Tag Archives: Kel Seliger

Republicans for Collier

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Two of them, anyway. Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, one of Texas’ most prominent Republican local leaders, is backing Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s Democratic challenger. “The one person who I’ll support statewide that will get me a little in trouble: … Continue reading →

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Meet the new billionaires in charge of Texas

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Somewhat worse than the old billionaires, who were already pretty bad. Gun owners allowed to carry handguns without permits or training. Parents of transgender children facing investigation by state officials. Women forced to drive hours out-of-state to access abortion. This is Texas now: … Continue reading →

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The only constant is change

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This DMN story is about the wave of changes to the various legislative caucuses in North Dallas, but if you pull the lens back just a little, you can see how universal it is. Proponents of term limits complain that … Continue reading →

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The SD10 redistricting lawsuit gets off to a rousing start

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I did not see this coming. In a sworn declaration submitted as part of an ongoing federal court challenge, a senior Republican state senator with redistricting experience said he believes his party violated federal voting laws when it drew new … Continue reading →

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The Lege will get worse before it gets better

Posted on December 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. More than two dozen members of the Texas Legislature are retiring or running for a different seat next year, creating a slew of vacancies that could push both chambers to become redder … Continue reading →

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Comings and goings

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Lloyd Doggett will run in a new district again. Longtime U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, has decided to run for reelection in Texas’ 37th Congressional District, opting to vie for one of Texas’ two new congressional districts — a … Continue reading →

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The Lege may fail to enshrine Abbott’s max anti-vaxx order into law

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

One bit of good news. Legislation intended to block any Texas entity, including hospitals and private businesses, from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for employees has stalled out in the Senate with less than two days left in the third special legislative … Continue reading →

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Senate approves its map

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

They wasted no time, which is another way of saying that they didn’t bother giving anyone else much time to provide input or feedback. The Texas Senate has approved a new political map for its own members that would entrench … Continue reading →

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A gold-plated dud

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a dumb story all around. When state lawmakers decided in 2015 that Texas needed to be the only state to have its own precious metals depository, supporters said there were plenty of reasons the project would be a gold … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Measles, schmeasles

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Eh, no biggie. With U.S. measles cases this year reaching historic levels since being practically eradicated nearly 20 years ago, a host of bills targeting vaccination policies in Texas don’t appear to be gaining traction in the Legislature. The U.S. … Continue reading →

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No-nuke version of SB2 passes the Senate

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Dan Patrick gets his bill, without having to do any nasty partisan maneuvering. The Texas Senate broke a logjam Monday that had paralyzed a piece of priority legislation for weeks — blunting a controversial provision in its property tax reform … Continue reading →

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Desperate Dan

Posted on April 14, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Dan’s gonna do what Dan’s gonna do. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, increasingly desperate to pass legislation aimed at reforming the state’s property tax system, told a group of senators late Thursday night that if he can’t get the votes to … Continue reading →

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Can we turn the anti-vax tide in the Lege this session?

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It sure would be nice, and this needs to be the primary goal. In Texas, children are required to have certain sets of vaccinations before they can be enrolled in public school – including the vaccine for measles. But parents … Continue reading →

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As the Senate turns

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Now boys, you play nice. State Sen. Kel Seliger has been stripped of his post as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, in an escalation of a feud with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the upper chamber. Announced … Continue reading →

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2018 primary results: Legislative

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Statewide Dem totals Statewide GOP totals Harris County Dem totals Harris County GOP totals (Please note that all results were coming in very slowly. I expect there will still be some precincts not yet reported by the time this publishes. … Continue reading →

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What West Texas can do to improve their schools

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an op-ed from the Statesman about one educator in West Texas who has had enough. My hero this week is Graydon Hicks, Fort Davis superintendent of schools. A West Texas publication published his open letter to Gov. Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

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Investigation requested into voucher astroturfing

Posted on April 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the Quorum Report: Following a criminal complaint by a GOP former lawmaker, an Austin representative has asked the Travis County District Attorney’s Office to look a letter-writing campaign that has deeply troubled rural Republicans in the Texas House who … Continue reading →

