Tag Archives: Dan Patrick

“Sanctuary cities” bill passes in Senate

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. The Texas Senate late Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a controversial immigration measure to ban “sanctuary” jurisdictions in the state. Senate Bill 4, filed by state Sen. Charles Perry, would punish local and state government entities and college … Continue reading →

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The burden that keeps on depriving

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

North Carolina’s bathroom law, y’all. The North Carolina Sports Association, which represents 27 counties across North Carolina that recruit and promote major sporting events, sent a letter to the state’s House of Representatives and General Assembly on Monday urging an … Continue reading →

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Politifact muddles the economic debate over SB6

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This doesn’t change anything, but we must fuss about it anyway. In what appeared to be an attempt at a show of force, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday once again attacked claims that the proposed “bathroom bill” is bad … Continue reading →

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Nancy Drew – I mean, Dan Patrick – and the case of the missing jersey

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seriously? Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asked the Texas Rangers and Houston Police Department to team up in finding New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s football jersey, which was stolen Sunday night after the Super Bowl, according to an emailed news … Continue reading →

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Senate “sanctuary cities” bill hearing

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Lots of people came out to testify against it, which is a good thing. After a 16-hour hearing that included tears, heckling, bursts of anger and warnings from lawmakers to witnesses to respect the rules of the Capitol’s upper chamber, … Continue reading →

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There is no “acceptable” bathroom bill

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Please don’t try to create one. A Republican in the Texas House is pitching an alternative to the “bathroom bill,” saying he wants to focus more on local control than on bathrooms. State Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, filed legislation Monday … Continue reading →

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SB6 will hurt people

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It will hurt transgender people, who despite what Dan Patrick would have you think, are people like you and me. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has said his so-called bathroom bill isn’t discriminatory because transgender people can update their birth certificates … Continue reading →

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Yes, SB6 targets transgender people

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That is its purpose. The author of the so-called bathroom bill said she is working on potential changes after listening to people “from all walks of life,” emphasizing that her measure is aimed not at the transgender people it would … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick and the wall tax

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, you know who’s going to pay for Dear Leader’s wall? You and me and everyone else in the country. The Trump administration sparked widespread surprise Thursday by announcing it intended to implement a 20 percent tax on Mexican imports … Continue reading →

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Senate to begin studying school finance changes

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see what this looks like. Leaders in the Texas Senate are vowing to find ways to overhaul the state’s school finance system, saying a recent Texas Supreme Court decision granted them a prime opportunity to shake up the heavily … Continue reading →

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Interview with Jessica Shortall of Texas Competes

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We are very familiar with the fight over Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill, which is encapsulated in SB6 but also exists in a larger sense in several other bills. A major component in this fight is the business community, which sees … Continue reading →

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A warning from North Carolina

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Are we listening? A North Carolina mayor issued a warning Thursday to Texas lawmakers concerning Senate Bill 6, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s anti-transgender bathroom bill. Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said a similar law in the Tarheel State — House Bill … Continue reading →

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State Supreme Court will take up same sex marriage appeal

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Somehow, this wasn’t the worst thing that happened yesterday. After pressure from Texas GOP leadership, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court on Friday reversed course and agreed to take up a same-sex marriage case. Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of … Continue reading →

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Paxton courts the business lobby

Posted on January 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what to make of this. Making his case for the “bathroom bill” to Texas business leaders, Attorney General Ken Paxton said Tuesday that Senate Bill 6 would have a narrow focus, and he urged them to listen to … Continue reading →

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The GLSEN 2015 National School Climate Survey

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A lot of the stuff we talk about when we discuss Dan Patrick’s bathroom bill is business – the opposition from businesses, the political ramifications of a GOP/business schism, the economics of the bathroom bill, etc etc etc. But schools … Continue reading →

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It’s all bathrooms, all the time

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

People are paying attention to Dan Patrick’s anti-LGBT bathroom bill, and for the most part they do not like it. In early February, the Super Bowl will be in Houston and in late March, the women’s Final Four will be … Continue reading →

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Patrick will run for re-election in 2018

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were worried that he was planning to “spend more time with his family”, or whatever. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick formally announced Monday he’s running for re-election, looking to finally quell speculation he’s interested in higher office. “Put … Continue reading →

