Tag Archives: local control

So long, red light cameras

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Like ’em or not, they’re on their way out, barring a veto from Greg Abbott. The Republican-led push to rid Texas intersections of red-light cameras moved one step closer to becoming law after the state Senate signed off on a … Continue reading →

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A tale of screwed cities

Posted on May 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my unofficial title for this legislative session. The interest group representing Texas cities used to be one of the most powerful legislative forces at the Capitol. This session, it has become the GOP’s most prominent adversary. Its members have … Continue reading →

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Cable franchise fees

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, remember how the city of Houston had to lay off a bunch of workers to to close a $179 million budget deficit? Well, there’s more where that came from. The Texas House on Thursday approved legislation that would limit … Continue reading →

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Senate protects Confederate monuments

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I will never understand this. After nearly four hours of testimony and an emotional show of opposition from some legislators of color in the Texas Senate, the upper chamber approved Tuesday a bill that would expand protections for historical monuments. … Continue reading →

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One anti-worker bill made slightly less bad

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s still a bad bill, just not maximally bad. Republicans’ legislative efforts to ban cities from mandating benefits for employers’ workers took another twist late Wednesday night after a Texas House committee added protections for LGBTQ workers that the state … Continue reading →

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School finance and property tax update

Posted on April 30, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From last week. Blasting the Senate for taking a symbolic approach on school district taxes, a panel of House lawmakers heavily altered then approved the upper chamber’s version of priority property tax legislation late Thursday. And committee members pointedly included … Continue reading →

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Senate passes all of its SB15 alternatives

Posted on April 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

When one big bill won’t do but four smaller bills will. The Texas Senate on Tuesday preliminarily approved the last two bills in a package of splintered legislation aimed at limiting the ability of cities to regulate private companies’ employment … Continue reading →

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The Lege versus the polls

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

There are reasons for this. Politicians are often said to be chasing the polls, but sometimes they run the other way. According to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, at least two issues popular with a majority of Republican … Continue reading →

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Getting the band back together

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I feel like they were a little slow getting off the bench, but the business lobby is back warning about anti-equality bills lurking in the Lege, mostly but not entirely in the Senate. In the spring of 2015, 80 companies … Continue reading →

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Some business opposition to SB15

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. A coalition of business groups and convention and tourism leaders, which includes ASAE, is expressing concern that a pending bill in the Texas Legislature could weaken protections for the state’s LGBTQ workers. ASAE is joining a coalition … Continue reading →

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Is the anti-sick leave bill also anti-equality?

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Could be. Whose word do you take for it? What started as seemingly simple state legislation hailed as good for Texas businesses is drawing skepticism from legal experts and outrage from advocates worried it would strike employment protections and benefits … Continue reading →

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The state of equality 2019

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

From Equality Texas: IN 2019, THE STATE OF EQUALITY IS: OUT OF STEP WITH TEXAS VALUES As the 2019 Texas Legislature approaches the mid-point, Equality Texas has surveyed the current state of equality and concluded that urgent legislative action is … Continue reading →

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It’s bill-filing season

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here are some highlights from Day One: House Bill 49, by Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, would get rid of daylight saving time in Texas. Some lawmakers have tried to do this in past sessions. House Bill 63, by Rep. … Continue reading →

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Rural counties and AirBnB

Posted on October 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s working well for them. Texans running Airbnb rentals in rural counties earned $20.6 million in supplemental income in the last 12 months with 169,000 guests, according to a new report from the hospitality company. These results represent a growth … Continue reading →

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Austin drops its bag ban

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What choice did they have? The City of Austin says it will no longer enforce a ban on single-use plastic bags at most retail outlets, following a state Supreme Court ruling last month that struck down Laredo’s bag ban. The … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court affirms trashing Laredo’s plastic bag ban

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not really a surprise. The Texas Supreme Court handed a loss to local government on Friday, striking down a Laredo ban on plastic bags. The decision imperils about a dozen other cities’ bans across the state. In a decision viewed … Continue reading →

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Too many people don’t get sick leave

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From the CPPP: All Texans should be able to care for themselves or a loved one if they get sick, regardless of what kind of job they do or how much they earn. Approximately 4.3 million Texas workers – or … Continue reading →

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The “sanctuary cities” connection to the SCOTUS sports betting decision

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The state’s rights aspect of this ruling may have other applications. Seven of the nine justices — five conservatives and two liberals — backed a robust reading of the Constitution’s 10th Amendment and a limit on the federal government’s power … Continue reading →

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Of course Ken Paxton opposes the sick leave ordinance

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

He wouldn’t be Ken Paxton if he didn’t. Less than a week after a conservative think tank sued Austin over the city’s paid sick leave ordinance, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has thrown the state’s support behind the suit, calling … Continue reading →

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Why do business groups want to force sick people to go to work?

