Austin’s Intergovernmental Relations Officer Carrie Rogers briefed Council Tuesday and expressed optimism about what might happen in the current special session of the Texas Legislature, which started on Monday. She told Council it was very important to their success as a team to reach out to a bill’s author “to let them know what our […]
Texas State Legislature
Posted inTexas State Legislature
This session saw legislative wins for child care providers and working parents
Each new Texas legislative session may introduce a new set of battles, but there are always some wins that keep us showing up to fight at the capitol every three years. This year, employers and working families alike saw the legislature make child care access easier in a state where around 95,000 people are on […]
Posted inAustin
Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control
Austin City Council members celebrated the resounding defeat of House Bill 274 on Wednesday, a bill that would have created the “District of Austin” as the state’s official seat of government. “Our message is loud and clear: local leaders are best equipped to address local needs. The overwhelming rebuke from members of the state Legislature […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Texas won’t offer a program to help feed kids over the summer. Advocates push for change next year.
About three dozen states plan to participate in a federal program that helps families pay for groceries over the summer. For the second year in a row, Texas – which has the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the U.S. – won’t be among them. The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, also known as Summer […]
Posted inCourts
CEO of Austin-based BookPeople ‘ecstatic’ over decision blocking law that restricts library books
The CEO of BookPeople said she is “ecstatic” the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday blocked a Texas law that sought to restrict which books are available in school libraries. “I’m so, so happy that they upheld the lower court’s ruling and that they understood and agreed with the unconstitutionality of the law as written,” […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Travis County judge rules Texas ‘Death Star’ law is unconstitutional
A Texas law that would have undone local laws was ruled unconstitutional by a Travis County judge Wednesday, days ahead of when it was slated to take effect. The law, referred to as the “Death Star” bill, would limit cities’ abilities to write laws that don’t conform with state laws that regulate transportation, agriculture, labor […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
State laws will have broad-spectrum effects on Travis County
The 88th Texas Legislature’s regular session recently ended, with both favorable and unfavorable fiscal effects on Travis County. On Tuesday, county Intergovernmental Relations Officer Julie Wheeler updated the Travis County Commissioners Court on the outcomes of the session and the scope of the legislation passed, which affected the county in areas like transportation, natural resources, […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Austin warns utility legislation would cause taxes to go up
A bill introduced by state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, would likely result in increased property taxes in Austin, San Antonio and other cities that own electric utilities, according to Austin Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo. Simply put, Senate Bill 1110 would prevent cities from transferring money from their utilities to their general funds, “if […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Library legislative working group gets update on ‘bills of concern’
The Library Commission spent the majority of its regular meeting on Monday discussing proposed legislation viewed as potentially harmful to the mission of libraries in Austin and statewide. Commissioner Courtney Rosenthal, who is leading the commission’s legislative working group that was formed a week earlier, brought the commission a list of bills of concern for […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Library Commission working group to track bills restricting access to library materials
Since the Texas Legislature reconvened for its 88th session in January, the city’s Library Commission has been tracking a number of bills concerning restriction of library materials. At last Monday’s regular meeting, commissioners expressed their concern about some of the newly introduced bills and decided to form a working group to keep track of their […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Bill to curb compatibility filed at the state Legislature
A bill filed last week at the Texas Legislature would significantly curtail compatibility, a rule in Austin that restricts the height of buildings near single-family homes. Senate Bill 491, filed by state Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), would in effect allow taller buildings to be built closer to single-family homes. If the bill passes, compatibility height […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Legislation addresses fire safety at kennels
A Williamson County lawmaker has filed a bill that would require all Texas kennel operators to have a fire-safety system in place to prevent another tragedy like the one that occurred last month at a Georgetown pet boarding facility. Seventy-five dogs died of smoke inhalation when a fire broke out at the Ponderosa Pet Resort […]