Tag Archives: Dan Patrick

House passes statewide rideshare bill

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Made it farther than it did last session. After a lengthy debate among lawmakers over the best way to regulate services like Uber and Lyft, the Texas House backed a proposal that would override local regulations concerning ride-hailing companies. House … Continue reading →

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Texas Lyceum poll on Trump and 2018

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox, the promised Day Two results: Statewide poll numbers released today by the Texas Lyceum, the state’s premier, non-partisan, nonprofit statewide leadership group, show U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Houston (Lyceum Class of 2004) isn’t guaranteed another … Continue reading →

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Another study of bathrooms and business

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: Bathroom bills are bad. Legislation viewed by many as discriminatory toward LGBT Texans — including proposals to regulate which bathrooms transgender individuals may use — could cost the state $3.3 billion in annual tourism dollars and more than … Continue reading →

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More on the House bathroom bill

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Still a very bad idea. After largely avoiding discussions so far on proposals to regulate bathrooms, the Texas House will wade into the debate this week with a measure some are hoping will serve as an alternative to the Senate’s … Continue reading →

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“Sanctuary cities” bill passes House committee

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Something like this is going to pass, it’s just a matter of what form it takes. A state House committee on Wednesday passed a “sanctuary cities” bill that is less harsh than the version passed by the Senate, but that … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bill 2.0

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Beware. House lawmakers will debate a so-called “bathroom bill” next week that supporters hope will be less worrisome to business interests concerned the measure could hurt the Texas economy. The decision to debate the House bill, and to set aside a more severe version passed … Continue reading →

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The first step is admitting you have a problem

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Rewire points out an issue that should have been obvious. Earlier this month, about 70 Texas businesses signed a letter condemning a discriminatory bill now circulating in the state legislature that would largely bar transgender people from using public restrooms … Continue reading →

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One more thing about vouchers

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to enjoy this just a little bit more. The Texas House of Representatives all but killed Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s prized school choice bill Thursday, dealing the powerful Republican a major loss as he struggles to push his … Continue reading →

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House passes its budget

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mostly shenanigan-free, with a nice little side order of shade for a few people who deserve it. After 15 and a half hours of debate on hundreds of amendments to the Texas House budget, lawmakers in the lower chamber passed … Continue reading →

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NCAA rewards North Carolina for its weaksauce HB2 repeal

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So this happened. Discrimination won the championship this year. The NCAA announced Tuesday morning that it completely fell for the bait-and-switch concocted by Republican leadership in North Carolina’s legislature and Gov. Roy Cooper (D). Last week, they passed a compromise … Continue reading →

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The kindergarten face of SB6

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet the Shappley family of Pearland. Kimberly Shappley’s former self is about as by-the-book right-wing as you can get: a Southern Baptist-identified evangelical, a Republican stalwart, an “ultraconservative” Tea Partier. When she heard of other parents with transgender kids, she … Continue reading →

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North Carolina “repeals” HB2

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s “repeal” in a mostly meaningless sense. Late Wednesday night, for the second day in a row, North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (R) and Senate leader Phil Berger (R) held a press conference announcing that they’d established yet another … Continue reading →

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The North Carolina bathroom bill price tag

Posted on March 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

How does $3.76 billion, at a minimum, grab you? Despite Republican assurances that North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” isn’t hurting the economy, the law limiting LGBT protections will cost the state more than $3.76 billion in lost business over a dozen … Continue reading →

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First shenanigan spotted

Posted on March 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There will be more to come, I’m sure, but this will be happening today. A Tuesday debate over the future of the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry could instead become a showdown over immigration and where … Continue reading →

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When your gender doesn’t match your birth certificate

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Daily Beast looks at what it means in practice to be a transgender person in Texas facing the prospect of having to use your birth certificate to use the bathroom. According to the Williams Institute, an LGBT think tank … Continue reading →

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Straus is a big No on SB6

Posted on March 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Very good to hear. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Friday gave perhaps his harshest condemnation yet of the controversial “bathroom bill” championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Straus said the bill, which has drawn the ire of Texas businesses … Continue reading →

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Vouchers get their Senate hearing

