Monthly Archives: May 2006

What about the math textbooks?

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Amid the backslapping of the Senate’s passage of the three HBs yesterday comes this little tempest in a teapot, by way of Cap Inside: Fireworks could be about to erupt in the Texas Senate over a freeze on new math … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 3 Comments

Senate approves three bills

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

The State Senate approved their versions of HBs 2, 3, and 4 yesterday, with HB3 passing through as is. Here’s a news roundup of the action: Chron: The Senate made no changes to the business tax bill passed last week … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on Senate approves three bills

Spending limits

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Via the Quorum Report, here’s something that I haven’t seen mentioned elsewhere: Analyst Dick Lavine of the Center for Public Policy Priorities warns dedicating the combined revenues of House Bills 3,4 and 5 only to property tax relief could seriously … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Immigration rallies from yesterday

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

I was at my desk all day yesterday, including for lunch, so I didn’t see any of the immigration rallies that took place. The Chron tells about how some businesses were affected. Businesses from downtown to North Houston closed to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in National news | 1 Comment

Still more paper ballots

Posted on May 2, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Two more counties to add to those who’ll be using emergency paper ballots due to software vendor ES&S’s inability to deliver the goods on time: Webb and Williamson. There really needs to be more of an outcry about this. Let’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | 1 Comment

Halftime at the special session

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

We’re at a bit of an intermission in the special session (just past it now, actually), what with the House waiting on the Senate and the Senate getting started on its business. That makes this a good time to review … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 1 Comment

Evacuation drill tomorrow

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

If you hear any alarm bells tomorrow, you can ignore them. That’s just the statewide hurricane evacuation drill going on. The three-day drill – being staged statewide for the first time – will test the evacuation response in the first … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | 4 Comments

Strayhorn lawsuit against SOS to be heard today

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

In March, Carole Keeton Strayhorn filed a lawsuit against Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams to force him to start counting and verifying ballot petition signatures as they came in and not all at once beginning on May 11, which … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | Comments Off on Strayhorn lawsuit against SOS to be heard today

The squeeze on Wong

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the latest from Kuff’s World, on the race in HD134 between State Rep. Martha Wong and Democratic challenger Ellen Cohen. Also, here’s a post on the latest Congressional blogger, Rep. Silvestre Reyes of El Paso. Check ’em out. Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2006 | 1 Comment

Put it where the people are

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

David Crossley and Christof Spieler have a good editorial in Sunday’s paper about the goals and purposes of a good urban transit system. One point that they make that I think deserves a higher profile: Although the purpose of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Comments Off on Put it where the people are

More HHSC-is-broken stuff

Posted on May 1, 2006 by Charles Kuffner

Another damning article on the lousy, screwed-up state of affairs in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (THHSC) since the privatization effort began. Problems include: State officials on Friday abandoned plans to drop 28,000 more children from the Children’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Comments Off on More HHSC-is-broken stuff