Tag Archives: John Carona

Microbreweries win their distribution rights lawsuit

Posted on August 27, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Excellent news. A Texas law that prohibits brewers from selling territorial rights to distribute their beer is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Thursday, serving up a major victory to beer companies seeking to expand their presence in stores, bars and restaurants … Continue reading →

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Beer legislation 2.0

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Just because craft brewers succeeded in passing a bill allowing them to sell beer for consumption on their premises last session doesn’t mean there isn’t more that can be done to advance the cause of beer freedom. Twinned bills introduced … Continue reading →

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Trying again with online voter registration

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

My State Rep., Carol Alvarado, would like for you to be able to register to vote online. Can I just state the obvious? Why can’t we register to vote online? I manage my banking online, I do my taxes online, … Continue reading →

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Microbreweries file lawsuit over distribution rights

Posted on December 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Three Texas breweries filed a lawsuit against the state on Wednesday seeking to to overturn a 2013 law they say violates the Texas Constitution by forcing them to give away their territorial distribution rights for free. In their complaint, … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of the AG race

Posted on October 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Couple of interesting tidbits in here. A tea party darling with a dozen years in the state Legislature, Sen. Ken Paxton has avoided the media since admitting to a third-degree felony violation of state securities law in late April. Spokesman … Continue reading →

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The Senate is likely to get stupider again

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The cause. The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents officially named state Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, the sole finalist to be the system’s next chancellor in a press release issued Monday afternoon. Duncan is expected to start in his … Continue reading →

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Primary results: Legislature and Congress

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The big news on the Democratic side is the close loss by longtime Rep. Lon Burnam in HD90, who fell by 111 votes to Ramon Romero Jr. I know basically nothing about Rep.-elect Romero, but I do know that Rep. … Continue reading →

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A preview of the next beer battle

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas microbreweries are now officially selling their wares on premise. Woo hoo! In business for nearly 19 years, Saint Arnold Brewing Co. sold its first cold one directly to a customer [in June], thanks to a new law liberalizing the … Continue reading →

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What we missed by not getting a payday lending bill

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Better Texas Blog reminds us of what could have been SB 1247, the omnibus reform bill filed by Sen. John Carona … included the ability to repay standards, loan limits, and refinance limitations, among numerous other provisions. According to the … Continue reading →

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Patrick involved in another Senate squabble

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Must be something in the water. A powerful Republican urged the Senate last week to strip a plum committee chairmanship from a GOP colleague who voted against the state budget, six senators said Friday. Chief Senate budget writer Sen. Tommy … Continue reading →

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Taking back the Texas Senate

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Colin Strother says the Democrats should not overlook opportunities to make gains in the upper chamber of the Legislature. The conventional wisdom is that Democrats need a miracle to pick up any single seat, much less turn the chamber Blue. … Continue reading →

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Craft beer bills pass the House

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Hallelujah! A raft of bills that would dramatically alter the way beer is sold and consumed in Texas sailed through tentative approval from the House on Friday after a lengthy and disputatious process between brewers and beer distributors. If finally … Continue reading →

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Payday lending prospects look grim in the House

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer: Late into the night on Monday, the payday loan industry strutted its stuff before a very friendly House committee. The hearing came just a week after the Senate passed a surprisingly tough bill that the industry insists … Continue reading →

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Improved payday lending bill passes the Senate

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, if it goes anywhere. The Texas Senate approved a bill to regulate short-term lenders on Monday night, a milestone some thought the chamber wouldn’t reach after a personal and divisive floor fight on Thursday. But with the measure’s … Continue reading →

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That’ll just about do it for gambling this session

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sen. Carona calls the chances “slim”, but it sounds like slim just left town to me. [Sen. John] Carona, chairman of the Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee, said last week he expected to vote his sweeping gambling bill out of … Continue reading →

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Division over the payday loan bill

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Quite a heated little fight in the Senate yesterday. An ugly scene erupted in the Texas Senate today, with Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) suggesting that some of his Republican colleagues were “shills” for the payday loan industry and worrying that … Continue reading →

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More on the potential Coushatta casino

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Press cover story from last week is about the Alabama-Coushatta tribe’s efforts to get a casino again. It covers a lot of the same ground as that Chron story I blogged about on Sunday, but it also reminds … Continue reading →

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Senate to consider expanded gambling

