Tag Archives: Lyle Larson

The Lege will get worse before it gets better

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than two dozen members of the Texas Legislature are retiring or running for a different seat next year, creating a slew of vacancies that could push both chambers to become redder … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Lege will get worse before it gets better

Comings and goings

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Lloyd Doggett will run in a new district again. Longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has decided to run for reelection in Texas’ 37th Congressional District, opting to vie for one of Texas’ two new congressional districts — a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Comings and goings

Other things the Lege has been up to

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A brief roundup, to clear some tabs… Bad Bail Bill 2.0 moves forward. A sweeping revision of the process for releasing accused criminals on bail won initial approval from the Texas House on Friday night, nearly three months after the … Continue reading →

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

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 →

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

Can Abbott actually veto the legislative budget?

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? We’ll see if he actually does it. Fresh off the defeat of two of his legislative priorities Sunday night when Democrats abandoned the Texas House to block a sweeping elections bill, Gov. Greg Abbott flexed his executive muscle … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can Abbott actually veto the legislative budget?

House passes its budget

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The rites of spring in Texas: The start of baseball season, the first 90-degree day, and in odd-numbered years, the House Budget Amendment-Palooza. The Texas House on Thursday night unanimously passed its proposed two-year, $246 billion state budget after members … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on House passes its budget

The Texas/Georgia comparison

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The main thrust of this story is that the Texas voter suppression bills are not as bad as the law Georgia passed. But as you can see, these laws are still Very Bad. After major corporations criticized Georgia for adopting … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Texas/Georgia comparison

The Republicans are not going to expand Medicaid

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe there was a brief moment, when the budget situation looked dire, when the forbidden topic could have been quietly whispered about. But come on, we know the score. Texas Republicans have long resisted expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Republicans are not going to expand Medicaid

Here’s the official budget forecast

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

“Could be worse” remains the watchword. Texas lawmakers will enter the legislative session this week with an estimated $112.5 billion available to allocate for general purpose spending in the next two-year state budget, a number that’s down slightly from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

After-deadline filing review: The Lege

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Now we come to the State House, which is where most of the action will be in 2020. In 2018, much of the energy and focus was on Congressional races, to the point where some hand-wringing articles were written about … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2020 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Bye bye, Bonnen

Posted on October 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Wow. First-term Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen on Tuesday announced he will not seek reelection to the lower chamber in 2020 — completing a stunning fall for the Angleton Republican who enjoyed near unanimous support in the House just months … Continue reading →

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

Daylight Saving Time lives

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, thank goodness. A House-approved plan to stop Texans from having to change clocks twice a year and let them pick either daylight saving or standard time year-round is dead. On Monday, author Rep. Lyle Larson said he was “very … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Daylight Saving Time lives

Looks like we’re headed for a vote on Daylight Saving Time

Posted on April 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. On Tuesday, The Texas House passed the first proposal in a two-part legislative plan that would kill twice-a-year time changes and let voters decide in November on Texas’ permanent time. The measure passed on a 133-9 vote. Proposals to … Continue reading →

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

They’re coming for Daylight Saving Time

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Mark me down as opposed. A powerful House committee chief on Monday said he’s building support for a constitutional amendment that would stop twice-yearly clock changes. Rep. Lyle Larson laid out his legislation that would commit the state to following … Continue reading →

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

Trying again with online voter registration

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Fingers crossed. Texas voter registration might be heading to the internet if any of several bills filed for the upcoming legislative session finds its way to the governor’s desk. Five bills, all filed by Democratic legislators, would require the state … Continue reading →

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

It’s bill-filing season

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some highlights from Day One: House Bill 49, by Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would get rid of daylight saving time in Texas. Some lawmakers have tried to do this in past sessions. House Bill 63, by Rep. … Continue reading →

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

Endorsement watch: Sylvia and more

Posted on February 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron makes the obvious choice in CD29. The frontrunner is clearly state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, the only current elected official on the ballot, who has name identification with this area’s voters that stretches back more than 20 years. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Endorsement watch: Sylvia and more

