Tag Archives: unemployment insurance

Ogden stem cell rider removed from budget

Posted on May 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Sen. Steve Ogden just announced that his rider banning use of state funds for embryonic stem cell research will not appear in the new state budget. “We really couldn’t come to a consensus” so the bill will be silent … Continue reading →

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More unemployment funds available

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The bad news is that Texas’ rate of unemployment continues to rise. The good news is that this means more federal funds for unemployment insurance are available, and these come with no conditions on them. Texas now qualifies, thanks to … Continue reading →

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I hate you! I need disaster relief!

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Care to guess who is the biggest requestor of federal disaster relief funds since 2001? Why, none other than Governor Rick “Secession 4 Eva!” Perry, that’s who. According to FEMA’s website, Texas has been the site of 13 “major disaster … Continue reading →

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House committee passes SB1569

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The House Business and Industry Committee wasted no time approving the Senate bill that would open the door for Texas to get $555 million in federal stimulus money to expand unemployment eligibility. SB 1569 landed in the committee yesterday … Continue reading →

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House budget conferees announced

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Elise Hu names names. State Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, House Appropriations Chairman State Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Webb, House Appropriations Vice-Chair State Rep. Ruth Jones-McClendon, D-San Antonio State Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton State Rep. John Zerwas, R-Houston Give credit to Burka … Continue reading →

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Perry’s ongoing war on the unemployed

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You have to say this about Governor Perry: He never goes off message, no matter how ridiculous that message may be. Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday re-stated his opposition to legislation that would allow the state to accept federal stimulus … Continue reading →

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Everyone has an opinion on Kay and Rick

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Former Congressman Martin Frost thinks Rick Perry has a good shot at winning his primary against Sen. Hutchison. Perry, who won with less than 40 percent in a four-way general election field in 2006, is not popular with the general … Continue reading →

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Another chance to slap the Governor

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Lege has had a few opportunities to express its opinion about Governor Perry and his “leadership” this session. Passing the unemployment insurance bill, inserting the budget amendment that would strip funding from the Texas Enterprise Fund in the event … Continue reading →

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Senate passes SB1569, but may not be able to override a veto

Posted on April 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate passed SB1569, the bill that accepts stimulus funding for unemployment insurance, by a 19-11 vote today. As Elise noted on Twitter, two Senators flipped to No for final passage; one other Senator was either absent or did not … Continue reading →

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House passes budget, slaps Perry

Posted on April 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Chris Turner, on Twitter: At 3:56 am, the House unanimously passed the budget. Believe it or not, that was earlier than was originally anticipated. The pregame chatter was that the House would have to reconvene today to finish … Continue reading →

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Senate approves stimulus funds for unemployment insurance

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Texas Senate tentatively approved Sen. Kevin Eltife’s bill to change the state’s unemployment laws so that Texas can accept an estimated $555 million in federal stimulus dollars. […] Eltife’s bill was supported by 22 senators and opposed by … Continue reading →

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Extending Medicaid

Posted on April 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas likes to bill itself as a business-friendly state. But there’s one thing that a lot of businesses want that the Republican leadership has been unwilling to entertain, and that’s to make Medicaid renewals an annual event instead of every … Continue reading →

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UI update

Posted on April 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The headline says it all: GOP holds key to unemployment stimulus dollars. Against the wishes of Gov. Rick Perry, lawmakers are pressing ahead with efforts to claim $555 million in federal economic stimulus money for unemployment benefits. With all of … Continue reading →

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Oh by the way, the unemployment trust fund is going broke

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Floor Pass has the bad news. The Texas Workforce Commission released its latest projection for the unemployment insurance trust fund balance, and the news is even worse than last month’s. TWC estimates the fund’s balance will have plummeted to just … Continue reading →

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Senate committee passes unemployment insurance reform

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You’d think, after all the high-profile squabbling over stimulus funds for the unemployment insurance trust fund, that the news of SB1569‘s advancement in the Senate might get a bit more notice than this, but apparently not. The only other story … Continue reading →

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Not everybody isn’t hiring

Posted on March 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The downturn in the economy has created an opportunity for the Houston Police Department to bolster its ranks. A year ago, the Houston Police Department could barely muster enough recruits to fill a 70-seat academy class. Now with 1,000 applicants … Continue reading →

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Planning the workaround

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

While one may feel reasonably optimistic about the chances of a legislative override to Governor Perry’s decision to reject stimulus funds for unemployment insurance, it never hurts to try to grease the skids a little. Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson … Continue reading →

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Parker versus Perry

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I like this. Houston City Controller Annise Parker sharply criticized Texas Governor Rick Perry today for rejecting $555 million in federal stimulus money that would have funded unemployment benefits for out-of-work Texans. “In January alone, more than 65,000 Houstonians were … Continue reading →

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Lege versus Gov on unemployment funds

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Showdown time. The House committee charged with recommending how to use the federal stimulus money does not see eye to eye with Gov. Rick Perry on the $555 million for unemployment insurance. In a 5 to 1 vote, the committee … Continue reading →

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Once more with the stimulus and unemployment insurance

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

By the way, the money that the state has in reserve for unemployment insurance is rapidly being depleted. Just so you know. [Tuesday], the Texas Workforce Commission announced that the unemployment trust fund is now expected to be almost depleted … Continue reading →

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Money for movies

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Clay Robison reminds me of something in a discussion of Governor Perry’s resistance to spending stimulus money on expanding unemployment insurance. Right after giving the back of his hand to thousands of jobless workers, he was promoting a $60-million handout … Continue reading →

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They paid their taxes, too

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I really don’t understand the objection to using stimulus funds to expand unemployment insurance to help the larger number of people who are now out of work, and especially those who have the extra misfortune of not being eligible because … Continue reading →

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Will we or won’t we fix unemployment insurance?

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot of money riding on the answer to that question. The lure of $555 million in federal stimulus money for additional unemployment insurance has Texas legislators mulling whether to expand unemployment benefits to more workers. To get that … Continue reading →

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Stimulus for the schools

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas’ public schools are set to get some much needed stimulus money. Texas school districts can expect a jolt of more than $3 billion over two years under the $787 billion package ushered in by President Barack Obama’s administration. Under … Continue reading →

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So about all those stimulus funds

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how Governor Perry had argued against states receiving federal stimulus dollars? Well, he still doesn’t want them, though he’s giving himself some waffle room. Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday he’s not sure the state should accept all of its … Continue reading →

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When you look up “short-sighted” in the dictionary, this will be cited as an example

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s our Governor, for whom the expression “penny-wise and pound-foolish” is a way of life. Nearly a year ago, Gov. Rick Perry trumpeted $90 million in savings to businesses by temporarily suspending some of the burden of paying unemployment insurance … Continue reading →

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