Tag Archives: local control

Bill to outlaw non-discrimination ordinances filed

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From The Observer: A Fort Bend County Republican has introduced a bill that would bar cities from adopting or enforcing non-discrimination ordinances that include protected classes not contained in state law. Texas law doesn’t include sexual orientation or gender identity … Continue reading →

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Uber’s lobbying efforts

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Cry havoc, and let slip the lobbyists of, um, lobbying! After spending months securing a spot on Houston’s roadways, Uber is stepping on the gas in Austin: hiring at least 23 lobbyists and paying them as much as $700,000 to … Continue reading →

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Modified quote of the day: Do it our way or else

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From this DMN story about the fight over local control in the Legislature this session. “[States’ rights] generally sounds good until you realize that some [states] are out of control,” said Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano. That of course is not … Continue reading →

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Bill filed to kill high speed rail line

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Given all that’s been going on lately, I suppose this was inevitable. A lawmaker whose district sits near the proposed route for a planned bullet train connecting Houston and Dallas filed a bill Wednesday that could stop the project in … Continue reading →

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Plastic bag bans work

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Someone tell Greg Abbott. Shortly before being sworn in as governor, Greg Abbott called for doing away with local bans on plastic bags, fracking and tree-cutting that he says amount to a “patchwork quilt of bans and rules and regulations … Continue reading →

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Cities and counties push back on state meddling attempts

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

They’ve got their work cut out for them. The mayors of Texas’ largest cities on Monday pushed back against an initiative by state lawmakers to place new revenue caps on local communities as a way to answer conservatives’ demands to … Continue reading →

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Here come those CFPB payday lending regulations

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

An update from the AP. Troubled by consumer complaints and loopholes in state laws, federal regulators are putting together the first rules on payday loans aimed at helping cash-strapped borrowers avoid falling into a cycle of high-rate debt. The Consumer … Continue reading →

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2015 Mayoral manifesto: Quality of life and other issues

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Preliminaries Transportation Public safety A few quick hits on topics that didn’t fit elsewhere. Making Houston affordable again Remember when Houston was an inexpensive place to live? If you haven’t been here at least a decade – more like two … Continue reading →

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A bill to outlaw cities

Posted on January 29, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That would appear to be the effect of this. Sen. Don Huffines, a Republican from Dallas, has filed a bill that would prohibit cities from enforcing LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances. Huffines’ Senate Bill 343, introduced Friday, is a sweeping proposal that … Continue reading →

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Local control, schmocal control

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From Lisa Falkenberg: So, let me get this straight. Government is the problem, not the solution. It’s a bumbling bureaucracy run by tyrants, cronies and other self-important suits who think they know better than you or I how to live … Continue reading →

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Vetoing smart growth

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Houston Tomorrow takes a look at one of the vetoed bills that I hadn’t examined before, SB2169, “relating to the establishment of a smart growth policy work group and the development of a smart growth policy for this state.” The … Continue reading →

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Another veto battle

Posted on June 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know about the ruckus caused by HB770. Another once-obscure bill that has generated post-session controversy is SB1410, which has firefighters up in arms. Texas firefighters and others who value “local control’ want Gov. Rick Perry to veto legislation prohibiting … Continue reading →

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