Tag Archives: special session

Two out of three ain’t bad

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So of the three items on the call for this special session, two of them are sailing along. SB2, the Senate bill to keep state agencies like TxDOT alive, has already passed the full Senate by unanimous vote and will … Continue reading →

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Adding Tim Cole amendment to the call

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

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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And they’re off

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The special session gets started today, with the stated goal of being done by the weekend. House Speaker Joe Straus thinks his chamber can get everything done in three days, while Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is even more ambitious than … Continue reading →

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Special session starts tomorrow

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The special session everyone knew was coming to address the disposition of several state agencies begins tomorrow. So far, at least, the agenda hasn’t changed from the original call. Gov. Rick Perry is being pressed to add issues ranging from … Continue reading →

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More on the special session

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Governor Perry speaks about the upcoming special session. All were left unaddressed when the Legislature adjourned June 1. Perry told reporters he expects lawmakers to finish their work in “72 to 96 hours. I think that’s three to four days, … Continue reading →

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Special session for July 1

Posted on June 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We knew it was coming, and here it is. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, by the authority vested in me by Article IV, Section 8, of the Texas Constitution, do hereby call an extraordinary … Continue reading →

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SCOTUS upholds Voting Rights Act

Posted on June 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

For now, anyway. The Supreme Court ruled narrowly today in a challenge to the landmark Voting Rights Act, siding with a small Texas governing authority but sidestepping the larger constitutional issue. The court, with only one justice in dissent, avoided … Continue reading →

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Solar on the special agenda?

Posted on June 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. State Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, said Tuesday that he’s put in a request for several measures, including a bill to improve accountability at member-owned utilities, to be part of an upcoming special … Continue reading →

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Strip club fee appealed to Supreme Court

Posted on June 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The legal battles continue to spin around Texas’ so-called “pole tax,” a $5 entrance fee at strip clubs that has been ruled an unconstitutional regulation of free expression. Lawyers for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Comptroller … Continue reading →

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Falkenberg on HB770

Posted on June 14, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg hops on the HB770 train, both in her column and her blog, with video of Rep. Wayne Christian at work. I don’t really have anything to add to that, but I will note that there’s another reason to … Continue reading →

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Special session coming

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Speaking to reporters this afternoon at a roundtable on national energy legislation, Gov. Rick Perry said there will definitely be a special legislative session. But he declined to say when, or how many issues it will include. “We’re in … Continue reading →

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Special session speculation

Posted on June 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We all know that the Lege adjourned without finishing all its business. A lot of people are speculating there will need to be a special session to deal with it. At this time, Governor Perry is not one of those … Continue reading →

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So what happens now?

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Hell if I know. In a last-minute legislative meltdown, the Texas Senate adjourned Monday night without passing key measures to avert a shutdown of the Texas Department of Transportation and other state agencies, raising the specter of a special session … Continue reading →

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TxDOT lives, Lege adjourns

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The threat of a special session has been averted…we think. The House just voted to work the Legislature out of a jam by keeping open the Texas Department of Transportation and other state agencies at risk of closing. Members needed … Continue reading →

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One threat of a special session averted, another arises

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Gah. In a surprise ending to the second-to-last day of the legislative session, the House failed to pass the so-called sunset safety net bill, HB1959, before the midnight deadline tonight for the chamber to approve bills. The bill would allow … Continue reading →

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House approves windstorm insurance bill

Posted on May 31, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The one known threat of a special session has just been dramatically reduced. House members today approved the conference committee report shoring up a fund supporting hail and windstorm insurance coverage for coastal property-owners. Assuming the Senate similarly OK’s the … Continue reading →

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Senate passes windstorm bill

Posted on May 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The one bill that has been expressly mentioned as a reason for a special session if it doesn’t get done is SB14, the windstorm insurance bill. It was a chubbing victim on Tuesday, but on Wednesday it was revived by … Continue reading →

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And so the chubbing comes to an end

Posted on May 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So, as far as I know at this point, SB362 is dead, other bills may or may not be dead, and some semblance of normality will return to the House for the remaining days of the session. After seeing so … Continue reading →

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The last day of chubbing

Posted on May 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

So tomorrow night at midnight is the deadline for the House to approve Senate bills on second reading, which means that as long as the Democrats can keep the chubfest going, SB362 will die. Modulo any attempt to graft it … Continue reading →

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Chubbing

Posted on May 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

That’s the word of the day, as the Democrats use up most of the ten-minute allotment for discussion of bills on the Local and Consent calendar in order to delay, hopefully to death, the voter ID bill SB362. It’s not … Continue reading →

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Budget yes, UI not yet

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

The conference committee on the budget finished its work yesterday. While final details are still emerging, the 10 conferees worked out a last minute plan for spending $700 million of federal stimulus money for state fiscal stabilization. They hope that … Continue reading →

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Windstorm insurance bill passes House committee

Posted on May 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned the prospect of a special session several times lately. One of the issues that could be the cause of a special session is windstorm insurance, as the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association took it on the chin last year … Continue reading →

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Gearing up for the voter ID showdown

Posted on May 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

SB362 was not on the calendar today, but it is expected to be brought to the House floor before the Tuesday deadline for approving Senate bills, perhaps as early as tomorrow. House Dems had a press conference today, accidentally pre-empting … Continue reading →

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Whatever Ricky wants

Posted on May 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s too early to say how much of Rick Perry’s self-proclaimed agenda will get enacted this session, as much of it hinges on the budget reconciliation process as well as on legislation that hasn’t been taken up by one chamber … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Smith caves in to the Browns

Posted on May 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise, really. Rep. Todd Smith, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Elections, confirmed today he’s intending to have the committee vote Monday on a voter ID plan. The twist: Smith is backing off his attempts to rewrite … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Sometimes the clock is your friend

Posted on April 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve said many times by now that the slow pace of this legislative session will threaten the prospects of many a bill. In some cases, that’s a good thing. After months with little or no action, Texas lawmakers are stirring … Continue reading →

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Meet Tom Schieffer

Posted on March 23, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Real good interview by BOR’s Todd Hill with prospective Democratic candidate for Governor Tom Schieffer. I’ve said before that while I’m glad to see a Democrat with some stature take steps towards the Governor’s race, Schieffer is a big unknown … Continue reading →

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Senate wraps up voter ID

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In the end, after more debate and a bunch of Democratic amendments that were rejected by the same 19-12 vote, SB362 itself was passed on second reading in the Senate on a 19-12 party line vote. There were two amendments … Continue reading →

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