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Most Popular Stories
- HUD cuts could endanger portion of more than $15M in federal housing funds
- Watson warns of Austin’s ‘budget asteroids’ in speech to real estate council
- Prompted by convention center controversy, Council seeks changes to public art program
- Amid ongoing measles concerns, Austin ISD’s vaccination rate is below target for its youngest students
- Following Trump’s lead, Abbott orders state workers to return to offices
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Texas State Legislature
Videos from City Summit 2016: state vs. local
Our third edition of City Summit, produced this year with our partners at KUT and Glasshouse Policy, tackled a range of topics centered around interactions between state and local governments. Complete videos from each of the six panel discussions are…
Austin • By Michael Kanin • Jan 6, 2017
Legislature makes tax caps a priority, cities respond
Well-worn battle lines between the city and state were retraced Tuesday, as the Texas Legislature made it clear that it would be making property tax caps a priority this session. The response from area cities was just as clear. Sen.…
Texas State Legislature • By Elizabeth Pagano • Nov 30, 2016
County official: Political gridlock and local preemption loom at the Capitol
The Texas Legislature is returning to Austin in just 47 days, and Travis County is bracing for impact. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court’s field team at the Capitol gave a grim forecast of political headwinds to come once the 85th…
Texas State Legislature • By Caleb Pritchard • Nov 23, 2016
Council OKs legislative teams, agenda for 2017
City Council on Thursday approved the city’s legislative agenda, along with the hiring of 10 consultants in Austin and two in Washington, D.C. The Austin consultants altogether will receive $708,000, and the two Congressional consultants will receive $174,000. The vote…
Texas State Legislature • By Jo Clifton • Oct 21, 2016
Lawmakers consider changes to local petitions and bond elections
It was as if they’d been studying Austin’s recent petition haps and mishaps. State lawmakers on the House Elections Committee began hearing testimony Thursday on possible legislative changes to how local petition ballots and bond elections are run. Several of…
Texas State Legislature • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 23, 2016
Craft brewers sue to overturn state regulation
A group of Texas craft brewery owners is suing to overturn a state law that affects their distribution rights. Until a few years ago, beer distributors in Texas paid craft breweries for the right to sell their products. But in…
Texas State Legislature • By Syeda Hasan • Aug 16, 2016
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Uber and Lyft swing by the Legislature
Uber and Lyft were back in Austin on Wednesday afternoon for a rambling hearing at the State Capitol that also featured several upstart competitors, representatives from friendly and not-so-friendly cities and at least one NFL Hall of Famer. The State…
Texas State Legislature • By Caleb Pritchard • Jun 9, 2016
Council looks back at 84th Legislative Session
At the conclusion of a Texas Legislative Session, Austin must inevitably sit back and lick its wounds. According to Interim Intergovernmental Relations Officer Karen Kennard, however, the city sustained far fewer direct blows to its local control this time around…
Texas State Legislature • By Tyler Whitson • Jun 10, 2015
Council debates city's state legislative policies
With the 84th session of the Texas Legislature set to end June 1, the city’s Government Relations Office has kicked its lobbying efforts into overdrive. At the same time, City Council has opened a discussion about how the city determines…
City Council • By Tyler Whitson • May 13, 2015
Council tentatively extends large energy contracts
Austin Energy is stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the rock being the Texas Legislature and the hard place being the utility’s exhausted reserve funds. City Council is now working to wriggle the municipal energy provider out…
Energy • By Tyler Whitson • May 11, 2015
AISD, others ask state for $3 billion in new funding
Three members from the Austin Independent School District board stood with more than 20 other school districts at the State Capitol on Wednesday to ask legislators for $3 billion in additional statewide school funding. “For AISD, this figure is vital,”…
AISD • By Courtney Griffin • May 7, 2015
Austin representative takes on transportation
As the only member of the Texas House Transportation Committee hailing from Austin, freshman Democratic Rep. Celia Israel has vowed to bring the region’s gridlock woes to the Capitol. She recently told the Austin Monitor about a few of the…
