Search Results for: class size limits

Voter suppression bill passes the House

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was always to be, it was just a matter of when. After months of drama and political resistance, the curtain has lowered on Democratic attempts to stave off a far-reaching rewrite of the state’s voting laws coveted by Republicans … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The nursing home vaccination mandate

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This just seems obvious to me. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he is directing all nursing homes to require their staff be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to continue receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding. Biden said he is directing the Department … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

A few words from the CEO of the Medical Center

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

From an interview he did with Lisa Gray. What we’re seeing, sadly, is more of the same, only with more intense numbers. The number of people who are testing positive in our community continues to escalate month over month. The … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

A legislator’s view of the mask-ban mandate

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. John Turner pens an op-ed that sums up the arguments for defying Greg Abbott’s executive order banning mask mandates. The governor’s attempted ban on local decision-making is set out in his most recent executive order of July 29. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Greg Abbott will blame you if you get sick

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He will take no responsibility at all. With COVID-19 hospitalizations soaring past 5,000 statewide for the first time in nearly five months, state officials are stepping up vaccination outreach programs and promotional campaigns but Gov. Greg Abbott insists that the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The fourth wave

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’re not ready. One local hospital is reinstating visitor limits and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is mulling a change to the county’s threat level amid a wave of COVID-19 variant cases that medical leaders warned Tuesday could overwhelm area … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The fourth wave

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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

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

State Rep. James White not running for re-election

Posted on June 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, has decided not to seek reelection, he told East Texas TV station KLTV in a roundtable with lawmakers. And he hinted to another news station that he’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

All juiced up with no place to go

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like there should be a better solution for this. In 2005, the Texas Legislature approved the development of a network of electric transmission lines to send wind and solar power from West Texas to population centers in other parts … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

What was the effect of Texas’ early re-opening?

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a new study by a trio of economic researchers that attempts to answer questions about the behavioral, public health, and economic effects of Greg Abbott ending the statewide mask mandate and all restrictions on how businesses can operate, all … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here comes our boring budget

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Save the drama for the budget amendments. A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Sylvester Turner painted a dire picture of the city’s finances as he laid out his plan to balance last year’s $5 billion city budget. Like … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Two arguments against Abbott’s rollback of extended unemployment insurance

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad economic policy. “I’m still nervous that we’re bowing out of this program before the labor market is fully healed,” said Dietrich Vollrath, an economics professor at the University of Houston. “The bad consequences of doing too much is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Two arguments against Abbott’s rollback of extended unemployment insurance

Lawsuit filed against Lubbock “abortion sanctuary city” ordinance

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like this kind of tactic will finally be tested in court. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas sued the city of Lubbock on Monday over a voter-approved “sanctuary city for the unborn” ordinance that seeks … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

House passes its bill to limit Governor’s emergency powers

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure if this is going to make it through the Senate. The Texas House on Monday gave preliminary approval to a sweeping bill that would reform the governor’s emergency powers during a pandemic and involve the Legislature during such … Continue reading →

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

Other May election results

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Roundup style, mostly. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg easily wins a fourth term. Mayor Ron Nirenberg vanquished the ghost of repeat challenger Greg Brockhouse in Saturday’s City election and secured his third term in office with a win of historic … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

More on the corporate response to voter suppression

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s an encouraging start, but there’s an obvious next step that has so far not been mentioned. With Republicans in Texas and other states continuing to advance restrictive election legislation, corporate chieftains around the country have stepped up their efforts … Continue reading →

Posted in National news, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Paxton sued by Twitter users

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe he should just get offline. A group of Texans and a free speech advocacy group are suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in federal court, accusing him of unconstitutionally blocking nine people on Twitter for criticizing him or his … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Paxton sued by Twitter users

Let’s get rid of Democratic appellate court justices

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If that’s the Legislature’s goal, then this would be an effective way of accomplishing it. A Texas Senate committee [heard] public comment Thursday on a controversial proposal to consolidate the state’s 14 intermediate appellate courts into just seven, a move … Continue reading →

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

Scooters banned from sidewalks

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. Houston has scuttled scooter rentals along city sidewalks, and kicked riders of the two-wheel transports in busy areas into the street. City Council on Wednesday approved changes to Houston’s codes outlawing any rental activity that impedes public … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The next frontiers in anti-abortion law

Posted on March 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Why not attack the legal system while you’re at it? Texas lawmakers — pushing to drastically restrict abortion access — have included language in a priority bill meant to make it harder to block the law from taking effect and … Continue reading →

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

Paxton responds to Twitter lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He said something about it, anyway. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Wednesday that a lawsuit by Twitter won’t deter his office from investigating the content moderation practices of the social media giant and four other major technology companies. Twitter … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The legislative process has begun, and I feel like we’ve already lost the plot. For roughly the past year, Republicans and Democrats have picked apart the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic — and particularly how Gov. Greg Abbott has … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Again with defining the Governor’s powers in an emergency

We need more focus on the Public Utility Commission

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with this tweet: . Just to repeat again. ERCOT is not a state regulator. It is a group overseen by the Public Utility Commission, a group that has so far escaped much of the scrutiny focused on ERCOT. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Suing Griddy

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be interesting. A Chambers County resident filed a class-action lawsuit against electricity retailer Griddy on Monday, accusing the provider of price gouging customers during last week’s freeze. She is seeking $1 billion in relief for affected … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

What should the Governor’s powers be in a future emergency?

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He admits there could maybe be some limits, but as is often the case has no great idea what they might be. Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he is open to reconsidering his executive powers during state emergencies, a point … Continue reading →

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

UH Hobby School poll: Popular things are popular

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

That’t the main takeaway here. More than two-thirds of Texans support raising some new taxes and using the state’s rainy day fund to patch budget shortfalls from the pandemic, according to a new survey by the University of Houston’s Hobby … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

Will Spring Training start on time?

Posted on January 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, maybe not. Less than a month before pitchers and catchers are set to report, the Cactus League released a letter it sent to Major League Baseball in which it called for spring training to be delayed, a move it … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will Spring Training start on time?

TDP asks SCOTUS to review age discrimination claim in mail voting

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today, the Texas Democratic Party and voters filed their final brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking its review of the case filed last Spring which challenged the constitutionality of Texas’s law that limits voting by mail, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

So whatever happened to Astroworld II?

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still out there, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for it. For more than four years, Mayor Sylvester Turner has trumpeted Houston’s need for a destination theme park that would boost the region’s tourism industry and provide an outlet … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on So whatever happened to Astroworld II?

Even the White House thinks Texas sucks at COVID response

Posted on December 2, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I mean… The White House Coronavirus Task Force says Texas is in the swing of a “full resurgence” of COVID-19 and the state’s mitigation efforts “must intensify,” while Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders decline to take some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 19 Comments

The entire NCAA men’s tournament in one place

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

If we’re able to have an NCAA basketball season at all, then something like this makes some sense. The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee announced today the relocation of 13 predetermined preliminary round sites for the 2021 Division I … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The entire NCAA men’s tournament in one place

What might the Lege do to make voting easier, or harder?

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I didn’t read most of this story about the various problems some people had in voting, and the various theories as to what was happening during voting, mostly because it contained way too many quotes from Jared Woodfill. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments