Tax-relief plan headed to governor Proponents are calling it the “biggest property tax cut in Texas history.” Both chambers of the Texas Legislature passed an $18 billion package during the second special session, the Austin American-Statesman reported. If signed as expected by Gov. Greg Abbott, the bill raises the homesteadContinue Reading
House Democrats’ tax plan would help renters Texas House Democrats unveiled a $20.9 billion plan for property tax relief that drops tax rates, increases the homestead exemption, gives annual rebates to renters, and includes pay raises for teachers, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The newest proposal comes as the Legislature continuesContinue Reading
House defies Abbott A key House education committee adjourned last week without voting on a school voucher bill that is Gov. Greg Abbott’s top priority this session, the Houston Chronicle reported. Barring some unforeseen maneuver in the last week of the regular legislative session, the bill is effectively dead forContinue Reading
Clock ticking on moving bills The clock is ticking on getting bills out of the House and to the Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned last week in a story in the Austin American-Statesman. Patrick presides over the Senate and is worried many bills that have made it out ofContinue Reading
House OKs $4.5B for teacher pay raises The Texas House last Thursday passed two education-related bills, one that allocates $4.5 billion for teacher pay raises and another to increase the annual per-student base funding from $6,160 to $6,300 – a 2.3% increase. The Austin American-Statesman reported the bill would create minimum salariesContinue Reading
House OKs $302 billion budget The Texas House approved a $302 billion budget last week that included an amendment prohibiting the use of state money on private school tuition — a major setback to Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to establish a school voucher system. The Austin American-Statesman reported that more than 20Continue Reading
Texas leads nation in jobs added The Lone Star State continues to lead the nation in jobs added with 58,200 new positions in February, bringing the state to nearly 14 million total non-farm jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. February also marked two full years of uninterrupted job growth inContinue Reading
Senate passes tax cut package The Texas Senate last week unanimously approved a $16.5 billion package to lower property taxes and inject billions of dollars into public schools. As reported by the Texas Tribune, the three separate bills require the state to send at least $5.38 billion to public schoolsContinue Reading
Bill would require fentanyl education The death of a Leander High School graduate from a fentanyl overdose has prompted state Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown, to file a bill that would require 10 hours of education annually concerning the dangers of the drug to students in sixth grade and up, theContinue Reading
Street takeover spurs governor’s action Gov. Greg Abbott has created a statewide task force after several “street takeovers” recently took place in Austin in which motorists obstructed intersections, shot off fireworks and drove recklessly. Videos posted after the events showed vehicles doing donuts, crowds gathering around intersections, and people settingContinue Reading
Ice storm wreakshavoc in much of state Residents in Central and Northeast Texas are still cleaning up after a winter storm last week snapped power lines and tree limbs, causing widespread power outages, canceled flights and damage to homes and vehicles. At its peak, nearly 400,000 Texas households were withoutContinue Reading
Lawmakers push $15K teacher raises A group of House Democrats is proposing a $15,000 raise for the state’s teachers and a 25% raise for other state employees by using some of the state’s record budget surplus. State Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, announced the bill last week and was joined byContinue Reading
What to expect in legislative session The 2023 Texas legislative session opened Jan. 10, with property taxes, gun control and the power grid expected to be among the top issues on the agenda. The Texas Standard talked to political journalists Niki Griswold of the Austin American-Statesman and James Barragàn of the Texas TribuneContinue Reading
Early voting begins Oct. 24 Early voting in the Nov. 8 general election begins Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 4. Applications for voting by mail must be received by Oct. 28, according to the secretary of state’s office. Texans are eligible to vote by mail if they are 65 or older; sick or disabled; are expected to give birthContinue Reading
Hispanic Texans likely largest demographic group The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest estimate, which indicates Hispanic residents in Texas make up more of the state’s population than white residents. The new population figures from the American Community Survey indicate Hispanic Texans comprise 40.2% of the state’s population last year,Continue Reading
Mail-in ballot applications rejected at high rate Mail-in ballot applications for the March 1 primary are being rejected by almost 40% — largely because of a missing ID number, which is now required after a new voting bill passed the Legislature last year.The Houston Chronicle reported that nearly four in 10 HarrisContinue Reading
Dozens of school districts close due to COVID-19 outbreaks Several dozen school districts across the state were forced to close last week due to the omicron variant of COVID-19 sending home students, staff and teachers. Most school districts planned to reopen on Tuesday following the MLK holiday. “Every superintendent wantsContinue Reading
Note: Marion County is NOT part of the ERCOT power grid, but services like Natural Gas and Water COULD be affected. Last week, George Otstott told Jefferson City Council that NETWMD had done a number of upgrades so if severe winter weather happened again, water would still be available. TheContinue Reading
Texas Press, Capital Highlights The Texas Workforce Commission released June employment figures that showed Texas employers added nearly 56,000 jobs in June, while the unemployment rate dropped to 6.5%.“The Texas economy is booming,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “Businesses are investing in the Lone Star State at a record paceContinue Reading
By Gary Borders, TPA The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.8% in January, down a tick from December’s 6.9% rate but double the record low of 3.4% in May 2019. It is unclear what effect the mid-February winter storm had on employment, when power outages swept the state and manyContinue Reading