Tag Archives: The Lege

Day 2 quorum busting omnibus post

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Gonna round up a few stories here. Don’t know how often I’ll be this energetic, or how often there will be this many stories that I see that are worth commenting on, but it is Day Two. We’re just getting … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against “heartbeat” abortion law

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Normally, I’d say this has an excellent chance of success, given that all previous litigation over such bans have been wins for the plaintiffs. But we are in uncharted territory here. Two months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law … Continue reading →

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Senate Republicans advance their anti-trans sports bill

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There were enough of them on the committee to have a quorum by themselves, so they did the thing that they do. Legislation that would limit transgender students’ participation in school sports advanced out of a Senate committee on Monday after … Continue reading →

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Quorum broken again

Posted on July 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re off. Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives left the state Monday afternoon en route to Washington, D.C., in a bid to again deny Republicans the quorum needed to pass new voting restrictions with 26 days left in … Continue reading →

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Bad bail bill 2.0

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This was also happening over the weekend. Days into a short legislative session, Texas lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a GOP priority bill that would make it harder for some people who have been arrested but not convicted to … Continue reading →

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The Lege has its voter suppression hearings

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

People showed up to say something about it, that much is for sure. Hundreds of Texans lined up at the state Capitol on Saturday for their first opportunity during the special legislative session to testify before lawmakers over the renewed … Continue reading →

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The arrest of Hervis Rogers is a travesty

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

You should be very mad about this. A Houston man who made headlines last year for standing in line six hours to vote at Texas Southern University was charged this week by Attorney General Ken Paxton with casting that ballot … Continue reading →

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State House takes a step toward reinstating legislative funding

Posted on July 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good, but it’s just a first step. Texas lawmakers are moving swiftly to reinstate funding for the Texas Legislature, vetoed last month by Gov. Greg Abbott, that affects the salaries of more than 2,100 employees across several state agencies The … Continue reading →

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Disabled voters worry about getting screwed by SB7

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It won’t be called SB7 in the special session on voter suppression, but you know what I mean. Texas Republicans have pursued broad efforts this year to ratchet up voting restrictions in the aftermath of a high-turnout election that saw … Continue reading →

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Here are your new SB7s

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We start with the House. The Texas House is starting off on a new foot on the contentious elections proposal that blew up the regular legislative session. As a special session reviving the Republican-priority bill got underway Thursday, there were … Continue reading →

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Here’s your special session agenda

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They call this “red meat”, but it’s really just bullshit. Gov. Greg Abbott has announced the agenda for the special legislative session that begins Thursday, asking lawmakers to prioritize 11 issues that largely appeal to conservatives who wanted more out … Continue reading →

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Abbott tells the PUC to, like, “do something” about electricity and stuff

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a Very Serious man making Very Serious proposals. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday gave state electricity regulators marching orders to “improve electric reliability.” In a letter to the Public Utility Commission, Abbott directed the three-person board of directors, who … Continue reading →

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The response to the lawsuit over the line item veto

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know, scintillating headline, but there’s plenty of action here. The state is defending Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent veto of legislative funding as a bipartisan group of former state leaders — as well as more Democrats — weigh in against … Continue reading →

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Let a thousand Justice Department probes of Texas voter suppression bloom

Posted on July 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just don’t expect too much to happen. With Texas lawmakers poised to push for new voting restrictions in a special session next week, the state’s congressional Democrats are urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Texas’ existing voting laws. … Continue reading →

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How will the Dems handle the special session?

