Tag Archives: Rodney Ellis

Public defender’s office approved

Excellent! A state panel has awarded Harris County a $4.1 million grant to launch a public defender office, which is expected to start taking cases early next year. The county plans to roll out the office in phases over the … Continue reading

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County redoes its public defender proposal

Back in April, Harris County Commissioners Court voted to start a pilot public defenders office, contingent on getting a $4.4 million grant from the Texas Task Force on Indigent Defense to help cover costs. That initial effort was subsequently criticized … Continue reading

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John Bradley is a political hack: Film at 11

John Bradley, the District Attorney for Williamson County and the hand-picked-by-Rick-Perry Chair of the Forensic Science Commission, continues to be the single biggest impediment to the Commission doing the job it was specifically created to do. In an op-ed on … Continue reading

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The Great Texas Clean Up Festival

Looking for something to do Saturday? The Sierra Club has a suggestion. RAY JOHNSTON BAND LOS PISTOLEROS DE TEXAS ROBERT ELLIS & THE BOYS MRS. GLASS Join us on JULY 24TH, from 4-10pm for a day of music and art. … Continue reading

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Ellis criticizes county’s public defender proposal

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, who authored the bill that allowed Texas counties to create public defender offices, is not pleased with the plan that Harris County currently has to establish one. Ellis and other critics of the system say it … Continue reading

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Why should anyone trust the TCEQ?

Rick Perry wants the EPA to back off. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. Gov. Rick Perry, citing improvements in Texas air quality, asked President Barack Obama on Friday to get regional Environmental Protection Agency administrators to back … Continue reading

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Rodney Ellis makes the case for expanded gambling

Via the Trib, here’s State Sen. Rodney Ellis on why he will once again carry a bill to expand gambling in Texas: For what it’s worth, the “People are already gambling, why not let them do it here where we … Continue reading

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Health care reform passes

Finally. By a razor thin margin of 219-212, the House of Representatives tonight passed far-reaching legislation that will lead to near-universal health care coverage in the United States — a goal that has eluded Presidents and Congresses for a century. … Continue reading

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The gambling industry is ready for the next legislative session

Bad budget times are fertile ground for those who want to see an expansion of gambling in Texas. “We are planning to lay out our case again to the Legislature,” said Duane Galligher, a spokesman for the Texas Gaming Association, … Continue reading

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EPA public hearing on hazardous ozone standards in Houston

The following was sent to me from the Sierra Club: Right now the EPA is accepting public comments on proposed new ozone standards that will make the air we breathe cleaner and our communities healthier, but they are facing fierce … Continue reading

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Getting smarter about crime, state prison edition

Some good news on the criminal justice front. Texas has a new swagger that comes from a recently released U.S. Justice Department report showing the growth of the state’s prison population is slowing to the extent that three new prisons … Continue reading

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The Whitmire/Bradley hearing

As noted, today was the day for the Senate hearing chaired by State Sen. John Whitmire to inquire with John Bradley about the status of the Texas Forensic Science Commission. The main data point to note is that Bradley says … Continue reading

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Meet John Bradley

So today is the day that Sen. John Whitmire gets to grill Williamson County DA John Bradley, the new Chair of the Texas Forensic Science Commission, about his plans for the Commission and the status of the Willingham case. I … Continue reading

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Two views of Willingham and Perry

Couple of good op-eds in the papers in the past few days concerning the Cameron Todd Willingham case. First, here’s State Sen. Rodney Ellis and Barry Scheck of the Innocence Project focusing on the forensics: In 2006, the Innocence Project … Continue reading

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HISD Trustee IX overview

One more Chron overview of an HISD Trustee race, this one in District IX where three candidates are challenging incumbent and Board President Larry Marshall. During the last several months, Marshall has had a tumultuous stint as board president. The … Continue reading

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Interview with Adrian Collins

I know, I said I was finished with interviews. Turns out that wasn’t quite the case, and so today we have a conversation with Adrian Collins, who is running for HISD Trustee in District IX against incumbent Larry Marshall. Collins … Continue reading

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Commissioners Court approves public defenders plan

