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Well, just some of them. The Texas Legislature’s special session will journey west to Kerrville this week, sending lawmakers to the seat of the most devastated county of the July 4 floods. The two special committees weighing the legislative response … Continue reading →

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More women have nearly bled to death following a miscarriage thanks to the abortion ban

Posted on July 30, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Brought to you by SCOTUS and the Republican Legislature. And Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton, too. Before states banned abortion, one of the gravest outcomes of early miscarriage could easily be avoided: Doctors could offer a dilation … Continue reading →

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So is there a map yet or not?

Posted on July 29, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe Republicans are flying blind on this. While the Republican redistricting effort is underway in Texas, the fight is on nationally. So, too, is the wait, as political observers – and anxious politicians – hold on for the … Continue reading →

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Still no maps

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s weird. Not unexpected – the Republicans have always loved some secrecy in the redistricting process – but weird. The Texas House’s redistricting committee visited Houston on Saturday to hear out local residents’ concerns on the state Legislature’s plans to … Continue reading →

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The flood hearings

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. The Texas House and Senate quickly established special committees to focus on relief efforts and determine what preparations the state must make to be better prepared for future natural disasters. Now, these panels of state lawmakers are … Continue reading →

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Redistricting hearings

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Attend or watch if you can. The state House has scheduled redistricting hearings in Austin, Houston and Arlington, signaling a fast start to the Republican-backed effort to redraw the boundary lines for Texas congressional districts in the special legislative session that started Monday. … Continue reading →

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Is Abbott now pro-THC banning?

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Kinda, yeah. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that he supports banning intoxicating hemp products, appearing to walk back his calls last month for lawmakers to regulate the state’s burgeoning THC industry like it does for alcohol. In interviews with media … Continue reading →

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What the medical marijuana industry wants from the special session

Posted on July 15, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

To protect their interests, of course. Texas’ medical marijuana dispensaries entered into this year’s legislative session with a two-prong strategy to expand: to loosen the state’s rules on their industry that has made the program largely inaccessible to those who … Continue reading →

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This session’s fight over casinos was mostly billionaire-on-billionaire violence

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

A good read from Texas Monthly about how Miriam Adelson tried to throw a bunch of money around and hire every lobbyist in the state to get casino gambling on the ballot, only to run into a different billionaire throwing … Continue reading →

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Opening look at the re-redistricting effort

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re coming for our districts. More than one million Houstonians could have new congressional representation as early as next year under Gov. Greg Abbott’s push to redraw the state’s political maps. Abbott has ordered the Texas Legislature into a special … Continue reading →

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No more backup power mandates for senior living places

Posted on July 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

That’s our Legislature, y’all. In the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, thousands of seniors across the Houston region were stuck in buildings without power or air-conditioning, often left to fend for themselves in the sweltering summer heat. The suffering galvanized Houston-area Democrats to once again fight for what had repeatedly failed: … Continue reading →

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