Tag Archives: The Lege

Well, that sucked

Posted on November 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s about 10:30 PM as I write this, and I don’t care to stay up any longer. The national situation looks dicey, but it’s not yet clear what will happen. I’ll put that off for now. It was bad here … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged abortion, Amarillo, Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance, bond referendum, CD34, Colin Allred, Congress, Donald Trump, Ed Gonzalez, Election 2024, Harris County, Harris County Sheriff, HISD, judicial races, Kamala Harris, President, SBOE, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege, Vicente Gonzalez | 22 Comments

A brief list of things I’ll be watching for today

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

In no particular order… 1. I don’t expect Democrats to win statewide in Texas. It would be great, it would do a world of good, but I’d be setting myself up for disappointment if I start there. What I want … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged abortion, Amarillo, Amarillo Reproductive Freedom Alliance, bond referendum, bonds, Brazoria County, CD03, CD15, CD21, CD24, CD38, Colin Allred, Collin County, Comal County, Congress, Donald Trump, Election 2024, Harris County, HD108, HD112, HD118, HD121, HD37, HD80, HISD, Houston, Kamala Harris, Montgomery County, President, Senate, Tarrant County, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege, turnout | 3 Comments

Loving County defunds its police

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

How is it that a place with so few people can generate so much news? When activists demanded cuts to police budgets in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 death at the hands of Minneapolis police, Texas lawmakers reacted swiftly, passing a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Brandon Jones, Chris Busse, Cody Williams, Constable, Election 2022, Leroy Medlin, Loving County, police, Sheriff, Skeet Jones, Texas, Texas Municipal Police Association, The Lege | Comments Off

On cryptomining and power plants

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I say again, there’s a political opportunity here, and it involves being on the right side of an issue. About 150 angry residents gathered in a conference center here on Monday for a public meeting hosted by the state environmental … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Bitcoin, blackouts, Constellation, cryptocurrency, cryptomining, Earthjustice, Election 2024, ERCOT, Freeze 2021, Hood County, Marathon Digital Holdings, noise, Public Citizen Texas, TCEQ, Texas, Texas Coalition Against Cryptomining, Texas Energy Fund, The Lege | Comments Off

Houston re-ups its membership in H-GAC

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard not to get really effing discouraged sometimes. Houston City Council voted 9-4 to renew its membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council Wednesday after fiery discussions over whether the city’s continued involvement violated the city charter. Council Members Tarsha Jackson, Abbie Kamin, Edward … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged Abbie Kamin, Arturo Michel, Austin County, Edward Pollard, Election 2023, Fair For Houston, Harris County, HGAC, Houston, Houston City Council, John Whitmire, Letitia Plummer, Sallie Alcorn, Tarsha Jackson, The Lege, The Woodlands | 3 Comments

Nevaeh Crain

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

ProPublica said it had two stories of women who died after being unable to get an abortion during a miscarriage. This is the second one. Candace Fails screamed for someone in the Texas hospital to help her pregnant daughter. “Do … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged abortion, Amanda Zurawski, Election 2024, EMTALA, Greg Abbott, Josseli Barnica, Kate Cox, Ken Paxton, Nevaeh Crain, SCOTUS, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Paxton takes his fight against the State Fair gun ban back to district court

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As threatened and expected. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intends to continue challenging the State Fair of Texas’ gun ban, despite the fair ending last week, according to new court filings. Paxton filed a motion Monday to dismiss his appeal … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Dallas, gun control, guns, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, State Fair of Texas, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

Is this the year Tarrant County finally goes blue?

