Tag Archives: Dan Patrick

Senate approves Congressional map

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

On to the House. A new redistricting map, drawn to promote and protect Republican interests in the U.S. Congress, sailed out of the GOP-led state Senate Monday. The map, predictably approved 18-12 along strict party lines, would give Republicans a … Continue reading →

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House Appropriations follows Senate, passes SB1

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The grim march of the inevitable takes another step. The House Appropriations Committee voted along party lines on Saturday to recommend a controversial plan to reduce public education spending by at least $4 billion, cuts which hundreds of Texans later … Continue reading →

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Senate Finance committee does its thing again

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I wouldn’t call the pace of this special session “fast”, but they do have the ball rolling, starting with the Senate Finance committee as they re-approve a budget, or at least a budget figure. The Senate Finance Committee voted 10-1 … Continue reading →

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Back to school finance

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege has started the process of picking up where it left off on school finance. The Trib reminds us how we got here. [T]he earlier failure of SB 1581, which put a behind-closed-doors conference committee in charge of any … Continue reading →

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Our young population

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From last week, a story about new Census data that shows (among other things) how young Texas’ population is. The state’s median age — meaning half of residents are older, and half younger — is 33.6, substantially lower than the … Continue reading →

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Maybe the problem is that the national GOP isn’t nutty enough

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Have no fear, Texas may come to the rescue. First, there’s Dan Patrick. Houston state Sen. Dan Patrick announced this morning he’s forming an exploratory committee for the US Senate seat being abandoned by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison . Patrick … Continue reading →

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It’s different when it’s his junk that’s getting touched

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, the irony. The senator was in high dudgeon. “This was a come and take it moment for the state of Texas!” Dan Patrick proclaimed, trying to rally his fellow senators to stand up against the Feds, those high-handed intruders … Continue reading →

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Private schools in the UIL

Posted on May 14, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A bill by Sen. Dan Patrick that would allow private schools to compete in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) passed the Senate last week. Texas is just one of three states in the country — California and Connecticut being the … Continue reading →

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Senate fails to bring the budget to the floor

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It started Monday when Senate Finance Chair Sen. Steve Ogden said he might pull same Rainy Day funds out of the budget in order to get more Republican (read: Dan Patrick) support for it. After some discussion about alternate ways … Continue reading →

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Modified sonogram bill passes the Senate

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I was hoping that the differences between the House and Senate sonogram bills would ultimately sink them, but alas it is not to be. Senate lawmakers have tentatively passed a controversial measure to require women seeking abortions to receive sonograms … Continue reading →

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Patrick’s blackmail bill goes to the House

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The assault on the will of the voters takes another step forward. The Texas Senate voted 30-1 for Sen. Dan Patrick’s bill to broaden the exemption from Houston’s drainage fee to cover non-profit groups and expansion by churches and schools. … Continue reading →

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Drainage fee passes with exemptions

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Council has passed the drainage fee ordinance required by Renew Rebuild Houston, with exemptions for existing church and school properties. The fee will apply to all future “impervious cover” at church and school buildings, such as roofs and parking lots. … Continue reading →

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Costello opposes exempting the churches

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Houston City Council Member Stephen Costello asks the Mayor and Council to exempt only state-mandated property from the drainage fee. Costello, the At Large Position 1 Council Member, offered an amendment Wednesday to the Municipal Drainage Utility … Continue reading →

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City caves on drainage fee for churches

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Mayor Parker Announces New Rebuild Houston Funding Plan with Exemptions and Assistance for Low Income Mayor Annise Parker today announced that she will ask City Council next week to approve a new Rebuild Houston funding plan that … Continue reading →

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The “Dan Patrick thinks you’re too stupid to know what you’re voting for” bill

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A bill that would remove churches and schools from the drainage fee Houston voters narrowly approved last November as part of Proposition 1 is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday before the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Dubbed Rebuild Houston, … Continue reading →

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Hochberg’s “Let’s get real” bill

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Scott Hochberg has filed a school finance bill that he himself wouldn’t vote for. It’s to make sure everyone realizes what the proposed cuts to public education really mean. Under HB 2485, all school districts would be treated as … Continue reading →

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House passes sonogram bill

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Passing the bill was a formality at this point, but getting one chamber’s bill through the other may be problematic. The House’s measure will now be sent to a Senate committee. The Senate’s version that was sent to the House … Continue reading →

