Austin City Council today will consider an overhaul of the city’s short-term rental regulations but is expected to delay implementing most changes until the summer. At Tuesday’s work session, Mayor Kirk Watson suggested pausing the new rules pending the outcome of several STR-related bills before the state Legislature. “There are some key aspects of what […]
Texas Legislature
The state’s legislative governing body composed of the House and Senate.
Posted inPolice
Austin opened up police misconduct files. Now, state lawmakers want to lock them back up.
A bill that’s making its way through the Texas Legislature could target Austin’s management of its police department. Now, Senate Bill 781, authored by Republican state Sen. Phil King, could undo years of litigation, a citywide referendum and countless hours of public back-and-forth related to the Austin Police Oversight Act. Those behind the 2023 measure, which passed […]
Posted inEducation
New Texas teacher pay bill proposes increasing certain salaries by as much as $10,000
The chair of the Texas Senate Education Committee has outlined his vision for boosting teacher salaries, with a focus on retaining experienced educators. Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) filed Senate Bill 26 on Tuesday, a couple of weeks after Gov. Greg Abbott named raising teacher pay as one of seven emergency items for the 89th Legislature. Creighton’s […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Bills covering DEI, handguns draw concern from Music Commission
A proposed state bill that would allow licensed handguns into events held on government property was met with concern by members of the Music Commission on Monday. House Bill 1715, which has been proposed for this year’s legislative session, was one of the bills discussed during a briefing from city staff on how city programs […]
Posted inEducation
$17.8 million in food funding for Austin-area kids is on the line when the Legislature convenes
A federal food assistance program could provide families in Hays, Williamson and Travis counties with more than $17.8 million to feed their kids over the summer if Texas decides to participate. But that’s a big if. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission missed the Jan. 1 deadline to tell the U.S. Department of Agriculture […]
Posted inCity Council
At citizens’ request, City Council reannexes land
Some property owners object to the rules and fees governing use of their land in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and seek to escape from those rules. But their neighbors may not agree. City Council took action during their final meeting of 2024 to bring some property owners back into the city’s ETJ as they requested. […]
Posted inTransportation
Most Austin-area drivers will still need a vehicle inspection. Here’s where the rules have changed.
Mandatory vehicle safety inspections have been eliminated for many Texas drivers. But in 17 counties – including Travis and Williamson – an emissions test is still required to renew your vehicle registration every year. The changes, which took effect Jan. 1, makes Texas the largest state not to require annual checks on noncommercial vehicles for things […]
Posted inCity Council
City Council condemns anti-immigrant Senate Bill 4
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed one of its most extreme anti-immigrant laws yet: Senate Bill 4, which gives law enforcement the ability to arrest and hold people suspected of having entered Texas illegally. As the law’s enforcement still hangs in the balance, pending Department of Justice and ACLU of Texas lawsuits, the city of […]
Posted inWater
Commission drills down on what disannexation could mean for area water quality
Though the city’s current water quality monitoring system has been in place for an impressive 30 years, changes at the state Legislature mean a change at the city level as well. Andrew Clamann, who works for the Watershed Protection Department in the environmental monitoring and compliance division, spoke about his program to the city’s Environmental […]
Posted inCity Council
Texas attorney general threatens Austin over City Council’s effort to protect health care for transgender people
Shortly after City Council acted Thursday to protect transgender people from discriminatory health care laws, Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a threatening statement, vowing to “consider every possible response to ensure compliance” with state law prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors. Against this backdrop of escalating anti-trans rhetoric within the Republican Party, Council passed a resolution […]
Posted inTravis County
Why is someone suing to get Travis County DA José Garza out of office – and what comes next?
A Travis County resident is trying to remove District Attorney José Garza from office. Betsy Dupuis filed a lawsuit Friday under House Bill 17, which allows anyone in a county to try to remove that county’s top prosecutor. Her complaint is similar to a previous one filed against the DA. Dupuis also told KXAN that Garza’s office mishandled a case after […]
Posted inEducation
Austin-area schools overwhelmingly reject hiring chaplains as counselors
State Rep. James Talarico, an Austin Democrat, praised school boards across Texas on Thursday for rejecting a Republican-led effort to let religious chaplains provide mental health services to students. “We are here to celebrate an important victory in the fight against Christian nationalism,” Talarico said during a news conference at the Texas Capitol. “There was a […]