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. “Tarrant County is the 15th-largest county in the country, so it should get a lot of attention. And it’s the third-largest county in Texas, so it makes sense that there would be a lot of focus there,” said Mark … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Beto O'Rourke, Bill Waybourn, Colin Allred, County Judge, Dallas County, demography, Donald Trump, Election 2016, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election 2024, Election 2026, Governor, Harris County, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, President, Senate, Sheriff, Tarrant County, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege, Tim O'Hare | 3 Comments

Josseli Barnica

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Remember her name. Josseli Barnica grieved the news as she lay in a Houston hospital bed on Sept. 3, 2021: The sibling she’d dreamt of giving her daughter would not survive this pregnancy. The fetus was on the verge of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged abortion, Amanda Zurawski, Election 2024, EMTALA, Greg Abbott, Josseli Barnica, Kate Cox, Ken Paxton, SCOTUS, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Ken Paxton also doesn’t care if we execute an innocent man

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Shocking, I know, from such a moral paragon. A week after death row inmate Robert Roberson was set to die, the extraordinary quest to save his life has morphed into a deepening political battle between Texas House lawmakers and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged Court of Criminal Appeals, death penalty, Governor, Greg Abbott, Jeff Leach, Joe Moody, Ken Paxton, Lacey Hull, Rhetta Bowers, Robert Roberson, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Make that 18.6 million registered voters

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

That’s a lot. Texas added nearly 200,000 voters to its rolls in the two weeks before the deadline to register, according to state data, giving the state a record-breaking 18.6 million voters going into this year’s election. Since 2016, when … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Bexar County, early voting, Election 2020, Election 2024, Harris County, Kamala Harris, Texas, The Lege, turnout, voter registration | 6 Comments

Greg Abbott cares more about his own power than about human life

Posted on October 22, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

What else can one say about this? Gov. Greg Abbott’s office condemned the actions of a bipartisan group of Texas legislators Monday, effectively breaking his silence in the pending execution of Robert Roberson. In an amicus brief filed by James … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged death penalty, Governor, Greg Abbott, Jeff Leach, Joe Moody, Robert Roberson, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Paxton sues doctor for providing gender affirming care to teens

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Nothing good will come of this. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a Dallas pediatrician, accusing her of violating state law by providing gender-transitioning treatments to at least 21 teenage patients. Thursday’s filing is Paxton’s first … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Ken Paxton, lawsuit, May Lau, Texas, The Lege, Transgender Education Network of Texas, transgender rights, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | 1 Comment

TEA clears Third Future Schools

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Some good news for Mike Miles. The Texas Education Agency’s investigation into alleged misuse of state funds concluded Third Future Schools — a Colorado-based charter school network founded by Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles — did not violate any Texas laws. The investigation also … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged charter schools, Colorado, deficit, HISD, Houston, Mike Miles, Mike Morath, New Education System, schools, Texas, Texas Education Agency, The Lege, Third Future Schools | 1 Comment

Fifth Circuit pauses vote harvesting injunction

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Here they come to do what they do. A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated portions of Texas’ 2021 voting law regulating ballot handling, ruling that a judge’s previous decision to strike certain rules came too close to the 2024 … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU, Americans with Disabilities Act, Brennan Center, Chris Hollins, curbside voting, Disability Rights Texas, Election 2020, Election 2024, elections administrator, FIEL Houston, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, Greg Abbott, Harris County, HOPE, Isabel Longoria, Jolt Initiative, Ken Paxton, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, MALDEF, Medina County, Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, OCA Houston, REV UP Texas, Secretary of State, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Impact, Texas Organizing Project, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Workers Defense Action Fund | Comments Off

Interview with Laurel Swift

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We know that in our post-redistricting world there aren’t many legislative districts that are truly competitive, but sometimes opportunities arise where you hadn’t expected them. HD121, the San Antonio district that was once represented by Speaker Joe Straus, is nominally … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Election 2024, HD121, interviews, Laurel Jordan Swift, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

On longshot candidates

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron looks at candidates running in districts they are highly unlikely to win. I have a few thoughts. In the 2022 election, a Houston Chronicle analysis found only about 5% of Texans lived in districts with competitive races for … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged campaign finance reports, CD21, Chip Roy, Congress, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election 2024, fundraising, Georgia, Kristin Hook, redistricting, Texas, The Lege, turnout | 1 Comment

