Tag Archives: Congress

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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The infrastructure bill and Texas flooding

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s more than just the Ike Dike. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes $50 billion to fortify states against future extreme weather events such as the droughts, floods and hurricanes that caused up to $200 billion in damage in Texas … Continue reading →

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Is there an infrastructure boost in the works for Texas Central?

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe! The federal government is serious about spending money on high-speed rail, and Texas could be among the first beneficiaries. The recent interest in investing in bullet trains capable of going 200 mph or faster comes at a time when … Continue reading →

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Rep. Kevin Brady not running for re-election

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Two makes a trend. U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, announced Wednesday morning that this will be his last term serving in the U.S. House. First elected in 1996, Brady is one of the most senior members of the Texas … Continue reading →

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DCCC starts with two targets in Texas

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Consider this to be written in chalk on the pavement, pending the new Congressional maps. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that it will target two Republican-held districts in Texas — the ones currently held by Reps. Tony Gonzales … 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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The infrastructure bill and the Hobby Airport light rail extension

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More good thing we could get from the eventual Infrastructure Bill. Houston was made and marketed by the slogan “where 17 railroads meet the sea.” Local elected officials now think its short-term future, and the local success of a proposed … Continue reading →

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Sery Kim

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Poor baby. A Texas congressional candidate on Monday sued The Texas Tribune for defamation, claiming that the newspaper wrongly identified her as a “racist.” In an article, Texas Tribune political reporter Patrick Svitek reported on comments made by Sery Kim, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments

The infrastructure bill and the Ike Dike

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan sure seems to be considering building the Ike Dike. His $2 trillion plan includes improving and strengthening infrastructure in coastal areas most vulnerable during hurricane season. Biden pitched part of the American … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and the power grid

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could help rebuild Texas highways and ports and push broadband into rural parts of the state, where up to 31 percent of residents do not have access to high-speed internet. It … Continue reading →

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How much should Dems try to compete in the CD06 special election?

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s make sure someone gets to the runoff, then we can worry about that. Democrats running to replace the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, believe they can flip the seat in an unpredictable off-year special election. But Democrats at … Continue reading →

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Rep. Vela not running for re-election

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first interesting Congressional race of 2022. U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, a Brownsville Democrat, announced Monday he is retiring from Congress at the end of this term. Vela was first elected in 2012 and represents much of the … Continue reading →

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Flood funding shortfall

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still trying to understand this. Harris County on Tuesday revealed a $1.4 billion shortfall in funding for flood control projects under the bond program voters approved in 2018, a massive miscalculation that threatens to cause construction delays and cost taxpayers … Continue reading →

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What the American Rescue Plan means to Houston

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

First and foremost, no layoffs. Houston and Harris County are expected to receive more than $1.5 billion through the stimulus bill approved by Congress Wednesday, providing a massive cash injection that city officials say will help close a budget shortfall … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

January 2021 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Should have done this a long time ago, just to close the books on the 2020 election cycle, but for a variety of reasons I didn’t. With the forthcoming special election in CD06, I now have a reason to care … Continue reading →

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Beto’s “We can win” message

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Beto O’Rourke offers a blueprint for how Democrats can win in Texas. In 2020, Joe Biden lost by less than Hillary Clinton did in 2016; eleven of the twelve State House seats we won in 2018 were successfully defended, and … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Brazoria County

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Introduction Congressional districts State Rep districts Commissioners Court/JP precincts Comparing 2012 and 2016 Statewide judicial Other jurisdictions Appellate courts, Part 1 Appellate courts, Part 2 Judicial averages Other cities District Attorney County Attorney Sheriff Tax Assessor County Clerk HCDE Fort … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Congress has questions for Abbott

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Will he answer them? That’s the bigger question. Democrats on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, including Reps. Marc Veasey of Dallas and Lizzie Fletcher of Houston, are conducting a probe into Gov. Greg Abbott and why Texas’ electrical … Continue reading →

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Come one, come all to the CD06 special election

Posted on March 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Now that is what I call a field. A crowd of 23 candidates — including 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats — has filed for the May 1 special election to fill the seat of the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, … Continue reading →

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An early analysis of the CD06 special election

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Four your perusal. So, this is the part where I say the take I’ve had in my head since the seat opened up – Joe Biden should have won the district, and it was a fairly pathetic result to lose … Continue reading →

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The CD06 field is already big

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty common for this kind of special election. The race to replace the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, has already attracted a crowd of candidates — and more are expected in the coming days. Even before Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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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 →

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The economic hardship of the freeze

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We may have power and water again (mostly), but some things that were lost can’t easily be gotten back. Last Tuesday, as Houston temperatures hovered below freezing for much of the day, Gloria Sanchez’s lights — and heat — cut … Continue reading →

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May 1 special election date set for CD06

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go. Gov. Greg Abbott has selected May 1 as the date for the special election to succeed late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington. Wright died earlier this month after a yearslong struggle with cancer and testing positive for … Continue reading →

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Susan Wright appears ready to run in CD06

Posted on February 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

She’d likely make a strong candidate. Susan Wright, the wife of the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, is getting close to launching a campaign for his seat and could announce her bid as soon as this week, according to … Continue reading →

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Jana Sachez will run in CD06

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We are now getting some candidate announcements for this forthcoming special election. A Democrat who previously ran for Texas’ 6th Congressional District is again running for the North Texas seat. Jana Lynne Sanchez on Tuesday announced her bid for the … Continue reading →

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Are people leaving the Republican Party?

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some people are, in at least some states, if you go by voter registration data. In the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the phone lines and websites of local election officials across the country were jumping: … Continue reading →

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We’re not going to be able to have our primaries in March

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the obvious conclusion from this. Texas lawmakers will almost certainly be back for a rare special legislative session in the fall now that the U.S. Census Bureau has set a September deadline for releasing the 2020 census results. Facing … Continue reading →

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A few names begin to emerge for CD06

Posted on February 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From Daily Kos Elections: A special election will take place later this year to succeed Republican Rep. Ron Wright, who died Sunday after contracting COVID-19, and a few names have already surfaced in both parties as possible special election candidates. … Continue reading →

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Republicans have their own Congressional targets for 2022

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Fresh off a 2020 election cycle in which they held the line against an ambitious Democratic campaign to capture U.S. House seats in Texas, national Republicans are signaling they’ll go on the … Continue reading →

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RIP, Rep. Ron Wright

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Condolences to his friends and family. U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, an Arlington Republican, has died. His campaign staff announced the news Monday. Wright had lived for years with cancer and was diagnosed with COVID-19 in January. He was 67. “His … Continue reading →

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How Greg Abbott wants to restrict voting

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More from that Trib story following the State of the State address. As part of his State of the State speech, Abbott designated five emergency items, or items that lawmakers can vote on within the first 60 days of session. … Continue reading →

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Getting the kids caught up at school

Posted on February 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna be a big job, and hopefully we can do it in earnest beginning in August. With students finally settling into a pandemic-altered routine and widespread vaccine access on the horizon, Texas education leaders are turning to their next great … Continue reading →

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