Tag Archives: stimulus

Interview with State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As I mentioned on Friday, I had the opportunity to speak with State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte. She’s the chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus (I mistakenly said “House Democratic Caucus” in my intro, but got it right after … Continue reading →

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The stimulus and the budget

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

State Rep. Jim Dunnam, who is the chair of the ad hoc committee that is charged with disbursing federal stimulus funds, gave an update on their proceedings. Among other things, the federal money may free up some state revenues. Normally, … Continue reading →

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They paid their taxes, too

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I really don’t understand the objection to using stimulus funds to expand unemployment insurance to help the larger number of people who are now out of work, and especially those who have the extra misfortune of not being eligible because … Continue reading →

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Another City Council lineup update

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Time for our periodic check on who’s running for what this fall. The Memorial Examiner gets us started. Five confirmed candidates are vying to replace Lawrence in District A. Jeff Downing, Amy Peck, Bob Schellkopf, Brenda Stardig and Alex Wathen … Continue reading →

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Will we or won’t we fix unemployment insurance?

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot of money riding on the answer to that question. The lure of $555 million in federal stimulus money for additional unemployment insurance has Texas legislators mulling whether to expand unemployment benefits to more workers. To get that … Continue reading →

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A step forward for Houston-Galveston rail

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We know that Metro is hoping for some stimulus money to help build light rail lines. Galveston is also hoping for some rail-related stimulus funds. A commuter rail line between Galveston and Houston has been on the drawing board for … Continue reading →

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Metro vote on light rail contract delayed

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rats. Metro’s board Chairman David Wolff has called off [today]’s vote on a contract with the agency’s rail builder in favor of a special board meeting next month. The Metropolitan Transit Authority has been in negotiations with Parsons Transportation Group … Continue reading →

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Stimulus for the schools

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Texas’ public schools are set to get some much needed stimulus money. Texas school districts can expect a jolt of more than $3 billion over two years under the $787 billion package ushered in by President Barack Obama’s administration. Under … Continue reading →

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So about all those stimulus funds

Posted on February 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how Governor Perry had argued against states receiving federal stimulus dollars? Well, he still doesn’t want them, though he’s giving himself some waffle room. Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday he’s not sure the state should accept all of its … Continue reading →

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Tough times for local governments

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

It’s gonna be a bad year. They’re not feeling the economic storm quite yet, but local governments across the Houston region are hunkering down anyway. Some have frozen hiring, others have stopped filling potholes. Planned purchases of police cars, golf … Continue reading →

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Will we get a piece of the stimulus?

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe, maybe not. Many states, running short of cash, may jump at the chance to spend federal stimulus money. In Texas, though, the executive and legislative branches may not jump in unison. Several Democrats and even a few Republicans are … Continue reading →

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The reason we need a credible Democratic candidate for Governor, in a nutshell

Posted on February 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

In case you missed it, the far right wing Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina offered an amendment to the economic stimulus bill during all the sausage-making last week. Here’s what he proposed: o Permanently repeal the alternative minimum tax … Continue reading →

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A piece of the stimulus pie for Metro

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

This would be nice. Houston Metro is due to receive as much as $180 million over the next 12 months from a huge economic stimulus bill to help jump-start construction of two light rail lines, a House committee chairman said … Continue reading →

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