More of the omnibus voter suppression bill blocked

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Better (very) late than never. Certain provisions of Texas’ sweeping 2021 voting law that restrict voter assistance violate the federal Voting Rights Act and cannot be enforced, a federal judge in Texas ruled Friday. Among the rules struck down by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU, Americans with Disabilities Act, Brennan Center, Chris Hollins, curbside voting, Disability Rights Texas, Election 2024, elections administrator, FIEL Houston, Greg Abbott, Harris County, HOPE, Isabel Longoria, Jolt Initiative, Ken Paxton, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, MALDEF, Medina County, Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, OCA Houston, REV UP Texas, Secretary of State, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Impact, Texas Organizing Project, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Workers Defense Action Fund | 1 Comment

“Wrongful death” anti-abortion lawsuit dropped

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas man who sued three women for allegedly helping his ex-wife obtain a medication abortion, one of the first and most explosive lawsuits after Texas began banning the procedure, has dropped his claims, according to defendants. The wrongful … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged abortion, Aid Access, Amy Carpenter, Briscoe Cain, Jackie Noyola, lawsuit, Marcus Silva, privacy, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Texas, Texas Harmful Access by Computer Act, The Lege | 1 Comment

Fifth Circuit hears drag ban appeal

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Hope for the best as always. A Fifth Circuit panel grappled with questions of free speech and expression on Wednesday as it deliberated whether to uphold a lower court’s ruling that a Texas law dealing with sexually explicit performances and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Abilene, ACLU of Texas, Attorney General, Bexar County, drag shows, Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, gay rights, lawsuit, Montgomery County, Senate, Taylor County, Texas, The Lege, The Woodlands, transgender rights, Travis County | 1 Comment

Some finance and fundraising bits

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Colin Allred keeps raking it in. U.S. Rep. Colin Allred raised $30.3 million for his Senate campaign in the third quarter of the year, outpacing U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s haul over the same three-month period, according to figures announced by … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Abel Herrero, Angie Chen Button, Averie Bishop, Beto O'Rourke, Colin Allred, Don McLaughlin, Donald Trump, Eddie Morales, Election 2020, Election 2024, fundraising, Greg Abbott, HD112, HD121, HD122, HD34, HD37, HD74, HD80, Joe Biden, John Lujan, Jonathan Gracia, Kristian Carranza, Laurel Jordan Swift, redistricting, Senate, Steve Allison, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege, Tracy King | 8 Comments

Of course Ted Cruz doesn’t want to talk about abortion

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

He has nothing good to say and he’s trying not to lose. Simple as that. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has been a loud anti-abortion crusader throughout his political career. But as reproductive rights loom over the election season as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged abortion, Colin Allred, Election 2024, IVF, SCOTUS, Senate, Ted Cruz, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

Maybe those Appraisal District elections weren’t such a hot idea

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Thanks to Tarrant County for setting the bad example. The Tarrant Appraisal District’s recent changes to local tax policy might violate Texas law, according to a state lawmaker. “I don’t believe the actions they’ve taken are legal,” Sen. Paul Bettencourt, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Bexar County, constitutional amendments, Election 2024, Harris County Appraisal District, HCAD, Johnson County, Kathy Blueford Daniels, Paul Bettencourt, property taxes, special election, Tarrant Appraisal District, Texas, Texas Association of Appraisal Districts, The Lege | 2 Comments

Eighteen million registered voters

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Number go up. Texas has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing states since the 1970s, but its voter rolls have at times been stagnant. From 2000 to 2012, the number of registered voters grew by 1.2 million. In only the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged Battleground Texas, Be One Texas, Bryan Hughes, Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, Donald Trump, Election 2020, Election 2024, Engage Texas, Jane Bland, Joe Biden, Jolt Initiative, Kamala Harris, Lone Star Project, NextGen America, Texas, The Lege, turnout, voter registration, voter suppression | Comments Off

Vote harvesting provision of omnibus voter suppression law SB1 blocked in federal court