Lamar Smith to retire

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance. U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio said Tuesday he is retiring from Congress. “For several reasons, this seems like a good time to pass on the privilege of representing the 21st District to someone else,” he wrote in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What the Harvey needs are from the state

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just about recovery. The long term needs, including mitigation against future events like Harvey, is where the real money will need to be spent. More than one month after Harvey’s deluge hit, local officials, including Mayor Sylvester Turner … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What the Harvey needs are from the state

Ethics, schmethics

Posted on August 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This little exchange says so much about our weak and insecure Governor. The fireworks began with a press conference called by GOP Rep. Sarah Davis, chair of the House Committee on General Investigating and Ethics. Davis, flanked by both Democratic … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Ethics, schmethics

Patrick versus the House

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Texas House isn’t all onboard with Dan Patrick’s agenda, and our Lite Guv has his shorts in a bunch about it. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick celebrated a milestone Wednesday: His Senate had acted on all four of Gov. Greg … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Patrick versus the House

Legislative hearing on emergency leave

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Figure this will be on the legislative agenda next spring. At a Texas House hearing Tuesday looking into how some state agencies were able to keep some departing employees on the public payroll by granting them emergency leave, lawmakers expressed … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Legislative hearing on emergency leave

We can always pay for tax cuts later

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Item One: Texas House leaders said Monday they can cut taxes by more than the $4 billion initially proposed by their Senate counterparts, upping the ante for the high-profile issue despite other looming big-ticket state needs. “We really believe that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

More on the initial bill filings

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib, a sampling: As of Monday afternoon, a bill repealing the Texas Dream Act, which allows undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition rates, had yet to emerge. Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick promised while campaigning that he would work … Continue reading →

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

Tesla’s stealth visit to San Antonio

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

May mean something, or it may not. A pair of executives from Tesla Motors Inc., the electric carmaker that’s scouting a location for its planned $5 billion “gigafactory,” secretly met here Wednesday with top city and county officials, a person … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Still no support for term limits

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Fine by me. The full House, for the second time in eight years, drove a stake through the chance of imposing term limits on the governor and other statewide officeholders. The proposed constitutional amendment that would have gone to voters … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Still no support for term limits

Water infrastructure bill passes

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is good. The Texas House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to create a revolving, low-interest loan program to help finance a new round of reservoirs, pipelines and other water-supply projects for the drought-stricken state. Lawmakers approved House Bill 4 on … Continue reading →

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

The parks that weren’t there

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Very sad. For 30 years, the state parks department has owned 1,700 acres of diverse wilderness about 45 minutes east of downtown Houston. It stretches from the highest hill on the Texas coastal plain down to a pristine, white sandy … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The parks that weren’t there

No, we shouldn’t be closing any state parks

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We shouldn’t be closing them in bad times, and we definitely shouldn’t be closing them in good times. “We need to turn up the volume and let people know that our state parks are threatened,” said Ian Davis, director of … Continue reading →

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

The Lege does not need term limits

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a silly idea, and no time should be wasted on it. State Rep. Lyle Larson has filed a proposal to let Texans vote on whether to limit to 12 years the time state officials may serve in one position. … Continue reading →

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

A question of how many

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Yes, Democrats will pick up seats in the Lege this election. The question is how many seats. Texas political experts expect Democrats will gain at least seven House seats. “If the Democrats don’t get to 55 seats or more, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2012 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

There’s still a drought out there

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Despite the rain, the state of Texas is still mostly in drought conditions, and the threat will remain for the next several years. Most of Central and East Texas beat long odds with heavy rains this winter, but experts warned … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on There’s still a drought out there

Tough times for Texas parks

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Between the drought and the budget cuts, Texas parks are hurting. Dry weather and depleted lakes and rivers from the prolonged drought mean fewer folks are visiting parks or buying hunting and fishing licenses, the head of the Texas Parks … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tough times for Texas parks

Farmers really worried about the drought

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, and there’s not really much that can be done right now, but if this year was bad for farmers, next year could well be worse. Texas needs rain — and needs it quickly — to keep farmers and … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Farmers really worried about the drought