Tag Archives: Texas Workforce Commission

How should state agencies use artificial intelligence?

Posted on January 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve now got a committee for that. When the Texas Workforce Commission became inundated with jobless claims in March 2020, it turned to artificial intelligence. Affectionately named for the agency’s former head Larry Temple, who had died a year earlier, … Continue reading →

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Sexual harassment lawsuit against Collin County DA settled

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. Collin County Commissioners unanimously agreed Monday to settle an amended lawsuit against the Collin County District Attorney’s Office by three current and three former employees of that office. The suit accused District Attorney Greg Willis and First … Continue reading →

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Collin County DA denies sexual harassment allegations

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty damn forcefully, but also in a way that’s kind of telling. Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis repeatedly called accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation against him “false, defamatory and outrageous” at a news conference Wednesday, where he presented … Continue reading →

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Collin County DA accused of sexual harassment

Posted on November 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, boy. Six individuals who currently work or have worked in the Collin County District Attorney’s office filed a federal civil suit Monday, alleging that they were sexually harassed, discriminated against because of their gender, and faced retaliation after reporting … Continue reading →

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Abbott goes max anti-vaxx

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He really wants us dead. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday issued another executive order cracking down on COVID-19 vaccine mandates — this time banning any entity in Texas, including private businesses, from requiring vaccinations for employees or customers. Abbott … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against suspension of federal unemployment benefits

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure how likely this is to succeed, but it’s worth a try. Thousands of Texans have banded together and hired an attorney to file suit to block Gov. Greg Abbott from ending emergency federal unemployment benefits before the programs … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Of course business groups want Abbott to cut off unemployment payments

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely on brand. The Texas Association of Business and more than three dozen other business groups are pushing Gov. Greg Abbott to cut the additional $300 in federal benefits currently going to unemployed Texans. Nearly 1 million Texans remained unemployed … Continue reading →

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Yes, lobbyists need sexual harassment awareness training, too

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Closing an obvious loophole. In the aftermath of the story that rocked the Capitol this weekend of a lobbyist using a date rape drug on a legislative staffer, the Legislature is starting to take action. Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio) … Continue reading →

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Reopening roundup redux

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

More news about that thing that Greg Abbott is making us do. Health experts give Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas mixed reviews, warn state should revive stay-at-home order if surge emerges: Diana Cervantes, director of the epidemiology program at the … Continue reading →

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We have a new SOS

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Yippie. After losing his last chief election officer over a botched review of the state’s voter rolls, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed a new secretary of state: Ruth Ruggero Hughs. Ruggero Hughs is moving from the Texas Workforce Commission, … Continue reading →

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Paxton’s cronies

Posted on July 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

This guy really is a piece of work. When seeking a job at the Texas attorney general’s office, it’s less about what is on your résumé than who you know. In Attorney General Ken Paxton’s first weeks in office, he … Continue reading →

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HISD should not be on the hook for North Forest’s liabilities

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Come on! Fourteen months after the Texas Education Agency ordered Houston ISD to take over the long-troubled North Forest school district, some unexpected disputes over funding have surfaced. The Houston school board has authorized its attorneys to challenge a Texas … Continue reading →

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Pauken for Governor

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We have our first official non-fringe candidate for Governor next year. Saying he hoped to reunite the “Reagan coalition of social and economic conservatives,” former Texas Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken confirmed to the Tribune that he will file to run … Continue reading →

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It’s drug testing all the way down

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Looks like the urinalysis industry in this state is going to get a big stimulus package next year, at least if the Republicans get their way. As top state leaders push to drug-test some Texans seeking jobless benefits and financial … Continue reading →

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Pauken on testing

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Patricia Kilday Hart has a conversation with Texas Workforce Commission Chair Tom Pauken about testing and accountability in public schools. As a Texas Workforce Commissioner, Pauken has spent a lot of time studying whether our public school system prepares an … Continue reading →

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TAB takes a hostage

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Can’t say I’m surprised by this tactic. Leaders in the business community said Wednesday that they would not stand for increased funding for education if it came with any rollback of accountability standards in Texas public schools. “If we are … Continue reading →

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Job growth was good last year

