Tag Archives: Eliot Shapleigh

State Sen. Jose Rodriguez to retire

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sad to see him go. State Sen. José Rodríguez, an El Paso Democrat, announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to the upper chamber in 2020. Rodriguez informed El Paso colleagues of his decision in a text late Thursday … Continue reading →

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Texas On The Brink 2013

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Quantifying what we long suspected to be true. Texas remains behind most other states on issues related to educational achievement, public health and the environment, according to the latest version of the “Texas on the Brink” study released Monday. The … Continue reading →

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“Texas On The Brink”

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas On The Brink is a report that has been produced annually since 2003, originally by State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh but now being continued by the Legislative Study Group. It shows how Texas compares to other states in a variety … Continue reading →

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

More arguing over health care costs

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There are many things to say about this. The debate over how much federal health care reform will cost Texas put the state’s health and human services chief on the defensive on Wednesday, as he presented a budget estimate to … Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Once again with the Driver Responsibility Program

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib takes a look at Texas’ Driver Responsibility Program and the grassroots effort to repeal it. The stories scroll by one after another on an online petition to repeal a law called the Driver Responsibility Act. Nearly 4,000 angry … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Those uncollected surcharges

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on the Texas Driver Responsibility Program, which was created in 2003 as a way to raise revenue by adding hefty extra fees to certain moving violations. “It’s a complete failure,” said state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, … Continue reading →

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Shapleigh not running for anything

Posted on December 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a shame, because I was really looking forward to being able to vote for him for something, but at least State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh will be an active participant in the 2010 election. Shapleigh, 57, said he considered running … Continue reading →

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Roundup and reaction to White’s announcement

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bill White isn’t officially a candidate for Governor yet, but he’s already picked up endorsements from State Sens. Kirk Watson and Eliot Shapleigh. I feel confident that many more such endorsements will follow, perhaps even before he commits to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Shami and Shapleigh

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Farouk Shami will make his entry into the Democratic primary for Governor official tomorrow afternoon at his business’ headquarters in Houston; details are on his website. The Trib gives us a peek behind the curtain. Shami, running as a Democrat, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Shapleigh’s successor

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Greg, the El Paso Times runs down the possible contenders for the to-be-vacated Senate seat of Eliot Shapleigh. Potential Democratic candidates include County Attorney José Rodríguez and state Reps. Joe Pickett and Norma Chávez. Two Republicans, businessman Dee Margo … Continue reading →

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Shapleigh not running for re-election

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This is a big loss for the Senate, but there’s a potential upside that’s even bigger. State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, El Paso’s tireless adovcate for the poor and underpriveleged, announced today that he will not be running for re-election in … Continue reading →

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Virtual border fence: Still a failure

Posted on July 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Our Governor in action. Gov. Rick Perry’s border Web camera program has run out of money, and in its first full year of operation failed to meet nearly every law enforcement goal. Last year, Perry gave the Texas Border Sheriffs … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis

Posted on May 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a fan of freshman State Sen. Wendy Davis since I interviewed her last year at the state Democratic convention. You could tell she was smart and ambitious, and if given the chance could really go places. I’ve been … Continue reading →

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

Senators versus TCEQ

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If there were a competition for the most toothless (least toothful?) state regulatory agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) would surely be a contender for the title, most likely along with the Texas Ethics Commission. It’s gotten bad … Continue reading →

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Banning trans fats

Posted on April 4, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I haven’t really followed the anti-trans fat bill very closely, but if it’s worth a front page headline, it’s worth a mention here. Lawmakers in coming weeks will consider bills by Houston state Rep. Carol Alvarado and state Sen. Eliot … Continue reading →

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Senate passes budget

Posted on April 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The good news is that the budget presented by the Senate isn’t a big step backwards, which was a real concern given the bleak financial picture and the huge obligation of the property tax cuts, which we continue to be … Continue reading →

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Here come stimulus money

Posted on March 3, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The first batch of funds is arriving. The Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated more than $500 million to Texas cities and counties on Monday, part of a wave of stimulus money expected to flow into the state. Federal … Continue reading →

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Will we get a piece of the stimulus?

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, maybe not. Many states, running short of cash, may jump at the chance to spend federal stimulus money. In Texas, though, the executive and legislative branches may not jump in unison. Several Democrats and even a few Republicans are … Continue reading →

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