The “hybrid” public defenders office that Commissioners Court had been considering was approved Tuesday by a 5-0 vote, though the details still need to be worked out in time for the February 2010 budget meeting. “It’s going to take however … Continue reading

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All in the family, HCC-style

I noted last night and this morning that the HCC Trustee seat in District 8, which was left open at the last minute by Abel Davila, will be filled by his brother-in-law Arturo Aguilar. (Davila is married to HISD Trustee … Continue reading

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Harper-Brown vows to try again on Safe Passing bill

The bicyclists will not go away despite the setback on the Safe Passing bill. A state legislator’s unsuccessful efforts to pass a “safe passing” bill for cyclists said Wednesday that an accident involving her granddaughter has renewed her interest in … Continue reading

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HPOU touts its opposition to eyewitness ID reform

Here’s a clip from the Houston Police Officers’ Union publication, Badge and Gun (June/July 2009 issue), written by HPOU President Gary Blankinship, detailing how HPOU successfully helped lead the fight against a couple of bills by State Sen. Rodney Ellis … Continue reading

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Ellis asks for AG opinion on Cole pardon

You remember Timothy Cole, the wrongly-convicted man who died in prison ten years ago and has since been exonerated in a court of inquiry. The Lege passed a bill named for him to increase compensation to those who have been … Continue reading

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Adding Tim Cole amendment to the call

As you saw from the Senate’s pre-filed bills, there are a number of items being pushed by legislators that aren’t a part of the call for the special session. If one believes Governor Perry, it’s unlikely that anything else will … Continue reading

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Vetoing smart growth

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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Town hall meeting on climate change

The following is from the office of State Sen. Rodney Ellis: Houston Residents to Dialogue with National Experts on Climate Change Impacts Joint Center’s Climate Change Commission Hosts Town Hall Meeting WHO: Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (Joint … Continue reading

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Legislative wrapups

With sine die in the rearview mirror, tis the season for legislative wrapups. Here are a couple I’ve come across. – First, from Bike Texas, which had the fairly easy task of just following one bill: The final version of … Continue reading

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Dems say they can block McLeroy

Good for them. San Antonio Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who chairs the Senate Democratic Caucus, said all 12 Democrats in the Senate plan to vote against the nomination [of Don McLeroy as Chair of the State Board of Education]. … Continue reading

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Perry’s salvage job

How can you tell that sine die is approaching? Governor Perry starts getting involved in the legislative process. Perhaps state lawmakers are fatigued by Gov. Rick Perry’s long tenure or maybe they’re just balking at his leadership, but the Republican-led … Continue reading Continue reading

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Endorsement watch: Three Senators for Locke

Via email from the Gene Locke campaign, the three Democratic State Senators who serve in Houston have all endorsed Locke’s candidacy for Mayor. “At a time when Houston needs a strong, accomplished leader at City Hall, the right candidate has … Continue reading

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RIP, statewide smoking ban

I thought it still had a chance after it finally passed out of committee in the Senate, but the statewide smoking ban is officially dead. [State Sen. Rodney] Ellis held a press conference to announce the death of the statewide … Continue reading Continue reading

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Roundabout

I drive through the Washinton on Westcott roundabout every now and then, and find it to be a more pleasant and efficient experience than waiting at a light or playing the “which one of us goes next?” game that you … Continue reading Continue reading

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Monday Lege roundup

Lots of legislative action today beyond the voter ID vaudeville act. Here’s a quick roundup of some other bills of interest. – HB1736, also known as the Tim Cole Act for the man who was posthumously exonerated this February, has … Continue reading

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Safe Passing Act moving forward

The Chron has an overview of the Safe Passing Act. Cyclists always worry about close calls with motorists. That’s why many are paying attention to legislation making headway with Texas lawmakers this spring aiming to make drivers more responsible for … Continue reading Continue reading

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Statewide smoking ban still stuck

It’s stuck in the Senate, which is a bit odd. The woman standing in the way of a Senate vote is Sen. Jane Nelson, a Flower Mound Republican who joined [Lance] Armstrong on the Capitol steps in February in a … Continue reading

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Updates on some criminal justice bills

As Grits notes, this is the time of the session in which bills die because there’s no longer the time for them to make it through the process. Fortunately, as he writes in that post, many of the bills related … Continue reading

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