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Business really doesn’t want a bathroom bill

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Because this can’t be said enough. Texas business leaders are gearing up for a fight with state lawmakers over Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s push to bar transgender Texans from bathrooms tied to their gender identity. Business groups vehemently oppose the … Continue reading →

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This fight feels different

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The more I read about the forthcoming fight between Dan Patrick and his minions and everyone else over the bathroom bill, the more I am struck by the thought that we have never seen anything quite like this before in … Continue reading →

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Patrick plunges ahead with his potty bill

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Brace yourselves. After months of sparring over whether transgender Texans should be allowed to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday officially set the legislative stage for the debate. Following North Carolina’s … Continue reading →

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Another take on the potty drama

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey plunges in, and no I don’t regret that at all. Gov. Greg Abbott wants lawmakers to take a bathroom break, and you can’t blame him for trying to find relief. The next legislative session hasn’t even started and … Continue reading →

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Fighting the bathroom bill

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It will take all hands on deck. During a panel discussion hosted by the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, [Sen. Sylvia] Garcia suggested that lawmakers should concentrate on issues like education funding and the state’s ongoing child welfare crisis. “It’s a … Continue reading →

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Who is paying for public education

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The state is paying less, while local districts are paying more. The state of Texas will spend a projected $40.5 billion on public education during the current 2016-17 budget period, and when state officials tell you they’re spending more on … Continue reading →

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Abbott says something about bathrooms

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Typically wishy-washy of him. Gov. Greg Abbott is adopting a wait-and-see approach about anticipated legislation that would prohibit transgender people in Texas from using the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. “I have not seen any proposed legislation yet,” … Continue reading →

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You can’t stop the faithless electors

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So says Carolyn Shapiro, associate professor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she is co-director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States. Earlier this week, in a New York Times op-ed, Texas presidential elector Chris … Continue reading →

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It’s just school bathrooms Dan Patrick really cares about

Posted on December 10, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So claims a surrogate, who may have been floating a trial balloon. An incoming state senator suggested Thursday that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will focus on schools, not businesses or sporting venues, as he crafts an already controversial proposal to … Continue reading →

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No faithless electors!

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Dan Patrick has had enough of this nonsense. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Wednesday that a Texas Republican elector’s decision not to vote for Donald Trump may lead state legislators to pass a law requiring electors to support the winner … Continue reading →

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More on the cost of a bathroom bill

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever one thinks of the Texas Association of Business, you have to hand it to them for their lobbying focus on the great potty issue. With the legislative session just weeks ahead, the Texas business community is digging in its … Continue reading →

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Straus not very excited about Patrick’s potty bill

Posted on November 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Take this for what it’s worth. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus doesn’t think passing a transgender bathroom bill is a pressing issue state lawmakers need to address during the 2017 legislative session. “This isn’t the most urgent concern,” Straus, R-San … Continue reading →

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Texting while driving ban bills filed again

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see if this gets a different result. Drivers know the risks, and in more than 95 Texas counties they live under local cell phone ordinances that ban texting while driving. But the Lone Star State remains one of four … Continue reading →

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So now what for voter ID?

Posted on November 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard to say how much prospects have changed now that Donald Trump gets to appoint the ninth Supreme Court justice, but it’s fair to say that thing haven’t improved for the plaintiffs. Five years ago, Texas passed one of … Continue reading →

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How much is that bathroom bill worth to you, Danny?

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Is it worth $8.5 billion and 185,000 jobs? The Texas economy stands to lose $8.5 billion and 185,000 jobs if anti-LGBT legislation passes in next year’s session, according to an analysis from the Texas Association of Business, the state’s chamber … Continue reading →

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“Denied”, continued

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s Part 2 of the Chron’s reporting on special education limits. A few days before school began here in 2007, district administrators called an emergency staff meeting. The Texas Education Agency had determined that they had too many students in … Continue reading →

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Republicans take their desperate shot at limiting same sex marriage

Posted on October 29, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Pathetic. After coming out on the losing end of a United States Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Texas Republican leaders are now looking to the Texas Supreme Court to narrow the scope of that landmark ruling. Gov. Greg Abbott, … Continue reading →

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