Category Archives: That’s our Lege

Abbott follows through on veto of legislative funding

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So here we go. Gov. Greg Abbott followed through Friday on a threat to veto a section of the state budget that funds the Texas Legislature, its staffers and legislative agencies. The governor’s move targeting lawmaker pay comes after House … Continue reading →

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Why the push for casinos failed

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a long story with a detailed answer to what is honestly a straightforward and easy to understand question. In its effort to bring casinos to Texas, Las Vegas Sands — the gaming empire started by the late Republican megadonor … Continue reading →

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HISD asks for virtual learning funds do-over

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can understand this. Thirty school districts, including Houston ISD, and two associations signed a letter to urge Gov. Greg Abbott to add legislation funding virtual learning to any special session for other proposed laws. A bill that would have ensured districts … Continue reading →

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From the “Oops, how did that get in there?” department

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how the final version of SB7, the one that emerged from behind closed doors in conference committee, had a provision in it that would have made it a lot easier to overturn the result of an election via legal … Continue reading →

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What are the limits on limiting vaccination requirements?

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: Carnival will require COVID vaccinations for all passengers cruising from Galveston: Carnival Cruise Line today announced plans to begin cruising from the Port of Galveston on July 3. Cruises will be open to customers who are fully … Continue reading →

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Can Abbott actually veto the legislative budget?

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? We’ll see if he actually does it. Fresh off the defeat of two of his legislative priorities Sunday night when Democrats abandoned the Texas House to block a sweeping elections bill, Gov. Greg Abbott flexed his executive muscle … Continue reading →

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We go to the next freeze with the power grid reform we have, not the power grid reform we wanted

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is, and what it is isn’t much. Texas lawmakers on Sunday passed a final proposal to shore up the state’s power grid in response to this year’s deadly outage crisis, agreeing on a raft of reforms … Continue reading →

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Pity the poor GHP

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Or don’t. I lean heavily towards “don’t”. You’d have to be a serious sourpuss not to feel just a little sorry for Bob Harvey, the amiable, bespectacled Aggie and Harvard MBA who heads the Greater Houston Partnership. The last month … Continue reading →

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No limits imposed on Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. The state Legislature won’t curtail Gov. Greg Abbott’s pandemic powers, after members of the House and the Senate failed to hash out their differences over it. The measure, House Bill 3, was priority legislation in the … Continue reading →

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More on the post-quorum break fallout

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story mostly centers on the perspective of the Black legislators during the SB7 fight, and it’s a good read for that, but I want to focus on this bit here: While the legislation in the Senate partly targeted … Continue reading →

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So now what?

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, Greg Abbott gets to have a little temper tantrum, which may or may not end up in an immediate special session. The Texas Legislature closed out its regular 140-day session Monday with sniping among the state’s top political leaders … Continue reading →

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Cybersecurity insurance for TxDOT

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not an optional thing these days. Pending final approval from the legislature, the Texas Department of Transportation plans to spend about $100,000 annually on cybersecurity insurance aimed at repaying the state should it incur expenses related to loss of business … Continue reading →

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The House is working on the omnibus voter suppression bill.

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They started last night, and who knows when they may finish. If it comes to a vote, I expect this Trib story will be updated to reflect it. One of the justifications given by Republicans for banning all-night voting hours … Continue reading →

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Small revisions to medical marijuana law passed

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You know what I’m going to say about this, right? A watered-down expansion of Texas’ medical marijuana program is headed to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott after the state House voted to accept significant changes to the bill made … Continue reading →

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The final version of the voter suppression bill is out

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad. Emerging from closed-door negotiations between the Texas House and Senate, a GOP priority bill to enact new restrictions on voting has swelled beyond what each chamber originally passed to limit local control of elections and curtail voting options, … Continue reading →

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Are we headed for a June special session or not?

