Tag Archives: Brandon Creighton

Houston sues over “Death Star”bill

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First out of the gate. I’m sure they will have company. Houston city attorneys on Monday filed a lawsuit against a new state law that blocks an array of local regulations, marking the first legal challenge to the sweeping crackdown on cities and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How bad is the “Death Star” bill going to be?

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll soon be finding out. House Bill 2127 has been approved by the state House and Senate, and Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign it any day. Crafted by state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), the bill aims to create a statewide, uniform set … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How bad is the “Death Star” bill going to be?

Meet your Paxton prosecutors

Posted on May 30, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s officially handed over to the Senate now. The Texas House on Monday named 12 of its members to prosecute its case against impeached Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state Senate. The House announced a Republican-majority board of managers … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Abbott threatens special session if he doesn’t get his voucher bill passed

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not the Lege these days without a special session threat. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday said he would veto a toned-down version of a bill to offer school vouchers in Texas, and threatened to call legislators back for special … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Abbott threatens special session if he doesn’t get his voucher bill passed

House passes bill to outlaw cities

Posted on April 19, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

That’s not literally what this does, but it may as well be. In a major escalation of Republicans’ efforts to weaken the state’s bluer cities and counties, lawmakers in the Texas Legislature are advancing a pair of bills that would … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on House passes bill to outlaw cities

The Lege does its housekeeping

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

In the Senate, they drew their lots to see who would have to run again in 2024. It was the luck of the draw for Texas senators on Wednesday as they drew lots to decide which half of them would … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quinn Ewers

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This story caught my eye. They got played by an 18-year-old. Depending on your sports acumen, hearing the name Quinn Ewers either makes your ears perk up or leads you to ask, “Who?” The former Ohio State quarterback’s name is … Continue reading →

Posted in Other sports, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Quinn Ewers

Maybe this is the year we get rid of Confederate Heroes Day

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know it shouldn’t boggle my mind that we even still have such a thing as “Confederate Heroes Day” in Texas in the year of our Lord 2021, but we do and it does. And so, some lawmakers will try, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

Our nanny state and vote by mail applications

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Paul Bettencourt purses his lips and wags his finger and is very disappointed in your county government. Republican state lawmakers have filed bills to codify the Texas Supreme Court decision that blocked Harris County from sending mail ballot applications … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

No eviction moratoriums

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

So opines Ken Paxton, and we all know what an unimpeachable source he is. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton advised Friday that local Texas governments’ attempts to delay evictions for renters grappling with the COVID-19 recession amounted to rewriting state … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate passes all of its SB15 alternatives

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Getting the band back together

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some business opposition to SB15

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Senate presents disaster relief bills

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Better late than never, though why they’re late remains a subject of interest. More than a year and a half after Hurricane Harvey ravaged the state, Texas Senate leaders announced a $1.8 billion trio of disaster relief bills on Wednesday that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Senate presents disaster relief bills

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 →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

A really dumb “Trump and the train” article

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. Texas is closer than ever to building the first high-speed train in the United States, thanks to President Donald Trump’s fascination with these transportation projects and a well-timed pitch to his administration. Now developers nationwide are looking to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here come the anti-Texas Central bills

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: [Tuesday], a group of key state lawmakers filed a slate of legislation to push back against Texas Central Railway’s controversial proposal to construct a high-speed rail line between Dallas and Houston. Senators Birdwell (R-Granbury), Creighton (R-Conroe), Kolkhorst … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Three bad bills

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Bad bill #1: State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, has been trying for months to pass legislation that would make it tougher for local entities to bring in more tax revenue by taking advantage of rising property values. On Thursday, he … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Opposition to the high speed rail line gets organized

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

You had to figure something like this was coming. I was recently informed of NoTexasCentral.com, and I’ll let them introduce themselves: Texas Central Railway (TCR), a Japanese funded Texas-based private railroad company, is set to build and operate a high … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

First steps in Montgomery County

Posted on October 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You can’t win a race if you don’t have a candidate. Democrat Michael Hayles says Montgomery County’s poor have to balance some tough choices, and he extends his arms in a rocking motion to make the point. “Do I get … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on First steps in Montgomery County

SD04: Creighton defeats Toth

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I went to bed before the final wrapup stories were written, but trust me, Rep. Brandon Creighton is now Sen. Brandon Creighton. In early returns in the race to succeed Sen. Tommy Williams, state Rep. Brandon Creighton was ahead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SD04: Creighton defeats Toth

Endorsement watch: Chron for Creighton

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, did you know that there’s an election coming up? It’s the special election runoff for SD04 to succeed Tommy Williams and it features the ghastly Rep. Steve Toth and the slightly less ghastly Rep. Brandon Creighton. The Chron, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

SD04 special election results

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s Creighton versus Toth in the runoff, as expected. Preliminary voting results show that Montgomery County state representatives Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, and Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, will face off in a June runoff for the District 4 seat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on SD04 special election results

Early voting for SD04 special election begins today

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Go make the best of the bad choices being offered. Early voting begins Monday in a special election to fill the seat vacated last year by former state Sen. Tommy Williams. The Woodlands Republican left the upper chamber last October … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Early voting for SD04 special election begins today

Oh yeah, that other election

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve had the primary, and we’ll have the runoff in late May. In between, there’s the special election in SD04 to replace Tommy Williams. Overshadowed by a heated primary season, a special election will be held on May 10 in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Oh yeah, that other election

January campaign finance reports for Harris County legislative candidates

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This could take awhile, and that’s with me limiting myself to contested races. First, the Senate. SD04 Brandon Creighton Steven Toth SD07 Paul Bettencourt James Wilson Jim Davis SD15 John Whitmire Damian LaCroix Ron Hale SD17 Joan Huffman Derek Anthony … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2014 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

House Republicans reject Medicaid expansion

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

But that’s not quite the end of the story. House Republicans on Monday agreed not to expand Medicaid as called for under the federal Affordable Care Act — but left the door open to doing so if the Obama administration … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

January finance reports for area legislative offices

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just to complete the tour of semiannual finance reports, here’s a look at the cash on hand totals for area legislators. First up, the Harris County House delegation. Patricia Harless, HD126 – $308,221 Dan Huberty, HD127 – $69,058 Wayne Smith, … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Until something is done at the federal level about the awful Citizens United ruling, there’s not much states can do about it. One thing they can do is tell the feds that they want them to take action against this … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Support Senate Concurrent Resolution 2

Another point of order delays Eissler’s school bill

Posted on May 7, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

HB400, the bill by Rep. Rob Eissler that among other things raises the 22:1 student:teacher limit in grades K-4, came up for debate last night after the “sanctuary cities” bill got sidetracked by a point of order. Here was the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

You say “succeed”, I say “secede”

Posted on June 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bleah. Lawmakers in the Texas House sent the U.S. Congress a message on Saturday to mind its own business. But just so no one gets the wrong message, House Concurrent Resolution 50 now says that Texas is still proud to … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on You say “succeed”, I say “secede”