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Very timely, even if it took forever to get here. A federal judge ruled on Saturday that part of a Texas law that enacted new voting restrictions violated the U.S. Constitution by being too vague and restricting free speech. The ruling, made by … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged absentee ballots, ACLU, Americans with Disabilities Act, Brennan Center, Chris Hollins, curbside voting, Disability Rights Texas, Election 2020, elections administrator, FIEL Houston, Greg Abbott, Harris County, HOPE, Isabel Longoria, Jolt Initiative, Ken Paxton, La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, lawsuit, League of Women Voters, MALDEF, Medina County, Mexican American Bar Association of Texas, OCA Houston, REV UP Texas, Secretary of State, Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, Texas, Texas Civil Rights Project, Texas Impact, Texas Organizing Project, The Lege, voter suppression, Voting Rights Act, Workers Defense Action Fund | 1 Comment

SCOTx rejects Paxton’s State Fair appeal

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Game over, you lose. The Texas Supreme Court denied a request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block a gun ban by the State Fair of Texas, meaning the fair will go forward this weekend with the gun ban … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Dallas, Greg Abbott, gun control, guns, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, State Fair of Texas, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | Comments Off

Appeals court rejects Paxton in State Fair gun case

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas court of appeals has denied the request by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to block a gun ban by the State Fair of Texas. The fair will go forward this weekend with the gun ban in place. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged 15th Court of Appeals, Dallas, Greg Abbott, gun control, guns, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, State Fair of Texas, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 4 Comments

Paxton appeals State Fair ruling

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As expected. Days before the State Fair of Texas is set to begin, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is again seeking to block enforcement of the fair’s new policy banning most people from bringing guns to the fair this year. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged 15th Court of Appeals, Dallas, Greg Abbott, gun control, guns, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, State Fair of Texas, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Some Republicans consolidate around one Speaker candidate

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

As is always the case, the field has narrowed. In the most concerted attack to date on Republican Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan from within the GOP House ranks, 48 representatives and nominees for House districts selected Rep. David Cook … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Ana-Maria Ramos, Dade Phelan, David Cook, Election 2024, James Frank, John Smithee, Shelby Slawson, Speaker's race, Texas, The Lege, Tom Oliverson | 1 Comment

What can the state do to help create more affordable housing?

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Probably a few things, though it’s not clear what is on tap at this time. If Texas wants to rein in its high housing costs, it needs more homes, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s office said Tuesday — the latest sign … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged Comptroller, demography, Glenn Hegar, inflation, local control, Texans for Reasonable Solutions, Texas, The Lege, zoning | 1 Comment

Dallas judge rejects Paxton’s State Fair lawsuit

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Fair’s ban on guns will stand, at least for now. A Dallas County district judge is leaving the State Fair of Texas gun ban in effect after an injunction hearing Thursday. Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Dallas and the fair last month because … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged 15th Court of Appeals, Dallas, Dustin Burrows, gun control, guns, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Mayes Middleton, State Fair of Texas, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 1 Comment

Endorsement watch: Catching up

Posted on September 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has been doing endorsements a few days a week, one at a time, in no particular order. Here are three recent ones, to catch up a bit. CD22: Marquette Green-Scott Marquette Greene-Scott says she never got to know … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2024 | Tagged CD22, Chase West, Congress, Election 2024, endorsements, HD132, HD150, Marisela Jimenez, Marquette Greene-Scott, Texas, The Lege | 2 Comments

How about a Dem for Speaker?

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, come on down! A Texas House Democrat is joining the crowded field to challenge Republican Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, for the speakership. Rep. Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos, D-Richardson, told The Texas Tribune she felt energized to run for … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged Ana-Maria Ramos, Dade Phelan, David Cook, Election 2024, James Frank, John Smithee, Ken Paxton, Senfronia Thompson, Shelby Slawson, Speaker's race, Texas, The Lege, Tom Oliverson | 2 Comments

More on Paxton versus the State Fair

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Attorney General Ken Paxton this week withdrew an eight-year-old legal opinion that gave private nonprofits the green light to ban guns on land they lease from a city — a move that comes as Paxton challenges … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged Dallas, Dustin Burrows, gun control, guns, Ken Paxton, lawsuit, Mayes Middleton, State Fair of Texas, Supreme Court, Texas, The Lege | 5 Comments

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