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Sonogram bill passes the House

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It was inevitable. Flexing their super-majority muscle in the Texas House, Republican lawmakers swatted away a swarm of amendments offered by the Democratic minority on Thursday and gave preliminary approval to a House version of a bill requiring doctors to … Continue reading →

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HISD’s opening thoughts on dealing with budget cuts

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not going to be pretty, no matter how you slice it. Fewer police officers would patrol school hallways, property taxes would rise, several campuses would close and about 300 central office jobs would be cut next year under HISD … Continue reading →

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Sonogram bill coming up for a vote

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Dan Patrick’s “I know what’s best for you ladies” sonogram bill SB16 is on the schedule for today. I had previously expressed pessimism that there was anything to be done to prevent its passage based on the expected support … Continue reading →

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Sonogram bill passes out of committee

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. One of Gov. Rick Perry’s designated “emergency” pieces of legislation cleared an early hurdle on Wednesday when the Senate State Affairs Committee voted in favor of a bill that would require a physician to perform a sonogram on … Continue reading →

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It’s going to be a misogynistic year

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

It already has been, unfortunately. Here’s Gail Collins on the recent efforts by some right wing activists who are targeting Planned Parenthood: The people trying to put Planned Parenthood out of business do not seem concerned about what would happen … Continue reading →

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There are some budget cuts even Dan Patrick doesn’t like

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to believe, I know. Republicans and Democrats alike protested at the Senate Finance Committee’s first hearing on proposed budget cuts. They said reductions in programs for disabled children and the mentally ill would go too deep. “When I look … Continue reading →

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The cost to cities of being anti-immigrant

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Center for American Progress has a new report out called The High Price of Local Immigration Enforcement that tracks how much various anti-immigrant ordinances in cities like Hazelton, PA, and Farmers Branch have cost them. Most of those costs … Continue reading →

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You must obey these laws, but not those laws

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a Chronicle story profiling EPA regional administrator Al Armendariz: That the EPA is picking on Texas, a favorite refrain of the politicians, is an “unfortunate characterization” because the agency works with the state on many issues, ranging from oil … Continue reading →

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Senate retains 2/3 rule

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate will mostly operate as it did in 2009, retaining the traditional 2/3 rule and the exception for voter ID legislation. Though there was still some heated discussion around the matter, which will likely continue as long as Sen. … Continue reading →

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The fate of the two-thirds rule

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Today’s the day we find out what rules the Senate will use. A lot of people seem to think that despite Dan Patrick’s best efforts, the two thirds rule will stay mostly, if not entirely, intact. The Statesman editorialized in … Continue reading →

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Senate stands down again

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No vote on the rules till next week, so the 2/3 rule lives for a few more days. In an hour-long caucus behind closed doors, Texas senators decided today to put off for a week a potentially acrimonious public debate … Continue reading →

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A few thoughts from Opening Day

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few random bits from today’s festivities… – In the end and despite the teabagger footstomping, the Speaker’s Race turned out to be a big nothingburger, which was what most rational people expected all along. There were a few … Continue reading →

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Sheriffs not sold on Arizona immigration bill

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas’ sheriffs are not very enthusiastic about being charged with enforcing federal immigration laws. Texas has 254 sheriffs, and while opinions vary about whether illegal immigration should be their problem, some Republicans are pushing measures that won’t give them a … Continue reading →

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All eyes on the Senate

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: Republicans hold a 19-12 majority in the Senate, but 21 senators need to agree to bring the bill to a vote, so Democrats have two members who can make a stand on … Continue reading →

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You can cut services, but you can’t reduce the demand for them

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Another look at what we’ll be facing next year. With state leaders saying the November election sent a no-new-taxes, lean-government message, no program is expected to escape the knife – including education and health and human services, which take up … Continue reading →

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The coming cuts to public education

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We know that public education is a huge part of the state’s budget, and in the absence of any willingness on the part of the Republicans to ensure that it’s properly funded, we know there will be cuts coming. How … Continue reading →

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More on KBH 2012

Posted on November 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Fix on our senior Senator and her next electoral challenge. Hutchison, who previously broke a term-limit pledge when she ran for reelection in 2006, had been saying since 2007 that she would not seek another term in the Senate. … Continue reading →

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