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

More hopeful news for this year. Boosted by gains in energy, manufacturing and retail trade, the Houston area added 75,800 jobs during 2011, a 3 percent increase over the previous year, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday. “The numbers are … Continue reading →

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How’s that Texas miracle going?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not so good. The Texas unemployment rate reached 8.5 percent in August, its highest rate since June of 1987. That’s an increase from 8.4 percent in July. Those numbers come from the U.S. Department of Labor. The numbers were confirmed … Continue reading →

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On Texas’ government jobs

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Since I had previously complained about a lack of acknowledgement by Texas writers about the role that growth in the public sector has played in the so-called “Texas Miracle”, I want to give credit where it is due. In the … Continue reading →

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Texas’ unemployment rate spikes

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Texas unemployment rate hits its highest mark since 1987. That’s probably not the kind of headline Rick Perry wants to read right now. As Gov. Rick Perry touts job creation and limited government on the campaign trail, the Texas’ unemployment … Continue reading →

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Non-robust job numbers in Texas

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

As goes the country, so goes the state. The Houston area is showing signs of a slowdown after coming off some fairly strong job gains during the winter months. “It’s very consistent with the national pattern,” said Barton Smith, professor … Continue reading →

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The Lege’s job killing budget

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Do you think this is what all those people who came out to vote last November had in mind? The Legislative Budget Board, a nonpartisan state agency that helps lawmakers with budget numbers, predicts that House version of the 2012-2013 … Continue reading →

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What about the jobs?

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

With all of the public sector job cuts coming, will the private sector pick up the slack? This Statesman story paints a picture that I think is a tad bit too optimistic. Government employment, which includes local school districts and … Continue reading →

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You got a license for that downward dog?

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

How much regulation do yoga teachers need? In the past few years, the Texas Workforce Commission has begun sending letters to programs that train yoga instructors, advising them they must get certified to operate as a career school or college, … Continue reading →

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Happy talk about Texas employment

Posted on January 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

2010 was a better year for employment in Texas than 2009 was. Texas employers expanded payrolls by 20,000 jobs in December, the third straight month the state has gained jobs, according to data released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission. … Continue reading →

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How to really put the unemployed to work

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken has the germ of a good idea here. Unfortunately, he’s incapable of seeing what it is, and so goes off a cliff with it. “Even in good economic times, there were people in Texas who … Continue reading →

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(A little bit of) job growth returns to Houston

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. From small hand-lettered signs on shop windows to Fortune 500 heavyweights hosting job fairs, Houston companies are once again starting to look for workers. The influx of new jobs helped push the Houston area’s unemployment rate down … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder about Perry’s unemployment tax increase

Posted on May 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg watches some video of Texas Workforce Commission Executive Director Larry Temple testifying before the Senate and reiterates something we knew. Temple acknowledged Thursday to the Senate Committee on Economic Development that Texas’ decision not to take $556 million … Continue reading →

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Unemployment taxes triple

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes the Rick Perry unemployment tax increase that we’ve been waiting for. Nearly two-thirds of Texas businesses will see the unemployment taxes they pay per employee per year nearly triple – from $23.40 to $64.80 – under rates announced … Continue reading →

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Here comes the unemployment tax increase

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Here comes that unemployment insurance tax hike we’ve all been waiting for. Under state law, the state’s unemployment trust fund is supposed to stand at 1 percent of taxable wages, or about $860 million. The fund has been depleted in … Continue reading →

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Playing politics: Not just for the Forensic Science commission

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know that two billion dollars of federal funds we need to borrow to shore up the unemployment insurance trust fund? I’m sure you’ll be shocked to hear that Rick Perry’s appointees on the Texas Workforce Commission are thinking … Continue reading →

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Always go to the source

Posted on August 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

If you find yourself in the position of needing to file for unemployment insurance from the state of Texas, be sure you go to the Texas Workforce Commission page to do it. Do not go anywhere else. As if it’s … Continue reading →

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You can pay me now, or you can pay me later

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Odds are, we’ll opt for later to deal with the large deficit we’re facing with the unemployment insurance trust fund. Texas’ jobless-benefits fund is empty, and the state will probably borrow $1.5 billion from the federal government to pay benefits … Continue reading →

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