Tag Archives: Greg Abbott

Space force!

Posted on March 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. Gov. Greg Abbott wants the U.S. Space Force headquarters to be at Ellington Airport. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Abbott said Texas has the universities and human capital needed to support a Space Force and pitched the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

McCraw falls on his sword

Posted on March 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a good company man, I’ll give him that much. After being rebuked by Gov. Greg Abbott for the state’s botched review of the voter rolls, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety took “full responsibility” Tuesday for … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Here comes the House school finance plan

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not surprisingly, they go bigger than the Senate. With Texas House lawmakers unveiling their long-awaited school finance proposal Tuesday and the Senate’s version likely close behind, teacher pay appears to be emerging as one of the biggest sticking points between … Continue reading →

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

Blaming DPS

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your new scapegoat for the SOS non-citizen voter advisory fiasco. Amid the fallout surrounding his administration’s botched review of the voter rolls, Gov. Greg Abbott has picked a side. Who’s to blame for the state’s mistaken challenge to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Heidi Group grift

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You’re not mad enough right now. Read this, that’s fix it. On a Monday evening in May 2016, Carol Everett sent an email to fellow anti-abortion activists detailing “an extraordinary pro-life opportunity.” Her nonprofit, the Heidi Group, she said, had … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Not so open meetings

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll have to see how big a deal this is. In a major blow to the state’s government transparency laws, Texas’ highest criminal court has struck down a significant provision of the Texas Open Meetings Act, calling it “unconstitutionally vague.” … Continue reading →

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Senate committee advances Whitley nomination

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll take Pointless Wastes of Time for $200, Alex. A Texas Senate committee voted Thursday to advance the nomination of Texas Secretary of State David Whitley — the most forward motion he’s made in weeks in a stalled nomination that … Continue reading →

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Another reason David Whitley has to go

Posted on February 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

County elections officials feel like they can’t trust him or his office right now. That’s a big deal. As the Texas secretary of state’s office rolled out its botched effort to review the citizenship of nearly 100,000 voters, Betsy Schonhoff … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

MJ Hegar considers a Senate run

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Now we’re getting somewhere. Military veteran MJ Hegar, a former U.S. House candidate, is seriously considering a run for the Democratic nomination to take on U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in 2020. Hegar, who served in the Air Force in Afghanistan, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Whitley hearing

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not a great day at the office for our Secretary of State and his advisory-ing ways. Almost two weeks after calling into question the citizenship status of almost 100,000 registered voters, Texas’ new chief elections officer, David Whitley, defended his … Continue reading →

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

Trying again for bail reform at the Lege

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A very worthwhile pursuit. State Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, and state Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, announced Monday at the Capitol that they have again filed legislation that would implement a risk-assessment tool for judges to use when making bail decisions, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

SOS Whitley still has to be confirmed by the Senate

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

His committee hearing is today. Secretary of State David Whitley, who sent a flawed data analysis to every elections official in Texas warning that nearly 100,000 non-U.S. citizens may have illegally registered to vote, is due Thursday to meet with … Continue reading →

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

The state of the state 2019

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes it’s what you don’t say that gets noticed. Gov. Greg Abbott, in his biennial State of the State address Tuesday, stayed on message about schools and taxes, continuing state leaders’ so far unified focus on bread-and-butter policy reforms in … Continue reading →

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Second lawsuit filed over bogus SOS advisory

Posted on February 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Keep ’em coming. A group of Latino voters is suing top state officials who they allege unlawfully conspired to violate their constitutional rights by singling them out for investigation and removal from the voter rolls because they are foreign-born. Filed … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Always beware revenue caps

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They’re always a bad idea. Flanked by the state’s top legislative leaders, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that both chambers of the Texas Legislature will push to curb property tax growth by limiting how much money local governments collect without … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

SOS walks its advisory back even more

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Just rescind the whole damn list and let’s pretend this never happened. A week after it flagged tens of thousands of voters for citizenship checks, the Texas secretary of state’s office is now advising counties on how to check their … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Eh, what’s a few thousand mis-identified non-citizens among friends?

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

No biggie. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott downplayed concerns Thursday about the voter citizenship review initiated last week by his secretary of state, even though it has since become clear that the state’s list of flagged voters swept up thousands of … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What if he does it anyway?