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with this nonsense. Senate Bill 3, authored by Republican Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood, would establish educational savings accounts and tax credit scholarships to fund various costs associated with parents moving their children from traditional public … Continue reading →

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“It’s harder to paint us as monsters when there’s a human face on it”

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Words of wisdom from one very dedicated and engaged citizen. Monday marked Stephanie Martinez’s 12th time participating in a lobby day hosted by Equality Texas at the Capitol. But this session, in response to Senate Bill 6, the 48-year-old transgender … Continue reading →

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Beware the coming shenanigans on SB6

Posted on March 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The full House may not get to vote on Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t get a chance to vote onwhat’s in the bill. But speculation that SB 6 may not make it to the … Continue reading →

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Athletes against SB6

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From Athlete Ally: Dear Texas, The love of sport is in part what makes Texas great. The passion and competitive spirit that reverberates throughout the Texas athletic community is hard to match across the United States. It’s that passion – … Continue reading →

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Senate passes bathroom bill

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Take your victory lap, Dan Patrick. The Texas Senate on Tuesday tentatively signed off on the so-called “bathroom bill” on a 21-10 vote with one Democrat — state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. of Brownsville — voting in favor of the … Continue reading →

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SB6 is already costing us business

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There will be lots more of this to come as it advances. Three groups — with meetings estimated to bring $3.1 million in total spending — no longer are considering the Alamo City for their events because of a bill … Continue reading →

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The bathroom bill is still terrible (and still about bathrooms)

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t care what they do to it. It’s discriminatory, it solves no problems, and it will hurt many people as well as the state’s reputation and economy. With the measure scheduled for a committee hearing Tuesday, Texas Republicans are … Continue reading →

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Zerwas proposes using Rainy Day Fund

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if this goes anywhere. The chief budget writer in the Texas House on Friday proposed using $1.4 billion from the state’s savings account to pay bills coming due for a wide array of the state’s health and human … Continue reading →

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Eddie Lucio is the worst

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Screw this guy. State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. on Monday came out in support of the so-called “bathroom bill,” giving Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick a Democratic supporter in his push for the high-profile legislation. Lucio, who has previously bucked his … Continue reading →

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More on Mack Beggs

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I like this kid. In the wake of winning a controversial Texas state girls’ wrestling title over the weekend, Mack Beggs, a 17-year-old transgender wrestler, spoke to the need to “stay strong” while also calling on state policymakers to “change … Continue reading →

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Patrick versus the House

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas House isn’t all onboard with Dan Patrick’s agenda, and our Lite Guv has his shorts in a bunch about it. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick celebrated a milestone Wednesday: His Senate had acted on all four of Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

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More businesses against SB6

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: In an open letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Joe Straus and state lawmakers, nearly 70 Texas businesses and chambers of commerce voice their opposition to Senate Bill 6, saying the … Continue reading →

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Mike Collier will run for Lt Gov

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is getting a Democratic challenger for re-election in 2018. The Texas Democratic Party said Thursday that Mike Collier is stepping down as finance chairman to start a campaign for lieutenant governor. “Dan Patrick has proven … Continue reading →

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Huberty says vouchers are dead this session

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Always nice to hear. The top education policy official in the Texas House said Tuesday that he would not allow the approval of school vouchers this legislative session, a blunt pronouncement that could be fatal to the prospects for legislation … Continue reading →

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Bathroom bills are floundering

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Bills to curtail transgender people’s access to public restrooms are pending in about a dozen states, but even in conservative bastions such as Texas and Arkansas they may be doomed by high-powered opposition. The bills have taken on a … Continue reading →

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On pot and potties

Posted on February 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Two more poll results to note. Opposition to legal marijuana is dropping in Texas, with fewer than one in five respondents to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll saying they are against legalization in any form. Support for marijuana … Continue reading →

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There’s more than SB6 to watch out for

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Keep an eye out for other anti-LGBT bills, because any of them might pass even if SB6 goes down. With the media seemingly preoccupied by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill, three Republican state senators have quietly introduced a sweeping … Continue reading →

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Voter ID 2.0

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting. Top Texas Republicans unveiled legislation Tuesday that would overhaul the state’s voter identification rules, an effort to comply with court rulings that have found that the current law discriminates against minority groups. Filed by Sen. Joan … Continue reading →

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