Category Archives: That’s our Lege

Abbott’s gun suggestions

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Weak leader makes timid proposals. Film at 11. Gov. Greg Abbott called for the Texas Legislature to consider laws that would make it easier for private gun sellers to perform voluntary background checks on buyers — declining to go as … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Abbott’s gun suggestions

As the Bonnen turns

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Drip, drip, drip… In the hours after hardline conservative activist Michael Quinn Sullivan exploded his political bombshell in late July — alleging House Speaker Dennis Bonnen wanted to target some of his own GOP members in 2020 — the lower … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on As the Bonnen turns

Life after the Voting Rights Act

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A good long read from the Trib about where we are with redistricting and what may lie ahead. Since Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Texas has been barred by law from discriminating against voters of color. Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Life after the Voting Rights Act

Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Posted on September 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he’s “willing to take an arrow” and defy the National Rifle Association by pressing Texas to close one loophole in gun-purchaser background checks. On Friday, Patrick said it’s “common sense” to tighten … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dan Patrick says he’s for slightly expanded background checks

Greg Abbott is not going to take action on gun violence

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Why would he? It’s not who he is. When Gov. Greg Abbott first convened the new Texas Safety Commission last month after the El Paso shooting, he brought with him a stack of papers and wasted little time directing the … Continue reading →

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

Beer to go is here

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! The highly anticipated beer-to-go legislation officially [went] into effect Sunday, and local breweries [celebrated] the occasion by offering up cans, growlers and crowlers of beer for visitors to bring home — a simple act that has been illegal in … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, glorious food, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Beer to go is here

The Lege will not take any action on guns

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

By all means, keep calling for a special session to address the issue. Just do keep in mind who holds all the cards. At least 17 Texas state lawmakers are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

MQS-Bonnen secret meeting investigation update

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The top prosecutor in House Speaker Dennis Bonnen’s home district has joined the probe into Bonnen’s secret meeting with a conservative political activist, in which the activist alleges he was offered an illegal quid pro quo. … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on MQS-Bonnen secret meeting investigation update

Pretty much everybody wants MQS to release the Bonnen recordings

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From Twitter: JOINT STATEMENT BY REPS. KLICK, HUBERTY, GOLDMAN AND SANFORD “We call for the complete and unedited public release of the secretly recorded conversation between Speaker Bonnen, Representative Burrows and Michael Quinn Sullivan.” — Stephanie Klick (@StephanieKlick) 3:53 PM … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Pretty much everybody wants MQS to release the Bonnen recordings

Here comes beer to go

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Starting Sept. 1, Texans will be able to leave brewery taprooms with a case of their favorite craft beer, and order wine and beer for delivery, thanks to two laws passed by the Legislature this year. Brewers and beer … Continue reading →

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

The Bonnen-MQS saga makes the Times

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Gotta love it when our little intramural squabbles go national. In Texas, they are calling it the case of “The Speaker and the Creeper.” The political imbroglio started last month, when Michael Quinn Sullivan, a conservative pit bull who routinely … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Bonnen-MQS saga makes the Times

Rep. Dustin Burrows steps down as House GOP Caucus Chair

Posted on August 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. State Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock has resigned as chair of the Texas House GOP Caucus, according to two people familiar with the matter. Burrows’ departure comes amid allegations that he and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rep. Dustin Burrows steps down as House GOP Caucus Chair

Here come the Rangers

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know where this is going to go, but it sure will be fun getting there. The Texas House General Investigating Committee voted Monday to request that the Texas Rangers look into allegations against House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and … Continue reading →

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

Time to investigate

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So, hey, that conversation we now know Dennis Bonnen had with MQS? The subject of that conversation, which involved a quid-pro-quo access-for-political-activity proposal, may be a violation of house rules. So, the relevant committee will have a look-see to check … Continue reading →

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

Ed Emmett is not a fan of SB2

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

So he opines. At its core, SB 2 continues state leaders’ war against local governments. For years local governments have had to make up for the state’s underfunding of public education. But the state’s top elected officials, Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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

A look at the Constitutional amendments we will see this November

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are ten of them, including a couple I will vote against as hard as I can. House Joint Resolution 4 would let the Texas Water Development dole out dollars from a flood infrastructure fund — created by Senate Bill … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Did the Lege sort of decriminalize marijuana?

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, sort of. Because of a new state law, prosecutors across Texas have dropped hundreds of low-level marijuana charges and have indicated they won’t pursue new ones without further testing. But the law didn’t decriminalize small amounts of marijuana for … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Did the Lege sort of decriminalize marijuana?

