Tag Archives: Congress

Texas is sooooooooo gerrymandered…

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

How gerrymandered are we? By this measure, we’re literally as gerrymandered as we could possibly be. But just how biased have modern-day maps become in the state of Texas? The map that was approved last October is so highly biased, … Continue reading →

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House passes assault weapon ban

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another bill that won’t pass the Senate, but nonetheless shows the gap in values and priorities between the two parties. As the House passed legislation to ban assault weapons for the first time in nearly two decades Friday, Democrats pointed … Continue reading →

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Senate passes Ike Dike bill

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This thing is actually gonna pass. The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would authorize federal agencies to plan for an estimated $31 billion project intended to protect the Texas coast from hurricanes. Hundreds of millions of dollars … Continue reading →

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Another story about the chaos that has been unleashed by banning abortion

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

There will be more to come for as long as this situation remains. A sexual assault survivor chooses sterilization so that if she is ever attacked again, she won’t be forced to give birth to a rapist’s baby. An obstetrician … Continue reading →

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More dimensions for privacy in the post-Roe world

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The fall of Roe is a big boon for cyberstalkers. All too frequently, people monitor our intimate lives in betrayal of our trust—and it’s often those we know and love. They don’t even need to be near us to capture … Continue reading →

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House passes bill to protect access to contraception

Posted on July 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’re on a roll. The House on Thursday passed legislation that would protect access to birth control, the latest move in a broader effort by Democrats to enshrine into federal law rights they fear could come under threat by the … Continue reading →

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House passes bill to protect same-sex marriage

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A surprisingly bipartisan vote, by which I mean “more Republicans than you can count on your fingers voted for it as well”. The Democrat-led House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to pass a bill that would enshrine protections for same-sex … Continue reading →

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July 2022 campaign finance reports: Congress

Posted on July 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The runoffs are now over, and we’re fully into the fall election season. As before, I’ve consolidated this list down to the elections of interest, which means I’ve dropped CD30 as it was a primary-only affair. I’m also dropping CD10 … Continue reading →

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House passes national abortion access bill

Posted on July 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They’re doing what they can. It’s the Senate that’s the problem. The U.S. House on Friday passed two bills that would restore abortion access across the country and prevent states like Texas from barring patients from crossing state lines to … Continue reading →

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GLO threatens to take away more Harvey relief funds from Houston

Posted on July 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, hell no. The state General Land Office says it may have to take over more of the city’s Hurricane Harvey housing relief programs, citing what it says is consistently sluggish progress on a slew of the initiatives. The land office said in a … Continue reading →

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UT/Texas Politics Project poll: Abbott 45, Beto 39

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

One more pre-Dobbs result to consider. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s lead over Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke narrowed to 6 points last month, according to a poll conducted by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. That’s … Continue reading →

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Congressional Dems ask Paxton to release Uvalde info

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He won’t, because he sucks, but you gotta ask. Nine Democratic members of the U.S. House from Texas on Tuesday called on Attorney General Ken Paxton to order the release of government records related to the May 24 school shooting … Continue reading →

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Biden signs modest gun control bill

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s now the law. We’ll see for how long. President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a bipartisan measure to address gun violence, less than 24 hours after the bill was approved by the U.S. House and a month … Continue reading →

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A big part of the Cornyn gun bill will do nothing in Texas

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Just a reminder. The bipartisan gun bill that is on a fast track through Congress and backed by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn includes new state grants to incentivize red flag laws, which allow judges to temporarily seize firearms from people … Continue reading →

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Lock Louie up

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He believes he committed at least one federal crime. Who are we to disbelieve him? U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert was one of a handful of Republicans in Congress who asked former President Donald Trump for a pardon after the Jan. … Continue reading →

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Cornyn-Murphy gun bill gets final passage

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What great timing, huh? Exactly one month after a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers in a Uvalde elementary school, the most significant new gun laws in decades were headed to President Joe Biden’s desk on Friday … Continue reading →

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We are getting serious about the flood tunnel idea

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Now the question is how could we pay for this? A network of eight massive storm water tunnels that drain upstream of and into the Houston Ship Channel could be the key to alleviating flooding in Harris County, flood control engineers announced this week. The … Continue reading →

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Our electric car charging stations future

