The debate over local control that will likely play out in the coming months at the Texas Capitol was on display at a panel Tuesday morning hosted by Leadership Austin. In a discussion that often veered into debate, three experts on the intersection of city and state policy gave their thoughts on how the current […]
Texas State Legislature
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Harvey Kronberg of the ‘Quorum Report’
The Quorum Report‘s Harvey Kronberg joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about the upcoming Texas legislative session. Post is embedded below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/303971565″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Candidates react to Dukes’ indictment
Two weeks after reneging on her promise to resign from her seat, state Rep. Dawnna Dukes, who represents much of eastern Travis County, was indicted by a grand jury for 15 offenses related to her alleged misuse of public funds. “Of course I am disappointed, but I expected that if I was sworn into office […]
Posted inAustin
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 embedded below. [one_third] Groundwater: What’s bubbling beneath the surface? San Antonio Water System VP […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) framed the unveiling of SB-2 (and the accompanying committee report) as a […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 Legislature convenes its regular session on Jan. 10. “This session will definitely be defined by […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 to hire the lobbyists was nearly unanimous, with Council Member Don Zimmerman voting no and […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 the issues they focused on related to Austin’s May vote on Proposition 1 – although […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 2013, state lawmakers passed a bill that brought sweeping changes to the industry. Breweries could […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 House of Representatives Business and Industry Committee met at 10 a.m. Wednesday and officially kicked […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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 than it could have. During a legislative briefing at a City Council work session on […]
Posted inCity Council, Texas State Legislature
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 its legislative program and makes decisions on which bills to support or oppose. A legislative […]