Category Archives: That’s our Lege

Turner and Hidalgo rebuke GHP over voting rights failure

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo no longer plan to hold their annual state of the city and county addresses with the Greater Houston Partnership because of the chamber group’s silence on bills in the … Continue reading →

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Republican bail reform bill passes House

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. The Texas House on Tuesday passed a bill to alter the way criminal defendants can be released from jail before trial. The priority legislation would, in part, require judicial officers to use a risk assessment tool when making bail … Continue reading →

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Funding weatherization

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m okay with this, with one caveat. A plan to help finance what will likely become mandatory power plant upgrades to withstand more extreme weather in the wake of the February power crisis received preliminary approval in the Texas House … 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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Massive anti-abortion bill passes the House

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just resigned to this shit at this point. Texas lawmakers are poised to enact sweeping restrictions on access to abortions, prohibiting the procedure before many women know they are pregnant, and opening the door for a potential flood of … Continue reading →

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Businesses finally offer some real resistance to voter suppression

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

About time. With less than a month left in the legislative session — and Texas Republicans split on which package of proposals might cross the finish line — Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Unilever, Patagonia and two dozen other companies are urging state … Continue reading →

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Anti-trans sports bill fails to advance from House committee

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, but hold off on the celebrations for now. A bill that would prevent transgender Texas children from joining school sports teams that match their gender identity failed to advance out of a House committee Tuesday, signaling potential trouble … Continue reading →

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Briscoe Cain’s latest follies

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. After an early misfire, House Republicans on Thursday succeeded in pushing their proposed restrictions on voting to the legislative forefront as the Texas Legislature’s 2021 session enters its final sprint. The House Elections Committee’s Republican majority … Continue reading →

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Poll shows opposition to the extreme anti-abortion bills in the Lege

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today, the Trust Respect Access coalition is releasing data from polling on abortion laws and anti-abortion bills in the Texas Legislature. The poll includes approval ratings as well as opinions on legislative priorities and House Bill 1515/Senate … Continue reading →

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Houston police reform items announced

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Mayor Sylvester Turner on Thursday unveiled a sweeping effort to reform policing in Houston by banning no-knock warrants for non-violent offenses, restructuring the police oversight board, publicly releasing body camera footage when officers injure or kill residents, … Continue reading →

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No charges files in Capitol date rape drug incident

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A not very satisfying resolution. The Texas Department of Public Safety and Travis County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday “that there is not enough evidence to support” an allegation that a lobbyist used a date rape drug on a Capitol … Continue reading →

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Alcohol to go passes both chambers

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Off to get a signature. The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a measure to permanently allow Texans to purchase alcohol to-go from restaurants, advancing a shared goal of Gov. Greg Abbott and restaurateurs. House Bill 1024, which cleared the lower chamber last … Continue reading →

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Yes, lobbyists need sexual harassment awareness training, too

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Closing an obvious loophole. In the aftermath of the story that rocked the Capitol this weekend of a lobbyist using a date rape drug on a legislative staffer, the Legislature is starting to take action. Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) … Continue reading →

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Another nasty anti-trans bill passes the Senate

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just awful. The Texas Senate tentatively approved a bill Monday in an 18-13 vote that would classify providing gender affirming health care to transgender minors as child abuse — just one of the Legislature’s many attempts to prevent transgender children … Continue reading →

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Pressure on the Greater Houston Partnership to oppose voter suppression

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A group of Greater Houston Partnership members is urging the region’s largest chamber of commerce to oppose voting bills in the Texas Legislature that critics say will make casting a ballot more difficult in Harris County, especially for residents … Continue reading →

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More on the Capitol date rape drug allegation

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good for Speaker Dade Phelan for forthrightly calling this out, but the underlying issue is a matter of culture, it’s been this way for a long, long time, and it’s going to be a slog to change it. Texas House … Continue reading →

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DPS investigating allegation that a lobbyist drugged a female Capitol staffer

