Category Archives: That’s our Lege

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in National news, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The economic effects of voter suppression

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bill to delay primaries passes Senate

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 →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Appellate court redistricting bill withdrawn

Posted on April 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I had a post all ready to go yesterday with more on the bill to redistrict the appellate courts, and then this happened on Thursday night: . #SB11 redistricting the Texas appellate courts from 14 to 7 has been withdrawn. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

House committee passes its voter suppression bill

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I remain pessimistic about this, but we have no choice but to fight. A Texas House committee on Thursday advanced an elections bill that would make it a state jail felony for local election officials to distribute an application to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

More local pushback against SB7 and HB6

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Sylvester Turner invited a diverse group of elected officials, community leaders, and business executives to stand in solidarity against voter suppression bills in the Texas Legislature. More than 50 individuals and organizations have vowed to fight … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Let’s get rid of Democratic appellate court justices

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If that’s the Legislature’s goal, then this would be an effective way of accomplishing it. A Texas Senate committee [heard] public comment Thursday on a controversial proposal to consolidate the state’s 14 intermediate appellate courts into just seven, a move … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

First major vote suppression bill passes

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing’s going to stop them. Senate Republicans on Thursday cleared the way for new, sweeping restrictions to voting in Texas that take particular aim at forbidding local efforts meant to widen access. In an overnight vote after more than seven … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Assault on abortion advances in Senate

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. The Texas Senate gave initial approval Monday to a half-dozen bills that would restrict access to abortion, including a priority measure that could ban abortions before many women know they are pregnant. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Winter storm death count now at 111

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A revision of the numbers. Expect this to happen at least once more. At least 111 Texans died as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to updated numbers released Thursday by the state Department of State Health Services. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Briscoe Cain follies

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. The Texas House Elections Committee abruptly ended its meeting [Thursday] before about 200 people who traveled to the Capitol could testify on a controversial anti-voter fraud bill. Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, who chairs … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Booze to go set to go

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas House has passed legislation that would allow restaurants to sell alcohol to go beyond the coronavirus pandemic. The chamber signed off on House Bill 1024 to permanently allow beer, wine and mixed drinks to be included in … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Have you been pining for another Hotze/Woodfill lawsuit?

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, then today is your lucky day. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and conservative activist Dr. Steven Hotze, a prolific litigant, are suing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for requiring COVID-19 tests for entry into the Texas Senate gallery and committee … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s Voter Suppression Week in the Senate

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Delayed by a day, but that won’t stop anything. Republican lawmakers in Texas are attempting to cement more bricks into the wall they hope will shield their hold on power from the state’s changing electorate. After more than 20 years … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Republicans take aim at bail reform

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of bad ideas in here. Members of the Texas Senate Committee on Jurisprudence held their first hearing this week over Senate Bill 21, a controversial bail reform bill backed by Republicans. The purpose of the bill according to its … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

The next frontiers in anti-abortion law

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Why not attack the legal system while you’re at it? Texas lawmakers — pushing to drastically restrict abortion access — have included language in a priority bill meant to make it harder to block the law from taking effect and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We have a poll that says people oppose more voting restrictions

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A good sign, just remember our mantra about polls. As state Republicans push to restrict voting, a new poll shows a majority of Texans want more time to vote early and do not approve of threatening voters or those who … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do not give Ken Paxton any more power

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously, WTF? A new bill would give Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton greater prosecutorial authority over abuse-of-office charges — the very crime for which the FBI is reportedly investigating the state’s top attorney. The bill, proposed by state Sen. Paul … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Do not give Ken Paxton any more power

Republicans roll out their big voter suppression bill

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t do anything about blackouts or floods or COVID vaccinations, but they sure can do this. Joining a nationwide movement by Republicans to enact new restrictions on voting, Gov. Greg Abbott indicated Monday he will back legislation to outlaw … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Abbott vs Patrick on power outage blame game

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The blame game over the state’s faulty electrical grid is creating a rare public rift between the two top Republicans in state government that could have a major financial impact on some utility companies and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The Republican attack on Harris County voting

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s straight up retaliation for Harris County getting positive national attention for going out of its way to make it easier to vote in 2020. Harris County made a big push to expand mail-in and early voting during the 2020 … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Dutton files bill to enable HISD takeover

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever else you may say, this is true to his beliefs. Texas House Public Education Chairman Harold Dutton Jr. filed a bill Tuesday that, if it passes and withstands any legal challenge, would virtually guarantee the ouster of Houston ISD’s … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bills to allow casinos filed

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Don’t bet on them, that’s my advice. Two Texas lawmakers on Tuesday filed legislation backed by the gaming empire Las Vegas Sands that would legalize casino gambling in Texas. The legislation was filed by Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin, in the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The opening bid on power outage response

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad, but there’s a long way to go and not a lot of detail just yet. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Monday announced seven priority bills responding to the winter weather crisis last month that left millions of … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Republicans want to ban voting at night

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Give me a break. Texas Republicans have made it clear that voter suppression is a legislative priority, and one of their biggest targets involves Harris County. State Rep. Jared Patterson filed a bill last week that would restrict voting hours at … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The legislative process has begun, and I feel like we’ve already lost the plot. For roughly the past year, Republicans and Democrats have picked apart the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and particularly how Gov. Greg Abbott has … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Another look at how redistricting may go

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

RG Ratcliffe analyzes the geographic and political realities the Republicans face as they try to maximize their haul from the 2021 reapportionment. Rick Perry famously called West Texas—a sparse land with few trees or humans—the Big Empty. The 92,016 square … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another look at how redistricting may go