Interview with Rep. Jon Rosenthal

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I had the opportunity to talk with State Rep. Jon Rosenthal after the HCDP precinct chairs meeting on Saturday. Rosenthal is of course the freshman State Rep in HD135, one of two longtime Republican-held seats that Dems flipped in 2018. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Interview with Rep. Jon Rosenthal

The real goal of SB2

Posted on June 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s take a look at the quotes from the supporters of SB2, the new law that will impose revenue caps on all Texas cities, to see what they say about it. “They’re going to have to start looking at spending … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The real goal of SB2

Lawsuit planned over cable franchise fee bill

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I sure hope Houston gets involved in this. Fort Worth and cities across Texas stand to lose millions of dollars due to a new law that slashes fees telecom providers pay to them. But before the savings go into effect … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Lawsuit planned over cable franchise fee bill

Worrying about the expanded school marshal program

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This just seems like such a bad idea. Would a teacher who volunteered to do double duty as a school marshal in Texas act any braver [than a professional law enforcement officer]? Some might. Maybe most would. Would those who … Continue reading →

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

Ten Best and Ten Worst 2019

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s that famous biennial list from Texas Monthly. The Best House Speaker Dennis Bonnen Representative Joe Moody Representative James White Representative Donna Howard Representative Dade Phelan Representative Victoria Neave Senator Kirk Watson Representative Tom Oliverson The Worst Lieutenant Governor Dan … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Ten Best and Ten Worst 2019

Our vaccine exception rates keep going up

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A small change to the law in 2003 has had a big effect over time. As measles cases hit a 25-year high in the United States, Texas medical experts fear the state could see the next outbreak of a vaccine-preventable … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Our vaccine exception rates keep going up

A starter agenda for when we have a Democratic state government

Posted on June 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been pondering the recent legislative session, which as we have discussed wasn’t great but also wasn’t nearly as bad as some other recent sessions have been. The qualification for all this is that the key defining factor for our … Continue reading →

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

Who cares about new mothers?

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not the Lege. The new mothers contracted infections. They overdosed on drugs. Their hearts failed. They committed suicide. The women died in different ways, but all perished within a year of giving birth. Rising rates of maternal mortality spurred Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who cares about new mothers?

Lege passes on helping with the Census

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Typically short-sighted. But in a time when the census is tinged with partisan politics — mostly over Trump’s proposed inclusion of a citizenship question — Texas lawmakers adjourned without taking action to ensure a complete count. State Representative César Blanco, … Continue reading →

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

How Texas Republicans did not make their case to women this session

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They did have a not-excessively-misogynist session, but see if you can spot what’s missing in this recap and preview story. Texas could have tried to beat Alabama to become the first state in the nation to ban all abortions this … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How Texas Republicans did not make their case to women this session

We won’t get rid of Dan Patrick that easily

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll have to do it ourselves. He won’t do it for us. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has no plans to leave Texas, he said on the day before lawmakers finish up what he called the “most successful session in modern … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on We won’t get rid of Dan Patrick that easily

Pickle ’em if you got ’em

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A victory for home foodies. In a victory for home cooks across Texas, the Legislature has expanded the state’s definition of the word “pickle,” allowing for pickled beets, carrots and other produce to be easily sold at farmers’ markets alongside … Continue reading →

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

More info on the school finance bill

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s what we know. Before final negotiations, the House’s version of HB 3 cost $9.4 billion, and the Senate’s cost a whopping $14.8 billion, according to Texas Education Agency calculations. The final cost is around $11.6 billion, according to lawmakers, … Continue reading →

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

One simple thing the Republicans could do to maybe get David Whitley confirmed

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is a long story about how Democratic Senators are being very careful to either be in attendance at all times or get a commitment that there won’t be a vote on Secretary of State David Whitley in the event … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on One simple thing the Republicans could do to maybe get David Whitley confirmed

The Lege versus scam callers

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the effort, but it’s highly unlikely to make any difference. The Texas House gave an initial stamp of approval Wednesday to a bill that aims to prohibit telemarketers or businesses from falsifying their phone numbers. The measure, House … Continue reading →

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

Deal apparently reached on school finance

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We await the details. Texas’ top three political leaders declared Thursday that the Legislature had reached agreements on its three main 2019 priorities: A two-year state budget, a comprehensive reform of school finance and legislation designed to slow the growth … Continue reading →

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

We may actually get beer to go this session

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? The Texas Senate restored a measure Wednesday allowing breweries to sell beer to go from their taprooms to a bill allowing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to continue operating. It also approved a measure that … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We may actually get beer to go this session