Posted on January 18, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my question. Gov. Greg Abbott, the state’s two Republican U.S. senators and a bipartisan group of 20 U.S. House members released a letter stating their staunch opposition to raiding Texas’ hard-fought Harvey money. “Recent reports have indicated that your … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Trying to make “pay for play” an issue

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck. With more than nine months to go until Houston’s municipal elections, Mayor Sylvester Turner’s first two opponents turned their attention this week to limiting political donors’ influence at City Hall. Both challengers, millionaire lawyer and Texas A&M University … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

State House mulls big increase in school funding

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a good start. As Texas’ Republican leadership calls for property tax cuts and a school finance overhaul, the Texas House on Monday pitched a bold proposal: Pump roughly $7 billion more state funds into public schools — but only … Continue reading →

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Confederate plaque at the Capitol to be removed

Posted on January 12, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hallelujah. Following more than a year of complaints from elected officials of all political stripes, a state board that oversees the Texas Capitol grounds voted unanimously Friday to remove a controversial Confederate plaque that falsely asserts that the Civil War … Continue reading →

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

The TEA could have already taken over HISD

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I had not known this. For more than a year, Houston ISD leaders have fretted over the possibility of a state takeover mandated under a recently passed law, known as HB 1842. The statute directs the Texas Education Agency to … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick declares victory on the bathroom bill

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Um, okay. The “bathroom bill” won’t be back this session, its loudest champion suggested Wednesday morning. At a Governor’s Mansion press conference on the second day of this year’s legislative session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — who last session was … Continue reading →

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Our pretty decent revenue estimate

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve seen much worse. At a time when legislators are vowing to spend more money on public schools and slow the growth of Texans’ property tax bills, the state should have enough money at its disposal to do just that. … Continue reading →

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Speaker Bonnen

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s official. Talking about dreams, honesty and courage, the members of the Texas House unanimously elected Rep. Dennis Bonnen House speaker, making him one of the most powerful Republicans in the state. Members of the House voted 147-0 in favor … Continue reading →

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

How legal pot affects Texas

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It has many effects. In just two weeks in October, the legal landscape for marijuana use in North America changed dramatically. First, Canada opened sales of legalized pot for recreational use, and then Mexico’s high court delivered a definitive ruling … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment, That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Greg Abbott to HISD: Drop dead

Posted on January 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this. A post sent from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Twitter account Thursday lambasted Houston ISD’s leadership as “a disaster” that has failed children in the state’s largest school district — a rare public … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The losers of 2018

Posted on December 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Allow me to point you to the Observer’s list of six Texas political players who lost power in 2018. I’d call it five-sixths of a good list, plus one entry I don’t quite understand. 3) Bexar County Democrats Want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The losers of 2018

Orlando Sanchez’s bizarre press conference

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What a weird thing. It was an absolutely wild afternoon for Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez. He planned to have a news conference across the street from the HISD administration building, but things didn’t go as planned. Protestors showed up … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics, School days | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Here comes the latest school finance report

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I figure the smart money is always on efforts like this to fail, but you never know. After hours of discussion Wednesday, a state panel studying school finance stripped its final report of language that blamed the state for inadequate … Continue reading →

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

Precinct analysis: The two types of statewide candidates

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

When we look at the precinct data in Harris County, we can separate the statewide candidates into two groups. Here’s the first group: Dist Abbott Valdez Tipp Abbott% Valdez% Trump% Clinton% =============================================================== CD02 146,399 112,272 4,345 55.66% 43.40% 52.38% 43.05% … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lawsuit filed over Driver Responsibility Program

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. A national civil rights organization on Wednesday sued Gov. Greg Abbott and four top officials at the Texas Department of Public Safety, arguing that the state’s Driver Responsibility Program traps many of Texas’ most vulnerable … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Bonnen supports removing Confederate plaque

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. After a yearlong push to remove a controversial “Children of the Confederacy Creed” plaque from inside the Texas Capitol, momentum appears to be picking up steam. On Monday Gov. Greg Abbott announced a Jan. 11 meeting of the State … Continue reading →

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

AG rules Confederate plaque can be removed

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s get a move on then. The Texas Legislature or a state board chaired by Gov. Greg Abbott can remove a plaque in the Capitol honoring Confederates, Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a published opinion Wednesday, providing clarity to a longstanding question … Continue reading →

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