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They have some options, but honestly, there’s not that much they can do. Outnumbered and virtually powerless to block conservative priorities they oppose, Democrats in the Texas Legislature say they are keeping their options open as they prepare for a … Continue reading →

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City victory in water rights lawsuit upheld

Posted on July 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news. A split Texas appeals court ruled Wednesday that a state law that would have stripped Houston of its interest in an unbuilt water reservoir was unconstitutionally retroactive, siding with a lower court that protected the city’s interests. … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS takes another knife to the Voting Rights Act

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The red carpet for voter suppression has been rolled out. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld two Arizona voting restrictions that a lower court had said discriminated against voters of color. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the opinion in … Continue reading →

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We’ll be paying for the freeze for a long time

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What’s more, we have done nothing to prevent the same thing from happening again. Publicly funded state agencies needing to keep the lights and heat on during the freeze racked up huge bills. In February 2020, the Texas Department of … Continue reading →

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And the STAAR results ain’t great either

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oof. The COVID-19 pandemic appeared to undo years of improvement for Texas students meeting grade requirements in reading and math, with students who did most of their schooling remotely suffering “significant declines” compared to those who attended in person, according … Continue reading →

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Odus Evbagharu elected HCDP Chair

Posted on June 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: The Harris County Democratic Party announced tonight that Odus Evbagnaru (Eh-va-GHA-ro) was elected party chair and will fulfill the unexpired term of Lillie Schechter, who stepped down June 16 after four years of service. Evbagharu, who is … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: State House district changes by demography

Posted on June 28, 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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First post-legislative session voting rights lawsuit filed

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Surely not the last. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, a Latino civil rights group and a voting rights group say a bill signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott last week that prevents Texans from using a commerical … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: More polls that say permitless carry is not popular

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The UT/Texas Tribune polling machine did a whole bunch of issue polls following the end of the legislative session. That’s a long article that gives the highlights on each question – they covered a wide range of topics, some of … Continue reading →

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Justice Department sues Georgia over its voter suppression law

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to see. In its first major action to combat GOP voter suppression laws, the Biden Justice Department announced on Friday that it is suing the state of Georgia over its new voting restrictions. The lawsuit was first reported by … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Permitless carry and total abortion bans are not popular in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More Q-poll data. One week after Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law allowing Texans to carry unlicensed handguns, voters say 74 – 24 percent that they oppose allowing anyone 21 years of age or older to carry … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over veto of legislative budget

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. And necessary. A group of Texas House Democrats and legislative staffers is asking the Texas Supreme Court to override Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent veto of a portion of the state budget that funds the Legislature, staffers there and legislative … Continue reading →

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We do agree that “Greg Abbott” and “disaster” go together well

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one question about this. Over the past year, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations across the state for a number of tragedies: the coronavirus pandemic that killed more than 50,000 Texans, a winter storm that left … Continue reading →

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Everyone’s waiting on Beto

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Pardon me while I brew myself a cup of tea and stare meaningfully out the window. Texas’ Republican statewide primaries are heating up as challengers emerged in recent weeks for both Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton. But … Continue reading →

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That doggone veto

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. . Perfect representation of @GregAbbott_TX’s priorities. He’d rather prepare for a vanity run for President in 2024 with his fake border wall than try to resolve any of the real #Texas problems. … Continue reading →

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They’re coming back

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. Gov. Greg Abbott has set a special session of the Texas Legislature starting July 8, his office announced Tuesday. Abbott’s office did not specify what legislative priorities will be included on the special session agenda and said in … Continue reading →

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You can announce any time now, Beto

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sunday at your rally would have been a good time, but honestly I’m not too picky about that. About three weeks after Texas Democrats staged a dramatic walkout to temporarily kill a GOP-led voting restrictions bill, dozens of the party’s … Continue reading →

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An alternate route to Medicaid expansion

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m okay with this. Texas Democrats have tried for years to convince Republican state leaders to increase access to Medicaid. Now they think they have found a way to do it with or without their help. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett … Continue reading →

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Abbott follows through on veto of legislative funding

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So here we go. Gov. Greg Abbott followed through Friday on a threat to veto a section of the state budget that funds the Texas Legislature, its staffers and legislative agencies. The governor’s move targeting lawmaker pay comes after House … Continue reading →

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Why the push for casinos failed

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a long story with a detailed answer to what is honestly a straightforward and easy to understand question. In its effort to bring casinos to Texas, Las Vegas Sands — the gaming empire started by the late Republican megadonor … Continue reading →

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