Category Archives: That’s our Lege

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 →

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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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House rejects Senate changes to permitless carry bill

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Off to conference committee they go. The Texas House on Wednesday rejected changes the Senate made to a Republican-backed proposal to allow Texans to carry handguns without a license, sending the bill behind closed doors for further negotiations. Before the … Continue reading →

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Massive anti-abortion bill heads to Abbott

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And from there to the courts, in one form or another. Legislation that would ban abortions after as early as six weeks — before many women know they are pregnant — and let virtually any private citizen sue abortion providers … Continue reading →

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The Texas cannabis industry sure is optimistic

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I remain more skeptical, at least of their short-term capacity. “I suspect if you grabbed a random person on the street and asked them if cannabis was legal in Texas, they would probably look at you like you’re crazy and … Continue reading →

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House passes its bill to limit Governor’s emergency powers

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure if this is going to make it through the Senate. The Texas House on Monday gave preliminary approval to a sweeping bill that would reform the governor’s emergency powers during a pandemic and involve the Legislature during such … Continue reading →

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Better cut your police budget now while you still can

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s one possible takeaway from this. The Texas House on Friday passed a bill to financially penalize the state’s largest cities if they cut their police budgets. The measure was sent to the Senate after two days of heated debate … Continue reading →

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So we bail out the electricity providers

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I don’t know enough about our weird electricity market to suggest a viable alternative to this, but it sure doesn’t speak well of our system. An approximately $2.5 billion plan to bail out Texas’ distressed electricity market from … Continue reading →

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GHP finally says something about voter suppression

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Weak. After days of external pressure from Harris County politicians and internal calls from board members to speak out against voting bills in the Texas Legislature, the Greater Houston Partnership on Thursday evening issued a broad condemnation of efforts to … Continue reading →

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House passes its omnibus voter suppression bill

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

But don’t bother asking what’s in the bill, because it’s going to change and we won’t know what’s in the real bill until it’s time for a final vote in both chambers. As opposition to Texas Republicans’ proposed voting restrictions continues … Continue reading →

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Anti-transgender sports bill revived

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Screw you, Harold Dutton. Democratic state Rep. Harold Dutton on Friday revived and helped advance a bill that would restrict transgender students from participating in school sports, in what appears to be a retaliatory effort directed at members of his … Continue reading →

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Fort Bend says No to GHP

Posted on May 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Fort Bend County Judge KP George said Thursday the county will not consider becoming a member of the Greater Houston Partnership following the group’s silence on bills in the state Legislature that he called “suppressive pieces of legislation reminiscent … Continue reading →

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