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Too soon to tell. Right now this is just the usual end-of-session venting and frustration. With the future of the power grid and voting laws in Texas hanging in the balance, tensions among the top political leaders in the Legislature … Continue reading →

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Anti-trans sports bill dies

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, with the usual caveats. A controversial Texas bill that would restrict the participation of transgender student athletes in school sports ran out of time for consideration in the House as the lower chamber hit a crucial deadline Tuesday night for … Continue reading →

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The Trib adds on to the updated date rape drug story

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I was a little surprised when there wasn’t a Texas Tribune story about the revelation that the date rape drug allegation levied against a lobbyist turned out to have been fabricated. They’re usually pretty quick on stuff like that, even … Continue reading →

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HISD may have a reprieve

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

For one year, if this bill passes as is and if the Supreme Court doesn’t intervene. The Texas House advanced a meaty education bill Tuesday that dramatically reduces the stakes of state standardized tests in 2021-22 and gives Houston ISD … Continue reading →

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The Capitol date rape drug allegation was fabricated

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Jesus Christ. The news landed at the Texas Capitol last month like a bombshell: State police were investigating claims that a male lobbyist from one of the most influential firms in Austin had used a date rape drug on two … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Comments

State Reps to P Bush: Reconsider

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nearly all of the Harris County State Reps have written a letter to Land Commissioner George P Bush asking him to reconsider the ridiculous process that completely shut Houston and Harris County out of federal flooding funds. A bipartisan group … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry passes

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice to dream for a minute that the Republicans would fumble the ball short of the goal line on this, but it was never realistic. A bill to allow the permitless carrying of handguns in Texas is on … Continue reading →

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Think of the kids today

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Today, the anti-trans sports bill SB29 is on the House calendar. Hopefully, it will fail to make it to the floor before midnight, which is the deadline for Senate bills to be passed by the House. Whatever the case, spend … Continue reading →

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The voting location restrictions of SB7

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As Michael Li said on Twitter, this is breathtaking, and not at all in a good way. The number of Election Day polling places in largely Democratic parts of major Texas counties would fall dramatically under a Republican proposal to … Continue reading →

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News flash: Dan Patrick does not support loosening marijuana laws

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In other news, summer is hot and it sometimes floods in Houston. With less than two weeks left in Texas’ legislative session, medical marijuana advocates are ratcheting up pressure on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who they say is blocking an … Continue reading →

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The 2022 primary target list

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re likely to see a significant number of primary challenges in 2022, in all districted offices. That’s partly because 2022 is a post-redistricting year, and with boundaries being shuffled there are always new opportunities for people who find themselves in … Continue reading →

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Might permitless carry actually fail?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t want to allow myself to hope, but there are some sticking points, and apparently some hard lines being drawn. Both the Texas House and Senate have agreed in large part to the concept of so-called “constitutional carry” legislation … Continue reading →

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Abbott signs massive anti-abortion bill

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see who sues who first. Gov. Greg Abbott signed into a law Wednesday a measure that would prohibit in Texas abortions as early as six weeks — before some women know they are pregnant — and open the door … Continue reading →

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Trying to make the sausage less bad

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

RG Ratcliffe walsk us through some bipartisan negotiations on HB6, the House version of the big Senate voter suppression bill, as three Democrats who want to make this bad bill slightly less bad work with a couple of Republicans who … Continue reading →

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Senate is right back on the anti-trans agenda

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. The Texas Senate on Monday quickly revived and advanced a bill banning gender-affirming health care for children under 18, days after a similar House bill failed to advance in the lower chamber. Under Senate Bill … Continue reading →

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Giving a hand to music venues

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is a good idea. Qualifying Texas music venues could get up to $100,000 each in tax rebates on alcohol sales under legislation that has passed the House and Senate and now is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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Not sure where we are with the anti-trans bills

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In limbo, to be honest. A controversial bill that would ban gender-affirming health care for transgender children missed a key deadline Thursday for consideration in the Texas House. But a similar Senate bill still has time to be approved by … Continue reading →

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There’s lots of room to improve sexual harassment training at the Lege

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They’re starting from a really low point. You could miss both questions about sexual harassment and still pass the preventative training required every two years for Texas House staffers. The online training, a roughly 15-minute lecture on sexual harassment sandwiched … Continue reading →

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Once again, bills to allow more gambling in Texas are dead

Posted on May 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same as it ever was. A high-profile push by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands to bring casinos to Texas appears doomed at the state Capitol as this year’s legislative session begins to wind down. Monday was the deadline for … Continue reading →

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