Posted on April 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is bad for society. The city’s new ordinance mandating that most private businesses in Austin provide paid sick leave to employees — heralded by supporters as the most progressive labor policy in Texas when it won approval two months ago — is … Continue reading →

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Local control and local races

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

From Texas Monthly: At the end of last week, the Austin City Council voted to pass a new ordinance requiring local businesses to give their employees paid sick leave. It was the end result of a long and intense fight, … Continue reading →

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Supreme Court hears bag ban arguments

Posted on January 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hoping for the best, but not really expecting it. In the case Laredo Merchants Association v. The City of Laredo, lawyers spent almost an hour arguing whether Laredo’s 2015 ban was illegal under state law. If the Republican-led court rules … Continue reading →

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State of the County 2017: Ed Emmett versus state leadership

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

That sound you heard was a fight breaking out. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett on Tuesday used his annual State of the County speech to blast state leaders who he said attack local governments and seek to cut needed taxes … Continue reading →

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Abbott says he wants a list from Turner

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

A list of funding priorities, he says. Because he’s passive like that. Answering Houston’s latest complaints over funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday told Mayor Sylvester Turner the state can step up with more money … Continue reading →

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Ken Paxton REALLY wants your “sanctuary complaints”

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? Texans who suspect their elected or appointed officials of enforcing policies that protect undocumented immigrants can now file an official complaint with the office of the state’s top prosecutor. Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday … Continue reading →

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Fifth Circuit hears SB4 injunction arguments

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Big day in court. The immediate future of Texas’ immigration enforcement law hinges on whether a three-judge panel in New Orleans was swayed Friday by the state’s attorneys that the legislation is essential to public safety and should not have been partially blocked … Continue reading →

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Paul Bettencourt advocates doing nothing to rebuild after Harvey

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

He has nothing constructive to offer, that’s for sure. One of the top Republicans leaders in the Texas Legislature is slamming the city of Houston and other local governments for trying to raise taxes on homeowners in the name of … Continue reading →

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More post-Harvey ideas

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Chron, which likens this moment to what Galveston faced after the great hurricane of 1900: 1. Establish a regional flood control authority Floodwaters ignore city-limit signs and county-line markers. We can’t adequately address drainage issues with a mélange … Continue reading →

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Yes, cities need lobbyists

Posted on August 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Every few years, this argument heats up. In the run-up to this year’s Texas legislative session, Mayor Sylvester Turner decided to switch Capitol lobbying firms. In was Hillco Partners, considered by many the most powerful player in Austin lobbying. Out … Continue reading →

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Let’s play two?

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, God, please, no. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday put blame on the House — particularly Speaker Joe Straus — for the shortcomings of the special session and left the door open to calling another one. “I’m disappointed that all … Continue reading →

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Smell ya later, Senate

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

How about that? The special legislative session is over — in one chamber, at least. The Texas House abruptly gaveled out Sine Die – the formal designation meaning the end of a session – on Tuesday evening after voting to … Continue reading →

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Dan Patrick hates Texas’ cities

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have so many things to say about this. City governments, particularly those led by Democrats, are to blame for problems nationwide, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said during a nationally televised interview Friday. “People are happy with their governments … Continue reading →

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Halfway through the session

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The House is doing House things, and that’s fine. Brushing aside concerns that they are not moving swiftly enough to enact Gov. Greg Abbott’s 20-point agenda, Texas House members opened the second half of the special session Wednesday with a … Continue reading →

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Still more big businesses against the bathroom bill

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s like there’s a strong, overwhelming consensus or something. Top executives of big oil companies and other major Houston firms and organizations on Monday weighed into the political dogfight over the controversial bathroom bill, calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to … Continue reading →

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