Tag Archives: Dade Phelan

A tale of screwed cities

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my unofficial title for this legislative session. The interest group representing Texas cities used to be one of the most powerful legislative forces at the Capitol. This session, it has become the GOP’s most prominent adversary. Its members have … Continue reading →

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Cable franchise fees

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember how the city of Houston had to lay off a bunch of workers to to close a $179 million budget deficit? Well, there’s more where that came from. The Texas House on Thursday approved legislation that would limit … Continue reading →

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One anti-worker bill made slightly less bad

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still a bad bill, just not maximally bad. Republicans’ legislative efforts to ban cities from mandating benefits for employers’ workers took another twist late Wednesday night after a Texas House committee added protections for LGBTQ workers that the state … Continue reading →

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Rideshare for Medicaid?

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This could make sense. Texas would soon start relying on Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing services to shuttle Medicaid patients to and from the doctor, if a new House bill becomes law. The state is one of several eyeing rideshare … Continue reading →

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Bills to restore Open Meetings Act filed

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

This is good to see. Two state legislators are aiming to restore a provision of the Texas Open Meetings Act that was struck down last week by the state’s highest criminal court. Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and Rep. Dade Phelan, … Continue reading →

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Of course some anti-abortion bill will pass this session

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Passing bills restricting abortion is one of the reasons the modern Republican Party exists, so of course some bill (or bills) which do that in some fashion will be passed in this legislative session. It’s as safe a bet as … Continue reading →

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House takes a different direction on trees

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Better than the Senate version, for sure. The Texas House added a potential wrinkle to Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session agenda on Thursday, giving early approval to a bill that would allow property owners to plant new trees to offset … Continue reading →

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