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the headline on this story, and it’s disturbing. Texas Department of Public Safety investigators are looking into an allegation from at least one female Capitol staffer who believes a lobbyist used a date-rape drug on her during a meeting … Continue reading →

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Anti-trans sports bill will not make it out of committee

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but hardly enough. A bill that would dictate on which sports teams transgender athletes can compete in public schools was declared all but dead on Wednesday by Rep. Harold Dutton, the Public Education Committee chair who presided over an … Continue reading →

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Making voting worse

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve spent a lot of time this year writing about how Republicans in the Legislature want to make it harder to vote. That’s undeniably true, but it doesn’t fully capture what’s going on. Voting is a thing that most of … Continue reading →

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Another anti-trans bill advances

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This just makes me angry. Transgender Texas children, their parents, medical groups and businesses have vocally opposed many of the bills lawmakers are pursuing. Equality Texas CEO Ricardo Martinez said Texas has filed more anti-LGBTQ bills this session than any other state legislature. … Continue reading →

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More business pushback on more anti-LGBTQ+ bills

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like deja vu all over again. Texas business leaders Monday condemned a slate of anti-LGBTQ bills winding through the Texas Legislature as harmful to Texans and as a threat to the state’s economy, which is still reeling from the … Continue reading →

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The Senate is an obstacle to permitless carry

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A small bit of hope. Don’t rely on it too heavily. While a bill to allow most people to carry a handgun without a license sailed through the Texas House, it now faces a Texas Senate where the leader, Lt. … Continue reading →

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Permitless carry

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I had a hard time coming up with anything to say about the Lege passing a bill to allow anyone in Texas to carry a gun, no permit or education or license or anything else required. What is there to … Continue reading →

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The Texas/Georgia comparison

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The main thrust of this story is that the Texas voter suppression bills are not as bad as the law Georgia passed. But as you can see, these laws are still Very Bad. After major corporations criticized Georgia for adopting … Continue reading →

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Senate passes anti-transgender athletics bill

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gross, and it unfortunately may not be the only such bill they pass this session. Transgender students would be banned from competing on school sports teams based on their gender identity under a bill that passed the Texas Senate … Continue reading →

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Senate approves pointless appeals court

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s more than one way to attack Democratic appellate court justices. The Texas Senate passed a bill Wednesday to create a new statewide court of appeals that would hear cases that have statewide significance — including ones that challenge state … Continue reading →

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More on the corporate response to voter suppression

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an encouraging start, but there’s an obvious next step that has so far not been mentioned. With Republicans in Texas and other states continuing to advance restrictive election legislation, corporate chieftains around the country have stepped up their efforts … Continue reading →

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First attempt to redefine the governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still conflicted about this. The Texas Senate backed a potential constitutional amendment Tuesday that would substantially rein in the power of the governor during emergencies like this past year’s coronavirus pandemic. Texas voters would have to approve the amendment … Continue reading →

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The propagandist’s advantage

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Discouraging, but we have to address the world as it is. Democratic state Sen. Royce West of Dallas was making a point. The number of prosecutions for voter fraud cases in the state of Texas is low. In its 15 … Continue reading →

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NCAA warns Texas about anti-transgender bills

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just the voter suppression bills that will do great harm to the state of Texas and its people if the Republicans ram them through. Amid all the talk of boycotts and corporate criticism of election bills going through … Continue reading →

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The economic effects of voter suppression

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Forbes magazine last week: The Texas economy could take a massive hit if the state enacts new voting restrictions—potentially costing the state’s economy tens of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs—according to a study from the … Continue reading →

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More on the poll watcher problem

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all right here. You just have to pay attention to what they’re saying. As Texas Republican lawmakers seek to expand the powers of partisan poll watchers — and Democrats warn doing so will lead to intimidation of minority voters … Continue reading →

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Bill to delay primaries passes Senate

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The 2022 primary elections in Texas could be pushed back to April or May under a bill moving through the state Legislature. Because of delays in U.S. Census Bureau data needed to redraw the state’s congressional and legislative … 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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