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Vouchers get their Senate hearing

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Here we go again with this nonsense. Senate Bill 3, authored by Republican Sen. Larry Taylor of Friendswood, would establish educational savings accounts and tax credit scholarships to fund various costs associated with parents moving their children from traditional public … Continue reading →

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STAAR screwups

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer: Texas’ standardized testing program wasn’t exactly popular before the 2015-2016 school year, but this year’s State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) has been an especially frustrating experience for Texas students, parents and school officials. New … Continue reading →

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Bill to kneecap Public Integrity Unit gets unstuck

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

And away it goes. Senate Bill 10, filed by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, passed on second reading along party lines. The integrity unit is currently a state-funded division of the Travis County DA’s office that investigates public corruption, insurance fraud … Continue reading →

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Bill to kneecap Public Integrity Unit stuck in the Senate

Posted on April 3, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

For now, at least. A Republican bill to transfer the Public Integrity Unit out of Travis County has snagged in the Senate, where the legislation does not have enough support to force a floor vote — at least for now. … Continue reading →

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Tuition re-regulation on the menu

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

There are different ways it could go. Tuition at Texas universities has more than doubled in the 12 years since state lawmakers authorized colleges to set their own rates. Now legislators are pushing to take back that control. It’s not … Continue reading →

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More on the initial bill filings

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib, a sampling: As of Monday afternoon, a bill repealing the Texas Dream Act, which allows undocumented immigrant students to pay in-state college tuition rates, had yet to emerge. Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick promised while campaigning that he would work … 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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Dallas adopts plastic bag fee

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A fee, not a ban. Stores in Dallas will charge customers five cents for most kinds of plastic or paper carryout bags, under a measure approved Wednesday by the City Council. At the urging of council member Dwaine Caraway, the … Continue reading →

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Special Session 3: Beyond Thunderdome

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Beyond ridiculous, if you ask me, not that they did. Standing before mostly empty chairs in the 150-member Texas House on Tuesday, House Speaker Joe Straus adjourned the second special session and announced that Gov. Rick Perry would be calling … Continue reading →

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House passes redistricting and abortion bills

Posted on June 22, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Redistricting: The House has passed SB 3, the redistricting bill for the state house map, on third and final reading. There was one last floor amendment today offered by State Rep. Toni Rose (D-Dallas), which moved Rose’s mother and … Continue reading →

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House passes redistricting bills

Posted on June 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

They accepted a couple of amendments but otherwise the process wasn’t much different from the Senate or the House committee. A daylong debate on redistricting maps in the Texas House drew frustration from Democrats and growing concern from Republicans on … Continue reading →

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Perry goes on a veto spree

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the full list. Among the victims are the omnibus ethics bill HB217, thus giving Allen Blakemore his fondest wish; two bills aimed at reducing the number of standardized tests some students must take, one of which will make William … Continue reading →

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Senate approves redistricting bills

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

As pro forma as they wanna be. The Texas Senate voted to ratify court-drawn political maps that were used for legislative and congressional races in 2012. The bills now head to the House. In party-line votes, Senators voted 16-11 to … Continue reading →

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Redistricting deal in the works?

Posted on June 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Color me skeptical of this. The contours of an agreement might have emerged Monday as a special committee of the Texas House debated maps of congressional and legislative districts. A Republican lawmaker and an attorney for the Mexican American Legislative … Continue reading →

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Feisty redistricting hearing in Dallas

Posted on June 8, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There really aren’t any other kind of redistricting hearings, when you get right down to it. Most of the testimony centered on whether to approve interim political maps used in the 2012 elections, or toss those lines out in favor … Continue reading →

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Redistricting hearings schedule

Posted on June 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Attend one if you can. Senate and House committees tapped to work on redistricting during the special session Tuesday released times, locations and dates for field hearings around the state. The Senate will hold two field hearings, one in Corpus … Continue reading →

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