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I didn’t really take it seriously when I heard that Sen. John Carona had filed his own gambling expansion legislation, but it seems it’s got some traction. A proposal from Dallas Republican Sen. John Carona would establish a commission that … Continue reading →

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Somewhat improved payday lending bill passes Senate committee

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I still don’t think it’s good enough. Breathing new life into a proposal that was doomed by the opposition of consumer groups only last week, a Texas Senate committee approved strengthened legislation Tuesday that imposes restrictions on the payday loan … Continue reading →

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Payday lending legislation may go nowhere

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t say I’m surprised, since Sen. John Carona’s most recent version of a payday reform bill was not met well by advocates for consumers and the poor. Among other things, Carona’s proposal would limit the maximum size of loans … Continue reading →

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Craft beer bills pass out of the Senate

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

A good day indeed. The Texas Senate voted Monday to give craft brewers and brewpubs new opportunities to sell their beer. “To see that happen was amazing,” said Scott Metzger, a San Antonio brewpub owner who worked with other brewers, … Continue reading →

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It’s good to be a payday lender

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Bleah. Earlier this legislative session, a chief of staff for a senator noted that the $4 billion Texas payday and auto-title loan industry would soon grow powerful and lucrative enough that the Texas Legislature would be unable to take it … Continue reading →

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Why do we give tax breaks to country clubs?

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As you know, I’ve talked before about sunsetting tax expenditures. Sens. John Carona and Rodney Ellis have filed a bill to require a periodic review of the many exemptions, exceptions, and other special cases in the tax code, with the … Continue reading →

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Gambling interests narrow their focus

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

This is usually how it goes. Let Texans Decide, a pro-gambling organization that is fronted by former state Sen. John Montford, was aligned at the beginning of the 2013 legislative session with big casino interests in a call for full-scale … Continue reading →

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Craft beer legislation advances

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Moving forward. Legislation authorizing the most significant changes in 20 years to the way beer is bought and sold in Texas passed a key Senate committee Tuesday with broad support. Under terms of the bills, Houston’s Saint Arnold and other … Continue reading →

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More on sunsetting tax expenditures

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I say again, this is a good idea that really needs to happen. The Texas tax code is rich with tax breaks. There are tax breaks for industries relocating to the state and for anyone with an Internet connection. Tax … Continue reading →

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Craft beer bills get their hearing

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib: The Senate Business and Commerce Committee on Tuesday acted as legislative referee over bills that would allow craft breweries to sell on their premises and self-distribute in Texas, but critics said the legislation would hurt the state’s … Continue reading →

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I knew all this beer harmony couldn’t last forever

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

We have some legislative beer controversy on our hands. Texas brewers would lose a potential source of capital and some flexibility in negotiating sales under a bill before the state Senate. The Texas Craft Brewers Guild immediately opposed the legislation, … Continue reading →

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Here come the craft beer bills

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

From Brewed and Never Battered. Senator Kevin Eltife (R-District 1) introduced bi-partisan legislation along with Co-Authors, Senators Brian Birdwell (R-District 22), John Carona (R-District 16), Eddie Lucio (D-District 27), Leticia Van de Putte (D-District 26), Kirk Watson (D-District 14), and … Continue reading →

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Sunsetting tax expenditures

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sens. John Carona and Rodney Ellis have the right idea. Over the past 18 months, many of our constituents told us they have trouble finding a reliable, accurate and up-to-date source of information on these tax breaks, exemptions and special … Continue reading →

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What does it mean to be a “craft” beer?

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron has a Q&A with beer aficionado Jenn Litz that raises an interesting question. Q: How are the major breweries responding to the craft beer trend? A: Mostly through the acquisition route. They know the milliennials are drinking craft, … Continue reading →

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The payday lenders won’t go without a fight

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Where there’s a fight, there’s sure to be lots of money. Payday lenders were big spenders in the most recent Texas political campaigns – contributing more than $1.6 million to state races in the 2012 election cycle and giving most … Continue reading →

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The payday lenders’ new tricks

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

You really need to read Forrest Wilder’s story about the latest scheme by payday lenders to skirt regulation. As serendipity would have it, I had stumbled onto the latest mutant creature in the wild and wooly world of Texas payday … Continue reading →

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The Lege will take another crack at payday lending

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

I’m glad to see this, because the Lege definitely left business unfinished last time. About 83 percent of customers in Beaumont and 75 percent in the Houston and San Antonio metro areas are locked in a loan renewal cycle, latest … Continue reading →

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