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Lots more are coming. Texas is planning to add enough electric vehicle charging stations throughout the state to support 1 million electric vehicles with dozens of new stations to allow for easier long-distance travel. In a draft plan released this … Continue reading →

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Cornyn’s gun control bill passes the Senate

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Happy to have had my cynicism proven wrong. Exactly four weeks after a teenage gunman armed with a semiautomatic rifle massacred 19 elementary schoolers and two teachers in Uvalde, the U.S. Senate voted 64-34 Tuesday night to advance a bipartisan … Continue reading →

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Cuellar officially wins CD28 runoff

Posted on June 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

All over now. A recount has confirmed U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, as the winner of his hard-fought primary runoff, according to the Texas Democratic Party. The recount wrapped up Tuesday, and Cuellar picked up eight votes, defeating progressive challenger … Continue reading →

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So how’s that bipartisan agreement on a framework for a gun control deal going?

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s check in. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn arrived at the Texas GOP convention in Houston Friday to address his role as chief negotiator for a bipartisan gun package head on — and was promptly booed for it. “No gun control!” … Continue reading →

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Recount updates

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We have a winner in CD15. Today, after Wednesday’s manual recount of the votes in the CD-15 primary runoff election, the Texas Democratic Party announced that Michelle Vallejo has secured enough votes to earn the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress … Continue reading →

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Flores wins CD34 special election

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Groan. Republican Mayra Flores prevailed Tuesday in a special election for an open congressional seat in South Texas, marking a major breakthrough for Republicans eager to blaze new inroads in the historically blue region. She beat Dan Sanchez, the leading … Continue reading →

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March For Our Lives

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I sure would like to think that all this activist energy means that things are different this time. Hundreds of Houstonians gathered near City Hall in downtown Saturday for the student-led March for Our Lives, one of dozens of events … Continue reading →

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Two redistricting lawsuit updates

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Legislators involved in the most recent redistricting effort can be made to sit for depositions. The Supreme Court refused Tuesday to block the deposition of Texas lawmakers in redistricting suits. Mum as to whether there were any dissents, the order from the … Continue reading →

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House passes Ike Dike bill

Posted on June 10, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Getting closer, but there’s still a big obstacle to overcome. The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night voted 384-37 to approve the plan for the $31-billion “Ike Dike,” a massive project designed to protect the vulnerable region from storm surge. The plan … Continue reading →

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So what’s going on in the CD34 special election?

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We started with this. Early voting continues for the June 14 special election for CD34 open (Lean R) through June 10. Candidates for that special election were required to file pre-special election reports today (Thurs.) if they meet the reporting … Continue reading →

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McConaughey opines for gun control

Posted on June 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad. I believe that responsible, law-abiding Americans have a Second Amendment right, enshrined by our founders, to bear arms. I also believe we have a cultural obligation to take steps toward slowing down the senseless killing of our children. … Continue reading →

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Here come the recounts

Posted on June 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Progressive candidate Jessica Cisneros announced Monday she will request a recount in the hard-fought Democratic primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, after she finished 281 votes behind him. Another Democrat in a key South Texas congressional … Continue reading →

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We’ve seen this movie before

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the sentiment, but I know how this ends. Major Republican donors, including some that have contributed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaigns, joined other conservative Texans in signing an open letter supporting congressional action to increase gun restrictions in … Continue reading →

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Cuellar claims victory in CD28

Posted on June 5, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He has a bigger lead now than he did on Election Night. With every vote counted in a fiercely contested South Texas Democratic primary runoff, longtime congressman Henry Cuellar was 281 votes ahead of progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros. Cuellar declared … Continue reading →

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City passes its budget

Posted on June 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Not too much drama. Houston’s $5.7 billion budget for the next fiscal year includes a big jump in revenue from water bills, raises for all city employees and the largest unspent reserves in years. City Council voted 15-2 to adopt … Continue reading →

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Vallejo claims victory in CD15 runoff

Posted on June 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Her opponent demurs, but it probably doesn’t matter. Michelle Vallejo declared victory Wednesday in the Democratic primary runoff for the national battleground 15th Congressional District in South Texas. Her declaration came eight days after election night, when she emerged with … Continue reading →

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HCC special election runoff will be June 18

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From last week: The Board of Trustees of the Houston Community College System has called a Special Trustee Runoff Election for June 18, 2022 in HCC geographic District II. The position for geographic District II is to be filled for … Continue reading →

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